Introduced by Monsanto in 1974, Roundup has become the most widely used herbicide in the world. Roundup’s active ingredient, glysophate, is a highly effective weed killer, making it an easy-to-use product to kill stubborn weeds like poison ivy, kudzu, and dandelions. However, glysophate has also been linked to causing serious cancers including non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. For decades, farmers, landscapers, property managers, gardeners and homeowners across the country used Roundup without knowing of its dangers because Monsanto knowingly failed to warn consumers of the risks of using Roundup due to its carcinogenic properties.

Roundup is manufactured by the Monsanto Company. In the early 1970s, Monsanto discovered the weed killing properties of Roundup’s active ingredient, glysophate. Monsanto started selling Roundup in 1974. Today, there are dozens of Roundup varieties on the market including Roundup Ready-to-Use, Roundup for Lawns, and Roundup Max Control.

Glysophate is used in more than 160 countries, with more than 1.4 billion pounds applied each year. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that approximately 100 million pounds of glysophate are used on farms and lawns in the United States every year.

In 2015, Monsanto made over $4 billion in sales and nearly $2 billion in gross profits from its herbicide products, particularly, Roundup. In 2018, the German pharmaceutical mega company, Bayer, acquired Monsanto for $63 billion.

Monsanto has promoted Roundup as a harmless weed killing product for decades, even claiming the product is as safe as table salt. However, Monsanto was aware of the carcinogenic properties of glysophate as early as the 1980s.

In May 1985, a toxicology branch of the EPA classified glysophate as a possible human carcinogen. By 2015, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) determined that glysophate is carcinogenic and could lead to the development of non-Hodkin’s lymphoma. The IARC published an assessment stating glysophate can cause serious, and even fatal, illnesses when it is inhaled or absorbed through the skin. In April 2019, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services released a study concluding that glysophate exposure increased the risk of developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

Unfortunately, in January 2020, the EPA refused to classify glysophate as dangerous despite the concerns of the WHO, environmental and consumer watchdog groups, and juries in numerous Roundup lawsuits. Following the EPA’s decision, one public interest group, U.S. PIRG, stated that instead of relying on the independent, peer-reviewed research that led the WHO to declare glysophate dangerous, the EPA “places greater emphasis on evidence from studies submitted by companies who sell glysophate-based herbicides to fulfill regulatory requirements.”

Despite the growing science about the risks associated with Roundup, Monsanto still fails to warn consumers about these risks on its bottling or packaging.

Years of growing scientific research confirms that exposure to Roundup is associated with an increased risk of developing serious cancers including:

• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL)
• Lymphocytic lymphoma
• Chronic lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL)
• B-cell lymphome
• T-cell lymphoma
• Hairy cell lymphoma
• Mulitple myeloma

In courts around the United States, tens of thousands of Roundup lawsuits have been filed against Monsanto. Plaintiffs allege Monsanto knew about the risks of glysophate and Roundup, but failed to provide any warnings about the serious side effects, including the risk of developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.  In October 2016, lawsuits filed in federal court were centralized in a multi-district litigation (MDL) before District Court Judge Vince Chhabria in the United States District for the Northern District of California (MDL No. 2741).

So far, three Roundup cases have resulted in substantial verdicts for the injured plaintiffs. The first two trials resulted in verdicts of $289 million and $80 million. The third trial ended in a verdict for the plaintiff of $2 billion. Bayer, which acquired Monsanto, has set aside $16 billion to cover settlements of pending claims.

Though Bayer told investors in November 2021 that the company had reached tentative settlement agreements in roughly 98,000 Roundup lawsuits, accounting for nearly 80% of all pending Roundup cases. This still leaves nearly 30,000 active Roundup lawsuits that remain unsettled, and new cases continue to be filed on a regular basis as more individuals are diagnosed with injuries associated with Roundup use. Moreover, due to the length of time it may take for Roundup users to develop lymphoma, Bayer could be facing a steady stream of new Roundup lawsuits for years.

Contact Lewis Saul & Associates, P.C. To Discuss Your Rights

If you or someone you know used Roundup and was diagnosed with lymphoma, you may be entitled to significant compensation for your injuries. This includes reimbursement of your medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, disability and permanent injury, and punitive damages.

To speak with an experienced product liability attorney, contact Lewis Saul & Associates, P.C. at (877) LAW-SUIT or (877) 529-7848.