Roundup, the most widely used herbicide in the world, has been shown to have significant health risks for people and animals due to its active ingredient, glyphosate. For years, researchers and scientists have warned the public about cancer risks associated with glyphosate exposure through the skin and lungs, but many other illnesses and diseases are also suspected.
Roundup Health Risks
A 2019 Bloomberg study indicates that glyphosate lingers in the soil, taints human food supplies, and pollutes drinking water. Research laboratory studies show that glyphosate causes congenital problems in pigs and damages the kidneys and livers in mice and rats and their offsprings. Mice and their offsprings who are not exposed to glyphosate show no harmful effects, but exposed mice and rats show abnormalities including kidney disease, ovarian cancer, and birth defects up to two generations later.
According to the Bloomberg study, a 2015 report by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate as a probable carcinogenic in humans. Roundup is linked to various cancers including:
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- B-cell lymphoma
- Breast cancer
- Leukemia
- Lung cancer
- Ovarian and prostate cancer
Skin contact with Roundup causes contact dermatitis. Breathing it causes respiratory and lung problems. Many farmers and landscapers exposed to Roundup for long periods of time have developed various cancers including non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and acute myeloid leukemia, as well as neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Roundup has also been linked to cases of autism, depression, diabetes, and heart disease.
Monsanto, the manufacturer of Roundup, has been hit with hundreds of personal injury lawsuits over the last few years. The most recent case involves a husband and wife who regularly used Roundup on their four California properties since 1982. As homeowners, they used the consumer version of Roundup, which did not provide any warnings about Roundup health risks.
In 2011, the husband, Alva (age 76) was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. In 2015, the wife, Alberta (age 74) was diagnosed with the same exact form of cancer. Because of their ages, the couple filed an expedited lawsuit with an injury lawyer where they live. The jury unanimously agreed that Monsanto acted maliciously by refusing to look at the health risks of glyphosate. As a result, the couple was awarded $55 million in compensatory damages and $1 billion each ($2 billion total) in punitive damages.
