Monsanto’s Roundup Contains Glyphosate
In July 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an agency of the World Health Organization (WHO), determined that glyphosate, which is the active chemical in Monsanto Company’s Roundup herbicide, is a Group 2A agent, “probably carcinogenic to humans.”
IARC specifically linked exposure to Roundup to non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), (including its various subtypes such as lymphocytic lymphoma / chronic lymphocytic leukemia, B-cell lymphoma, hairy cell leukemia, and others).
Monsanto’s Roundup is currently the largest-selling and most widely used herbicide in the world, and Monsanto is the world’s leading producer of glyphosate. The company was the sole manufacturer of glyphosate-based herbicides from 1974 until 2000, when its U.S. patent on glyphosate expired.
IARC’s pronouncement is significant because it indicates that Roundup may be toxic and that humans exposed to it may run the risk of serious health consequences. Despite IARC’s assessment, Monsanto still maintains today that glyphosate and Roundup do not pose a health hazard to humans. In this light, Monsanto’s public statements may be misleading.
Because Monsanto has aggressively promoted Roundup’s safety — even in the face of conflicting evidence — agricultural workers, farm workers, commercial spray applicators, home users, and other individuals who regularly use Roundup may be disregarding proper safety precautions when handling the herbicide.
Exposure to Roundup and other glyphosate-based herbicides can occur in any one of several ways, including inhalation and direct skin contact. Such exposure may lead to health complications, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma, or one of its subtypes, and other serious illnesses.
Monsanto Roundup Litigation
There are individual personal injury lawsuits against Monsanto pending in California federal district court, as part of the Roundup multi-district litigation, and in state courts on behalf of individuals who developed NHL, or one of its subtypes, from exposure to Roundup.
The lawsuits allege that people were exposed to Roundup in crop fields, commercial nurseries, landscaping, at home, and other places. Prior to the disclosure about glyphosate, none of them were, or could have been, aware that exposure to glyphosate and Roundup could cause serious illnesses.
Speak With Our Attorneys Today
If you have been exposed to glyphosate, Roundup or both, and have developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma or one of its subtypes, you may be entitled to compensation from the product’s manufacturer. Further, if a member of your family died because of Roundup and/or glyphosate exposure, there might also be compensation for loss of consortium and wrongful death.
We would welcome the opportunity to assist you. For a free consultation and more information about your legal options, please call Plotkin, Vincent & Jaffe LLC at (855) 916-2963. Let us put our skills and experience to work for you.
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