Spring is just around the corner, and that means it is time to head out and get the yard in order again after a long and wet winter. Lots of sunshine now and lots of rain has your yard green and growing, but the weeds seem to be beating out your perennials yet again.
The thought of bending over to pull all of them makes you sigh, so instead you will head down to your local farm and garden store to grab a bottle of weed-killer. As you approach the shelf you are shocked – what is this new label? Roundup may cause cancer! You had no idea. You have used it for years and never had any indication of this threat, but now it seems you were wrong.
You think of your friends, so many have been lost recently to that horrible disease. You wonder if this might have contributed. And you also think with guilt and worry about all those times your grandson helped in the garden by spraying for you. With the label in place you turn away and find some new gloves and a knee pad. Pulling the weeds will feel good, and knowing you are not exposing yourself to one more potential source of cancer will feel even better.
California retailers will start seeing warnings on the popular weed-killer informing them about the potential link between the use of Roundup, and other weed killers containing the active ingredient glyphosphate, and cancer.
Monsanto, the chemical giant who manufactures Roundup, fought California’s decision to require labeling based on California’s use of data from an international group, the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Monsanto had argued that California was delegating their authority to regulate to an unelected foreign body with no accountability to the U.S. or state officials in violation of the California Constitution.
The decision to require labeling on the weed killer products came while numerous individuals were suing Monsanto for doing just that—causing them to get cancer. More than thirty individuals are suing Monsanto for their having non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after extensive use of Roundup at work and at their homes. The lawsuits are based on much of the same data as California used in its determination to require labeling of the product.
As a result of cases against Monsanto, new evidence is coming out that they had allegedly intended to ghostwrite a positive report about glyphosphate and find experts to adopt it as their own. Additionally, they allegedly had attempted to get the Environmental Protection Agency to minimize the current review of glyphosphate.
The future of Roundup and its related products remain uncertain, but Californians will now at least be better informed about the potential health impacts from its use and will have a clearer opportunity to protect themselves against a potential cancer cause.
Manufacturers who promote products that cause great harm to the public must be held accountable, and you can play a part. If you or a family member has been made sick by a dangerous product, call us at 888.777.1776 or use our online contact form. Delays can hurt your case, so please don’t wait.
