Monsanto Under Fire After Claims That Roundup Weedkiller Causes Cancer

Monsanto Bombarded by Lawsuits

Monsanto is under fire after claims that its popular product known as Roundup is causing cancer. Critics say Roundup Weedkiller causes cancer, but Monsanto says there is no evidence it is carcinogenic.

Reports say thousands of farmers and consumers have filed lawsuits against Monsanto including those who are now suffering from a rare form of cancer.

Many blamed the potent ingredient “glyphosate” in Roundup as highly carcinogenic.

Amid the cancer claims bombarded against the herbicide, Monsanto countered the accusation by saying there’s no proof that glyphosate is carcinogenic. Aside from that, Environmental Protection Agency’s Cancer Assessment Review Committee cited that said glyphosate is “not likely to be carcinogenic to humans” (PDF).

Though Monsanto is facing lawsuits from different areas of the United States, some countries are still evaluating whether to ban the famous herbicide.

Cancer Claims

Roundup has made headlines in recent weeks when users of the herbicide revealed to the public that it is making people sick.

John Jenniges, 74-year old, blamed Roundup as the cause of his mantle cell lymphoma.

“I’ve been using it since the very early ’80s. People have died from it. People will continue to die from it. I’ll die from it.”

A widow from Georgia is also suing Monsanto for the death of her husband in 2008.

Lisa Hammock blamed the chemical for the non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that killed her husband.

Ms. Hammock recalled, “He would come home and it would be all over his clothes. There was clots all in his nose and everything. He sucked one of those clots down into his lungs and he choked to death and I had to watch him choke to death.’

Roundup Generates Huge Profit

Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide is a popular brand around the world for crop protection. In fact, it is the premier weedkiller on the market and the largest crop protection brand in the world. Monsanto has gained huge profits from the sales of Roundup herbicide. In 2016, Monsanto generated more than $3.5 billion from herbicide sales in 2016, most of which were Roundup.