Cancer patients are celebrating a string of courtroom victories after juries in three US states recently ordered Germany’s Bayer to pay more than $500m in damages for failing to warn about the health risks of its Roundup herbicides. But the consumer wins come as proposed federal legislation backed by Bayer and the powerful agricultural industry could limit similar cases from ever going to trial in the future.
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Cancer patients are celebrating a string of courtroom victories after juries in three US states recently ordered Germany’s Bayer to pay more than $500m in damages for failing to warn about the health risks of its Roundup herbicides.
In response, on 27 October, more than 150 US lawmakers signed a letter to the leadership of the House committee on agriculture expressing “strong opposition” to the pre-emption measures, saying they would overturn “decades of precedent” and have a “significant impact” on public safety.
The industry efforts in Washington come as scores of cities and towns around the US have moved in recent years to limit or ban certain pesticides on public grounds due to evidence of health and environmental risks.
“Pre-emption is a threat to democracy and public health,” said Kim Konte, who leads Non-Toxic Neighborhoods, a grassroots organization that works with communities across the country to adopt pesticide-free practices.
The company has already agreed to pay out billions of dollars in settlements to tens of thousands of people suffering from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) they blame on exposure to Roundup and other Monsanto glyphosate-based herbicide brands.
Amid the legislative wrangling, cancer patient and Roundup plaintiff Larry Gainey said he did not want to see any pre-emption bill passed, and hoped for his own day in court.
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