The giant agricultural chemical and herbicide producer Monsanto has come under fire over its blockbuster weed killer Roundup.

Roundup lawsuits are being filed nationwide as Monsanto is exposed to an increasing number of product liability and personal injury claims over the popular weed killer.

The lawsuits allege that the active ingredient glyphosate used in the product caused farmers, landscapers, golf course and other agricultural workers to face an increased risk of cancer.

Allegations: Monsanto Roundup linked to Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma

The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) recently found that glyphosate in Roundup is likely a cancer-causing agent. The IARC report linked the side effects of Roundup to an increased risk of non-Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL).

EPA to hold hearings over Roundup’s Cancer Risks

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. regulatory agency has not weighed in on the glyphosate cancer controversy. The EPA was scheduled to hold hearings last week. The hearings were postponed after an outcry and pressure by the agricultural lobby over the make up of the expert panel.

The EPA announced the postponing of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Scientific Advisory Panel, which had been set for October 18 through October 21.

What is Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma?

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (also known as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, NHL, or sometimes just lymphoma) is a cancer that starts in cells called lymphocytes, which are part of the body’s immune system. Lymphocytes are in the lymph nodes and other lymphoid tissues (such as the spleen and bone marrow).

Once non-Hodgkin lymphoma has been diagnosed and staged, several different types of treatment can be used against non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The treatment options depend on the type of lymphoma and its spread or stage.

The main types of treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma are:

Chemotherapy

Immunotherapy

Targeted therapy

Radiation

Stem cell transplant

Florida Roundup Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma Lawsuit

Litton Walker, Jr., an agricultural worker has filed a product liability and personal injury lawsuit against Monsanto over failure to warn about the lymphoma risks with Roundup exposure.

The lawsuit was filed recently in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, and alleges that Monsanto failed to provide adequate warnings for decades, as agricultural workers applied the herbicide to their fields.

According to Walker, he was exposed to Roundup regularly over the past 40 years, applying the glyphosate-based weedkiller to Palm trees, and then on a blueberry farm.

In January 2006, Walker states that he was diagnosed with a form of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, known as diffuse large B-Cell lymphoma from Roundup.

Walker states in his lawsuit that, “the IARC Working Group found an increased risk between exposure to glyphosate and NHL and several subtypes of NHL, and the increased risk persisted after adjustment for other pesticides. The IARC Working Group also found that glyphosate caused DNA and chromosomal damage in human cells.”

Walker’s lawsuit will be transferred to the federal Roundup MDL, or multidistrict litigation, as complaints filed in U.S. District Courts nationwide have been centralized and consolidated before U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in the Northern District of California, for coordinated discovery and pretrial proceedings.

Billions of pounds of Roundup used in U.S.

According to a recent U.S. Geological Survey on glyphosate usage found that an estimated 2.6 billion pounds of the herbicide has been sprayed on agricultural land over the two decades. Monsanto developed “Roundup Ready” crops that are designed to survive being sprayed with glyphosate, killing the weeds but not the crops.

Allegations: Monsanto failed to warn about Roundup’s risks

According to the Roundup cancer lawsuits, plaintiffs may have not succumbed to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma or other cancers if they had been warned about the Roundup risks. The cancer stricken agricultural workers claim that they would have deployed increased safety precautions or used other less toxic products to control weeds.

Roundup Multidistrict ligation Consolidated in California

All Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma cancer cases over Roundup were recently centralized before U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in the Northern District of California, for coordinated discovery and pretrial proceedings.

If you are an agricultural worker, used Roundup and have developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, please contact us for further information.