Monsanto the manufactures of the lead brand of weedkiller Round Up, have been ordered to pay a Californian couple $2bn in damages. The couple both contracted non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) cancer after using the weedkiller for 30 years on their property.
Pressure has been mounting on Bayer (the German owners of Monsanto) and Monsanto as more lawsuits have been filed. This is the third successful lawsuit against the company of its kind.
The company has been accused of bullying scientists and “ghostwriting” scientific papers claiming Round Up is safe for years. Their has also been close scrutiny over Monsanto’s relationship with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) who continue to approve the use of glyphosate (the active ingredient in Round Up) despite growing evidence to suggest that it is carcinogenic.
Read More: The Guardian