Rural America — Farmers around the world, including those in northwest Iowa are watching a group of California cases with interest because the outcome could change the whole agriculture industry. And the first case has entered the next phase.
Several California families are suing Roundup’s manufacturer Monsanto over cancers they say were caused by exposure to the chemical. In the first case to go to trial, groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson is dying from Non-Hodgkins’ Lymphoma that he and his family say was caused by his exposure to the chemical in Roundup.
The defense team for Monsanto has now rested in that case after a Chicago oncologist suggested that Johnson’s cancer is hereditary and was not caused by Roundup.
Regulators in the United States and Europe have concluded that the active ingredient in Roundup — glyphosate — is safe. But the World Health Organization classifies it as a “probable human carcinogen.” That classification in 2015 triggered hundreds of lawsuits against Roundup in the U.S. This case is the first to go to trial.
Monsanto denies a link between Roundup and cancer and many government regulators also deny a connection. Legal experts say it could take many years to prove or disprove a connection for all cases beyond a reasonable doubt.
In June a federal judge upheld an injunction saying California may not require a label on Roundup saying it is a possible carcinogen.
Meanwhile, German drugmaker Bayer bought Monsanto for $66 billion in June and says it plans to retire the “Monsanto” company name.
ABC News and the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network contributed to this story.
