At present, science is sharply divided on whether glyphosate — an herbicide found in Monsanto’s Roundup weedkiller — is carcinogenic and cancerous to humans. The World Health Organization found in 2015, for example, that glyphosate is a likely carcinogen, but the Environmental Protection Agency opined in 2017 that the herbicide is likely not carcinogenic.
Despite the uncertainty in the scientific community, thousands of lawsuits have been filed against Monsanto and Bayer (who recently acquired Monsanto in 2018) asserting that Roundup causes cancer. Some of these lawsuits have been brought by cancer victims, while others are filed by surviving family members who lost a loved one to cancer.
And, in early August of 2018, the first Roundup cancer trial delivered a nearly $300 million verdict to a groundskeeper who argued his terminal cancer diagnosis was caused by Roundup.
Here are a few questions to keep in mind if you are wondering whether your cancer diagnosis was potentially caused by Roundup weedkiller.
How Pervasive Was Your Exposure to Roundup?
Scientific evidence suggesting that Roundup causes cancer also shows that the effects of glyphosate are cumulative in nature. This fact is in sharp contrast to other cancer-causing substances, such as asbestos, where research suggests a single exposure may be capable of causing cancer.
With glyphosate, cancer risk increases markedly as an individual’s exposure to Roundup increases, based on most research that shows a cancer link. This means if you garden casually and have only used Roundup on rare occasion, the best available science shows that it is unlikely Roundup caused a cancer diagnosis.
If, however, you worked in the landscaping industry like the groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson in the recently successful $289 million case, it is far more likely that Roundup caused your cancer.
As such, the majority of cancer victims in the Monsanto lawsuits worked in the following sectors:
- Landscaping
- Agriculture
- Farming
- Gardening
- Groundskeeping
- Other industries that heavily rely on herbicide applications
For many of these professionals, Roundup was used on a consistent and regular basis for, all too often, years on end.
Is Your Cancer Diagnosis Linked to Glyphosate?
In the Johnson case that delivered a nearly $300 million verdict against Monsanto, the groundskeeper was diagnosed with terminal non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which is the form of cancer most frequently linked to glyphosate among current research.
This is not the only form of cancer tied to glyphosate. Other types of cancer that have links to Roundup include:
- Follicular lymphoma
- Large diffuse B-cell lymphoma
- Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma
- Anapalastic T-cell lymphoma
- Multiple myeloma
- Primary central nervous system lymphoma
- And more
If you or a loved one worked in an industry that used Roundup regularly and were diagnosed with cancer, do not assume you have no legal claim before talking to a Roundup cancer lawyer at The Ledger Law Firm.
Our team of Roundup lawyers will fully investigate your legal claim and fight for your right to compensation if the facts reveal it is likely that using Roundup led to your diagnosis.
Contact us online today for a free case evaluation with a Roundup personal injury attorney at Ledger Law today.
