Jury says Roundup Weed Killer contributed to human cancer: NPR
A jury in the federal court in San Francisco on Tuesday concluded that Roundup grasshopper was a significant factor in a California man's cancer. The company denies the connection.
Haven Daley / AP
hide caption
shift texts
Haven Daley / AP
A jury in the federal court in San Francisco on Tuesday concluded that Roundup weed killer was a significant factor in a California man's cancer. The company denies the connection.
Port Daley / AP
A San Francisco federal jury unanimously agreed on Tuesday that Roundup caused a man's cancer – a potentially big blow to the company that produces glyphosate-based herbicide that today is faced with hundreds of similar cases.
After five days of deliberation, the jury concluded that it was a "significant factor" that caused non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in Edwin Hardeman, a 70-year-old Sonoma County man.
The verdict is the second in the United States to find a connection between the main ingredient of the herbicide, glyphosate and the disease. In August, another jury in San Francisco decided that Roundup had caused cancer in a former slayer. It was also Monsanto, the company that developed the popular turf separator, intentionally failed to warn consumers or regulators of the product's risk.
In that case, jurors called Dewayne Johnson $ 289 million. But a judge later slashed compensation payout to $ 78 million.
The German pharmaceutical and chemical giant Bayer bought Monsanto in June.
In a statement Tuesday, the company said it was disappointed with the jury's decision, "but we continue to firmly believe that science confirms glyphosate-based herbicides do not cause cancer."
Bayer's full statement on the jury's verdict in the California glyphosate multi-district trial try to be posted briefly. Link to follow. pic.twitter.com/ei9PWM02uV
– Bayer USA (@BayerUS) March 19, 2019
"We are confident that the evidence in phase two will show that Monsanto's behavior has been appropriate, and the company should not be responsible for Mr. Hardeman's cancer, "added Bayer.
The jury in Hardemand's case is now concerned with determining liability and compensation.
More than 750 cases Roundup cases against Bayer have been consolidated in San Francisco's federal court.
