American Workers File Lawsuit Against Monsanto Claiming RoundUp Caused Cancer

San Diego, CA — Controversy tends to engulf Monsanto, the notorious agrochemical giant. One of the most vociferous debates concerns the safety of Monsanto products, including genetically modified seeds and RoundUp herbicide. As research doubting the safety of Monsanto products continues to mount, multiple lawsuits are cropping up both in the United States and around the world.

Monsanto does much of its own research regarding the safety of its products, and it continuously denies evidence in other studies that find their products to be unsafe.

The Norwegian organization, Genok Center for Biosafety, recently challenged the research Monsanto submitted to Brazil regarding its RoundUp-Ready GM soybeans, claiming the data was manipulated to favor a specific outcome.

Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified glyphosate — the main ingredient in RoundUp — as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” Monsanto, of course, denied these claims and continues to stand firmly by its assertion that glyphosate is safe for human exposure.

Though WHO updated its stance on the carcinogenic properties of glyphosate, farmers from across America are bringing forward claims that their cancer was caused by the use of RoundUp.

One of these lawsuits was filed in Los Angeles on September 22 by 58-year-old Enrique Rubio, a former farm worker in California, Texas, and Oregon. One of his main duties included spraying fields with RoundUp and other herbicides. Mr. Rubio maintained these tasks until he was diagnosed with bone cancer in 1995, the lawsuit states.

A separate lawsuit was filed in New York by 63-year-old Judy Fitzgerald, also on September 22. Fitzgerald made similar claims that her cancer was caused by exposure to RoundUp when she worked in a horticulture company during the 1990s. Judy Fitzgerald was diagnosed with leukemia in 2012.

Attorney Robin Greenwald, a representative in the Enrique Rubio case, says she believes additional lawsuits will emerge because RoundUp is the most widely-used herbicide and the WHO statements support ongoing concerns surrounding glyphosate.

Fitzgerald’s suit states that Roundup is a “defective” product and “unreasonably dangerous” to consumers, and that Monsanto knew or should have known glyphosate could cause cancer and other illnesses and injuries. Monsanto is accused of failing to properly warn users of the risks.

50-year-old Paul Francois won a lawsuit against Monsanto in 2012 for poisonous exposure to one of their chemical herbicides. The victim experienced neurological damage after inhaling Monsanto’s Lasso weedkiller in 2004.

The lawsuit also claims the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) changed its initial statement that glyphosate is “possibly carcinogenic to humans” to “evidence of non-carcinogenicity in humans” after being pressured by Monsanto.

If the claims are true, the fact that an organization such as the EPA — tasked with protecting both environmental and human health — could totally change its standpoint to the opposite of its original position is nothing short of disturbing.

As reported by Reuters, Monsanto spokeswoman Charla Lord said the claims were without merit and that glyphosate is safe for humans when used as the label indicates. Monsanto also says several studies conducted by the WHO that concluded glyphosate is carcinogenic are wrong.

The definitive truth about the safety of these products can’t come any sooner. Many more lives are potentially at risk due to products like RoundUp — and because of Monsanto’s attempts to suppress scientific research.

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Farmer Finds Surprising Results When He Sends GMO Crop ‘Dust’ to Lab

Farmer advised to wear face mask for protection

by Christina Sarich via Natural Society

It should come as no surprise that crop dust – that is, dirt and other contaminants that accumulate mostly during harvest season – is full of some questionable ingredients. What one farmer found when he sent some dust from his hog building outside his brother’s and father’s farms where they grow Liberty Link and Roundup Ready corn is a little more shocking.

The farmer collected some dust from the corners of the building where he housed his pigs and sent it to a lab, simply labeling it ‘hog dust.’ Midwest labs sent back their results:

The ‘hog dust’ contained:

• “Liberty Link corn dust, Roundup Ready corn dust

• Total mold count 14,000 cfu/g 7,200,000 cfu/g 15,600,000 cfu/g

• Aspergillus sp. (other) 10,000 cfu/g 7,000,000 cfu/g 15,600,000 cfu/g

• Penicillium sp 3,000 cfu/g 200,000 cfu/g —”

The mold found in the ‘hog dust’ can cause everything from allergies to more serious diseases, and Aspergillus can cause lung disease, asthma, viruses, and pneumonia. These contaminants are also known to reduce beneficial fungi in the soil, which means that crops grown in such ‘dust’ are not as nutritious or vital as their non GM counterparts.

The lab was so concerned about the contents of the dust they found that they asked the farmer to contact them. When he did, they advised the farmer to have anyone working in areas where the dust was found to wear face masks to reduce the risk of serious illness.

Consider that the wind also spreads this toxic dust, like pollen, to neighboring farms and to unsuspecting people who aren’t even farmers. Even without the health dangers of GM crops themselves, the dust is now even considered problematic.

Perhaps it’s time we reconsider the use of GMO crops as other countries around the world have.

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by Christina Sarich via Natural Society

Monsanto’s Cancer Causing Herbicide Doesn’t Even Work, Actually Makes Weeds Stronger

As we have covered extensively in recent months, Monsanto’s herbicide Glysophate, the primary ingredient in their top-selling product “RoundUp” has been proven to cause cancer. Now, according to new reports, the chemical doesn’t even work and is creating a new resistance in weeds that make them more resiliant and more difficult to get rid of.

Nebraska farmer Mike Pietzyk recently discussed how the weeds are becoming resistant to RoundUp in a recent interview with Chemicals And Engineers News.

“The days of going out and spraying RoundUp twice a year—those are long gone,” he said, adding that he was forced to use a cocktail of different chemicals, some of which are even more dangerous than RoundUp. Pietzyk and other farmers are now seeking new solutions to avoid the harsh pesticides used in conventional farming.

“People in urban areas and towns need to understand—we live here, we drink the water under the ground out here,” he says. “We want to be good stewards of what we’ve been entrusted with,”
he said.

According to U.S. weed scientist Dallas Peterson, one type of weed, in particular, called Palmer amaranth, has become especially resistant to pesticides and is overgrowing farms across the country.

Complaints of herbicide-resistant weeds have become so common that the House Agriculture Committee has scheduled a meeting on December 4th to specifically address the situation.

Roundup, formulated to be used on GMO or “Roundup Ready” crops engineered to be resistant to it, is the most widely used herbicide in the world. It was originally introduced in the 1970s to control weeds and then took off when the planting of GMO crops skyrocketed in the past 15 years.

According to a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), glyphosate use in the U.S. increased from about 20 million pounds in 1992 to 110 million pounds in 2002 to more than 280 million pounds in 2012.

In a statement released earlier this year, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) announced that glyphosate, the main ingredient in RoundUp, is “probably carcinogenic.”

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Monsanto Stunned – California Confirms ‘Roundup’ Will Be Labeled “Cancer Causing”

 
California has taken the reigns and decided to let the public know that glyphosate causes cancer.

By Claire Bernish via AntiMedia

California just dealt Monsanto a blow as the state’s Environmental Protection Agency will now list glyphosate — the toxic main ingredient in the U.S.’ best-selling weedkiller, Roundup — as known to cause cancer.

Under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 — usually referred to as Proposition 65, its original name — chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm are required to be listed and published by the state. Chemicals also end up on the list if found to be carcinogenic by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) — a branch of the World Health Organization.

In March, the IARC released a report that found glyphosate to be a“probable carcinogen.”
Besides the “convincing evidence” the herbicide can cause cancer in lab animals, the report also found:

“Case-control studies of occupational exposure in the U.S.A., Canada, and Sweden reported increased risk for non-Hodgkin lymphoma that persisted after adjustments to other pesticides.”
California’s decision to place glyphosate on the toxic chemicals list is the first of its kind. As Dr. Nathan Donley of the Center for Biological Diversity said in an email to Ecowatch, “As far as I’m aware, this is the first regulatory agency within the U.S. to determine that glyphosate is a carcinogen. So this is a very big deal.”

Now that California EPA’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has filed its “notice of intent to list” glyphosate as a known cancer agent, the public will have until October 5th to comment. There are no restrictions on sale or use associated with the listing.

Monsanto was seemingly baffled by the decision to place cancer-causing glyphosate on the state’s list of nearly 800 toxic chemicals. Spokesperson for the massive company, Charla Lord, told Agri-Pulse that “glyphosate is an effective and valuable tool for farmers and other users, including many in the state of California. During the upcoming comment period, we will provide detailed scientific information to OEHHA about the safety of glyphosate and work to ensure that any potential listing will not affect glyphosate use or sales in California.”

Roundup is sprayed on crops around the world, particularly with Monsanto’s Roundup-Ready varieties — genetically engineered to tolerate large doses of the herbicide to facilitate blanket application without harming crops. Controversy has surrounded this practice for years — especially since it was found farmers increased use of Roundup, rather than lessened it, as Monsanto had claimed.

Less than a week after the WHO issued its report naming glyphosate carcinogenic, Monsanto called for a retraction — and still maintains that Roundup is safe when used as directed.

On Thursday, an appeals court in Lyon, France, upheld a 2012 ruling in favor of farmer Paul Francois, who claimed he had been chemically poisoned and suffered neurological damage after inhaling Monsanto’s weedkiller, Lasso. Not surprisingly, the agrichemical giant plans to take its appeal to the highest court in France.

It’s still too early to tell whether other states will follow California’s lead.

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