Throughout California, there are farms that grow many different crops. Among them, whether they farm crops or cotton, there are a number of farmers who use glyphosate-based pesticides. In fact, glyphosate pesticides are the most popular type of pesticide in the world. They are also at the center of a growing controversy over their safety profile.
Roundup
For many farmers in California, and elsewhere across the US, memories of spraying Monsanto's flagship product, Roundup, are still fresh in the mind. In fact, despite all the controversy surrounding it, many farmers continue to use it today.
There has been little to no regulation surrounding the use of Roundup and other glyphosate-based weed killers on crops; farmers have been spraying it liberally and coming into close and prolonged physical contact with it.
Last summer, in a landmark case involving a plaintiff terminally ill with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, jurors ruled that Monsanto had failed to provide adequate and accurate safety information to users of their product. There are now a number of similar cases progressing through various US courts involving workers who have developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma after working with Monsanto products.
Current Research
In spite of that ruling, the issue of whether a weed killer can be conclusively shown to have caused an individual's cancer is considered to be controversial, both scientifically and politically. In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded that glyphosate was “probably” carcinogenic.
However, there is also a wealth of research that suggests this is not the case. In addition to the EPA in the USA, the European Chemical Agency and European Food Safety Agency have both declared that glyphosate is safe, citing research that finds no association between glyphosate use and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. With conflicting information out there, it can be hard for the average consumer to know what to think.
How it Works
For many years, it was believed that glyphosate was safe for humans to use on the basis that it worked by inhibiting an enzyme pathway that exists in plants but not in humans. In the mid ’90s, glyphosate-resistant GM crops were introduced, meaning that farmers could use large amounts of glyphosate to prevent the growth of all plants except the crops the farmer wants to grow. However, as time has gone on, new research has suggested that exposure to glyphosate might be associated with a higher chance of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The World Health Organization, among others, still maintain that glyphosate is carcinogenic. Rulings in recent court cases suggest that many consider Monsanto to be legally liable for at least some instances of lethal cancers developing. If you believe that you might have been affected by exposure to Roundup, you can give your details to roundupcancer.com. They can help you to ascertain whether it is worth pursuing a lawsuit against Monsanto.
While there is still conflicting evidence regarding the safety of glyphosate, the tide seems to be turning against Monsanto and others. Roundup has been specifically implicated as a potential carcinogenic and the evidence is growing. If you currently work with glyphosate-based products, or you have done in the past, you might want to consult with your doctor to ensure that there have been no adverse effects on your overall health.
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