The EPA has found that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, likely does not cause cancer. Lawyers for people with cancer are trying to convince the jury to doubt the EPA’s impartiality.
An EPA official who was in close contact with a Monsanto regulatory affairs manager allegedly wrote, “if I can kill this, I deserve a medal.”
The testimony came during a landmark trial on behalf of Dewayne “Lee” Johnson, a retired groundskeeper, who developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma after years of using Roundup to control weeds.
In 2015, the World Health Organization found that glyphosate was a “probable human carcinogen.”
Jess Rowland, an EPA official, called a Monsanto manager and announced that he would try to stop another U.S. government agency from launching a new study into the cancer risks of Roundup.
Rowland told the Monsanto manager, “If I can kill this, I should get a medal,” according to an internal email.
Lawyers claim that Monsanto knew of the health risks associated with Roundup since the 1990s, when studies began showing higher rates of lymphoma among people who used the product to control weeds.
Lawyers also accuse Monsanto of downplaying the science and failing to put warning labels on its products.
There are now more than 400 lawsuits against Monsanto on behalf of people who developed lymphoma after using Roundup.
The lawsuit is filed in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of San Francisco — Johnson v. Monsanto Co. et al. — Case Number CGC16550128.
Source: EPA Official Tried To ‘Kill’ Pesticide Study, Monsanto Jury Told