Glyphosate and Roundup: The Cancer Connection

How Roundup Causes Cancer

The active chemical ingredient in Roundup and the central focus of the litigation is a herbicide called glyphosate. Glyphosate works by inhibiting amino acids essential to plant growth, absorbed through the leaves, and transferred to the roots. This blocking of crucial proteins ultimately leads to a plant’s death.

This chemical can reside in the environment for days or months, affecting various wildlife if ingested. Humans are regularly exposed to glyphosate through environmental factors, like spraying or residing where herbicide spraying is frequent. This frequent exposure is the main source of conflict between plaintiffs alleging the chemical caused their cancer and the defendant Bayer maintaining the ingredient is safe.

Associated Injuries

Roundup and glyphosate exposure has been cited as the central cause of several cancers, including:

• Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
• B-Cell Lymphoma
• T-Cell Lymphoma
• Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
• Hairy Cell Lymphoma
• Mantle Cell Lymphoma

Despite the established EPA tolerance level, these cancers are all attributed to Roundup and glyphosate. 

New Research

While Roundup has been the center of scrutiny since the early 2000s with its original manufacturer Monsanto, Roundup’s new owner, Bayer, is still fighting lawsuits about the potential dangers of glyphosate. These continuous lawsuits have reinvigorated research efforts with new and varied results.

• September 2019 – Researchers at the University of Washington study the relationship between cumulative exposure to glyphosate-based herbicides and Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Using the latest data from animal studies and meta-analyses, they find a “compelling link” between glyphosate exposure and an increased risk of developing Lymphoma.
• December 10, 2020 – Glyphosate-based herbicides are studied on their environmental presence and impact on animal reproduction. Results show a rise in adverse health effects, including disrupting enzyme production for androgen synthesis, altering estrogen and testosterone levels, damaging reproduction tissue, and impairing gametogenesis.
• January 11, 2023 – The National Cancer Institute publishes a study following 268 male farmers with a self-reported lifetime occupational use of glyphosate. Urine samples were taken, and researchers found a high level of oxidative stress, a sign of carcinogenic infection.
• March 1, 2023 – 480 mother-child duos from a heavily agricultural region were studied by the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. They found childhood exposure to glyphosate was linked to liver inflammation and metabolic disorder in early adulthood. These complications can lead to liver cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease later in life.

The Next Steps

Bayer is still embroiled in massive multi-district litigation and is currently settling with claimants for millions of dollars. In June 2023, Bayer paid $6.9 million to settle claims Roundup misled consumers about the safety of the weedkiller. Now is the time to act and take legal action.

The Guardian Legal Network connects qualified claimants to expert legal counsel who will guide them through the lawsuit process and fight on their behalf. Contact us today or complete our no-cost review to pursue the justice you deserve.

References

• Chang, Vicky C., Gabriella Andreotti, Maria Ospina, Christine G. Parks, Danping Liu, Joseph J. Shearer, Nathaniel Rothman, et al. “Glyphosate Exposure and Urinary Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in the Agricultural Health Study.” Journal of the National Cancer Institute, January 11, 2023. https://academic.oup.com/jnci/article/115/4/394/6984725?login=false.
• Jarrell, Zachery Ryan, Muslah Uddin Ahammad, and Andrew Parks Benson. “Glyphosate-Based Herbicide Formulations and Reproductive Toxicity in Animals.” Veterinary and animal science, June 24, 2020. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7386766/.
• Kaplan, Sheila. “Childhood Exposure to Common Herbicide May Increase the Risk of Disease in Young Adulthood.” UC Berkeley Public Health, March 1, 2023. https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/news-media/research-highlights/childhood-exposure-to-common-herbicide-may-increase-the-risk-of-disease-in-young-adulthood/.
• Stempel, Jonathan. “Bayer Reaches $6.9 Million Settlement with New York over Roundup Safety Claims.” Reuters, June 15, 2023. https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/bayer-reaches-69-mln-settlement-with-new-york-over-roundup-safety-claims-2023-06-15/.
• Zhang, Luoping, Iemaan Rana, Rachel M. Shaffer, Emanuela Taioli, and Lianne Sheppard. “Exposure to Glyphosate-Based Herbicides and Risk for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Meta-Analysis and Supporting Evidence.” ScienceDirect, September, 2019. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1383574218300887.