Over the last couple weeks, water, sun and nutrients have turned lawns and farm fields a brilliant green right before our very eyes.
With this explosion of green, homeowners and farmers often seek out products to combat obnoxious weeds that can quickly spread out of control. The most popular herbicide sold in the United States is the compound glyphosate.
Glyphosate was produced by a Monsanto chemist in 1970 and sold under the trade name Roundup in 1974. Glyphosate can be sprayed directly to places where weeds are present or where farmers don’t want plants to grow, like between rows of corn and soybean. Glyphosate works by inhibiting the development of new plant tissue.
Botany experts say since its inception nearly 2 billion tons of glyphosate have been applied to crops by U.S. farmers.
But the safety of this popular weed killer has become a growing concern. In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer determined that Roundup is a “probable human carcinogen” with the propensity to lead to an increased incidence of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Because it has been linked to serious health issues countless product liability lawsuits have been filed against the Monsanto Company, especially in Missouri where Monsanto has its “principal place of business.” Since the beginning of this year, approximately 440 product liability lawsuits have been filed or are actively being litigated against Monsanto in Missouri.
The situation appears bleaker for some. This year, there have been multiple wrongful death suits filed against the designer and manufacturer.
In Platte County, James Gordon of Weatherby Lake filed a lawsuit on March 31 alleging the product known as Roundup caused or contributed to his development of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
According to the suit, Gordon was “diagnosed with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma in 2016” after using the product to maintain the yard around his home on Weatherby Lake. The suit contends Gordon was unaware that “exposure to Roundup could cause development of cancer.”
The suit says the product was “defective and unreasonably dangerous when put to the use reasonably anticipated” by the user. Gordon is seeking compensation for physical pain and emotional distress he suffered after developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after handling Roundup.
“The conduct of defendant Monsanto, in selling a product that it knew, or should have known caused cancer, including NHL, in users of Roundup, demonstrated deliberate indifference to and conscious disregard for the rights and safety of others,” says the suit.
Gordon is being represented by Kevin Stanley of the Humphrey, Farrington & McClain Law Firm.