Farmers sue Monsanto over alleged Roundup cancer link

Three Nebraska farmers and an agronomist, all diagnosed with cancer, have filed a lawsuit against Monsanto alleging the seed and chemical giant of purposely misleading the public about the dangers of the world’s most widely used herbicide.

Source

You can expect a lot more to follow. Many are in a catch-22 because of their dependency on the product and have decided not to risk going bankrupt trying to take them on. All four farmers have been recently diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

In March 2015 World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer labeled glyphosate as a probable cause of cancer in humans and said it is most associated with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and other haematopoietic cancers, including lymphocytic lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, B-cell lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

First, a little history…

The molecule “glyphosate” was patented by Monsanto in the early 1970s as the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup®. Roundup was introduced to the consumer market in 1974 as a broad-spectrum herbicide and quickly became one of the best-selling herbicides since 1980.

Link

Next, from the JNCI (Journal of the National Cancer Institute) a possible correlation can be made.

Lymphoma Rate Rise Continues to Baffle Researchers

Back in 1991, the National Cancer Institute sponsored a 2-day workshop to ponder the mysterious “emerging epidemic” of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. A decade later, the mystery persists, and NHL cases continue to rise. “It’s been quite dramatic,” says pathologist Dennis Weisenburger, M.D., of the University of Nebraska. “Something is clearly going on, and we don’t understand it.”

Here are some alarming details to consider…

Since 1950, NHL has increased in frequency by about 4% a year. Overall, between 1973 and 1997, incidence grew 81%. This year 56,200 Americans will be diagnosed with NHL, which is now the fifth most common non-skin cancer in the United States. “It is remarkable how NHL has gone from being what we would consider a rare disease ... to what we consider in the moderate risk, mid-range of cancers,” said Sheila Zahm, Sc.D., deputy director of the NCI’s Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics. “It’s really a phenomenal increase compared to most other cancers.”

There have been no clear risk factors associated with NHL, but sever suppression of the immune system often leads to developing it. Organ and bone marrow transplant recipients are at risk due to the immunosuppressive drugs they receive and patients who receive chemotherapy or radiation for other types of cancer often develop NHL years later.

Studies have linked NHL to hair dyes, nitrate in drinking water, dietary fat and red meat, autoimmune diseases and especially to occupational exposure to herbicides, pesticides, and organic solvents. But, except for the herbicide/pesticide connection, the links are tenuous at best. And high chemical exposure on farms cannot account for NHL in the general population.

They new about that back in 2001. Now in 2016, about 1 in 50 are diagnosed with NHL making it one of the most common forms of cancer today.

The lawsuit alleges Monsanto “concealed or systematically sought to discredit” research showing a link between the chemical and cancer and continues to do so.

“Monsanto championed falsified data and has attacked legitimate studies that revealed Roundup’s dangers. Monsanto led a campaign of misinformation to convince government agencies, farmers and the general population that Roundup is safe. Its continuing denial extends to the date of this Complaint,” the lawsuit says.

Monsanto continues to claim on its website that the labeling of its herbicide as a possible carcinogen conflicts with the consensus of regulatory bodies and science organizations, citing the EPA as an example. Yeah, that hush money must be nice!

“’Probable’ does not mean that glyphosate causes cancer; even at 100 times the exposure that occurs during normal labeled use glyphosate is not a human health risk,” the company’s website says.

The chemical works by inhibiting an enzyme essential for plant growth. Monsanto says that because that enzyme isn’t present in humans or animals, glyphosate is safe when used according to label directions.

Well, there may be other factors that contribute to suppressing the immune system that eventually increase the percentage of getting NHL. Since newly classified as a possible carcinogen, many countries have restricted and even banned it’s usage. Monsanto even sued California in an attempt to keep glyphosate off of the state’s list of known carcinogens.

EU Countries Launch Shock Rebellion against Glyphosate Herbicides

Public pressure against glyphosate in countries across Europe has been intense, with nearly 1.5 million people petitioning the EU’s health commissioner, Vytenis Andriukaitis, for a ban on the substance, the Guardian reported.

Similar lawsuits have been brought against Monsanto by agricultural workers in other states, including California and Delaware. I have a feeling that things are only going to get worse for the company and admitting that their product is capable of causing cancer will indirectly attach them to the creation of one of the most dangerous pandemics in existence. No amount of scrubbing or money can clear them of the destruction they've casued and revering the damage is near impossible.

5 Million Farmers Sue Monsanto for $7.7 Billion

Launching a lawsuit against the very company that is responsible for a farmer suicide every 30 minutes, 5 million farmers are now suing Monsanto for as much as 6.2 billion euros (around 7.7 billion US dollars). The reason? As with many other cases, such as the ones that led certain farming regions to be known as the ‘suicide belt’, Monsanto has been reportedly taxing the farmers to financial shambles with ridiculous royalty charges. The farmers state that Monsanto has been unfairly gathering exorbitant profits each year on a global scale from “renewal” seed harvests, which are crops planted using seed from the previous year’s harvest.

I don’t know what to say. This company has a stranglehold on the world and the more countries that take a stand against their obvious attempt to silence the opposition, the faster we get to see them burn alive.

Enough is enough.

Don't go inciting a pitchfork parade just yet! Monsanto and it's goombas are cold blooded killers and they might take offense to us expressing our rights outside of a free speech zone.

“’Probable’ does not mean that glyphosate causes cancer; eve_javascript:external()n at 100 times the exposure that occurs during normal labeled use glyphosate is not a human health risk,” the company’s website says.

The thing is, just because it's still safe at 100x the normal exposure doesn't mean that its safe at 1x, 2x or 5x normal exposure. Many people are probably familiar with BPA (a ester based plasticizer used in plastic goods). BPA was initially thought to be safe because EPA did testing similar to roundup - that is, 100x, 1000x normal exposure, etc. In the end scientists actually found that low doses caused just as much harm as the very high doses.

BPA replacement alters hormones at low doses, study finds

Previous studies already have shown BPS mimics estrogen, but the new study advances that by showing it can alter the hormone at low doses people are exposed to.

“People automatically think low doses do less than high doses,” said Cheryl Watson, a University of Texas biochemistry professor and lead author of the study published in Environmental Health Perspectives. “But both natural hormones and unnatural ones like [BPS] can have effects at surprisingly low doses.”

Not saying that Roundup is the same case, but it's definitely a possibility and hopefully something people are researching.

a reply to: eisegesis

This company has a stranglehold on the world and the more countries that take a stand against their obvious attempt to monopolize the growing industry, the faster we get to see them burn alive.

No. No monopoly. Quite far from it actually. It would be pretty hard for them to take over Dupont's share.
www.agrimarketing.com...

Of course, if Bayer (Germany) manages to seal the deal:
www.usatoday.com...

a reply to: eisegesis

It would be a welcome announcement that they win and Monsatan is crushed out of existence, bit we know that won't happen. Monsatan will pay a fine and it will be ssdd. The system os far too corrupt to allow anything else.

Cheers - Dave

a reply to: bobs_uruncle

Monsatan will pay a fine and it will be ssdd. The system os far too corrupt to allow anything else.

In a tort case there are no fines.
And the only ones who really gain are the attorneys. If they win.

a reply to: Phage

Bayer is only tapping into the seed market, they are a pharmaceutical corporation. That being said, it doesn't surprise me they are tapping the GMO industry.

a reply to: Vector99

Bayer is only tapping into the seed market, they are a pharmaceutical corporation.

Actually...

With an international market share of 20 percent Bayer Cropscience, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bayer AG, is the second largest pesticide producer in the world (after Syngenta). For seeds the company is in seventh place with a market share of 3 percent. The concentration process in the agricultural market has been ongoing for decades.

aseed.net...

I thought Monsanto was above the law or immune from prosecutions in the US?

originally posted by: LDragonFire
I thought Monsanto was above the law or immune from prosecutions in the US?

Why did you think that?

a reply to: Vector99

Bayer does more than Pharma. They also have a manufacturing raw material department... I buy custom TPU films at my workplace that are produced and extruded by Bayer.

a reply to: Phage

Fair enough, I have edited the OP.

Go back to fertilizing your lawn.

Looking at the history of glyphosate, it was first used as a descaling agent in industrial equipment. It works by having a very high attraction to many metals like iorn, copper, zinc and others and basically just takes it away from other molecules.

It is no surprise that such a chemical does cause enzyme problems in plants. I very much expect it cause problems for other forms of life when it has been investigated fully.

As for why the general population is also suffering and not just the farmers, well they are eating it.

a reply to: eisegesis

Fair enough, I have edited the OP.

Cheater.

originally posted by: Phage

originally posted by: LDragonFire
I thought Monsanto was above the law or immune from prosecutions in the US?

Why did you think that?

Possibly because of the Monsanto protection act signed into law by Obama?

originally posted by: LDragonFire

originally posted by: Phage

originally posted by: LDragonFire
I thought Monsanto was above the law or immune from prosecutions in the US?

Why did you think that?

Possibly because of the Monsanto protection act signed into law by Obama?

Oh you mean Section 735 of H.R. 993 ?

The one that expired in September of 2013? That one? The one that said nothing about protecting Monsanto from lawsuits? Is that the one you mean?
www.abovetopsecret.com...

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: eisegesis

This company has a stranglehold on the world and the more countries that take a stand against their obvious attempt to monopolize the growing industry, the faster we get to see them burn alive.

No. No monopoly. Quite far from it actually. It would be pretty hard for them to take over Dupont's share.
www.agrimarketing.com...

No, but they are brothers in arms.

a reply to: intergalactic fire
Actually, they are competitors.

a reply to: Phage

That's not what i've heard from internal meeting within the Dupont administration

a reply to: Phage

Fair enough, thanks for the answer.

Do you think these farmers will get a fair hearing? Monsanto is a very powerful corporation.