A group of Nebraska farmers is suing the giant seed and chemical company, Monsanto, saying the company’s herbicide, Roundup, gave them cancer.
Three Nebraska farmers and an agronomist filed the suit alleging that Roundup caused their illness and that Monsanto downplayed research showing the chemical’s cancer risk. Similar cases have been filed in California, New York, and Delaware. Monsanto says the claim is not supported by science.
Last year a panel of scientists at the World Health Organization found that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, probably can cause cancer. But another panel with the WHO recently said at normal exposure levels that’s unlikely to happen.
Roundup is one of the most heavily used weedkillers in the country. Most of the corn and soybeans planted in the U.S. are genetically modified to withstand the herbicide so farmers can kill weeds but not their crop. Grant Gerlock, Harvest Public Media.