The court in Oakland, California, has ordered Bayer to pay more than $2 billion in damages to two cancer patients. This is the third trial in the USA alone involving the allegedly carcinogenic active ingredient glyphosate, which is contained in the weedkiller “Roundup” from the subsidiary Monsanto. Bayer took over the US seed manufacturer last year for $63 billion.
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The damages go to Alva and Alberta Pilliod, an elderly couple who claimed that long-term exposure to Roundup caused their non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (lymphatic gland cancer).
Bayer said in a statement that it was "disappointed by the jury's decision" and vowed to appeal the verdict. “The world's leading health authorities agree that glyphosate-based products can be used safely and thatGlyphosateis not carcinogenic”.
The group added: “We have great sympathy for Mr and Mrs Pilliod, but the evidence in this case was clear that both have long medical histories known to be significant risk factors for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma... and there are no reliable ones scientific evidence suggesting that glyphosate-based herbicides were the cause of her illness.”
Bayer lost a second trial in March when a different California jury ordered the pharmaceutical and agrochemical company to pay $80 million in damages to a cancer patient who was also exposed to glyphosate.
Bayer currently faces more than 13,000 similar lawsuits in US courts. All are linked to the two glyphosate-based weedkillers. The pharmaceutical and agrochemical group insists that the products “Roundup” and “Ranger Pro” are safe for health, pointing out that regulators around the world have approved the active ingredient based on four decades of scientific studies. The group has already appealed against both previous decisions and is confident that the jury verdicts issued so far will finally be overturned.
