Jury awards plaintiff in Roundup cancer lawsuit $289 million

The popular weed killing chemical known as Roundup, which is the brand name for glyphosate, is often considered safe for human exposure. The company that created Roundup, Monsanto, has insisted for decades that glyphosate has no adverse impact on human health. It is supposedly safe for use on any major crops that are Roundup ready.

The company does not label its Roundup products with any sort of warning about the long-term health consequences of those who have protracted and heavy levels of exposure. The failure on the part of Monsanto to recognize the potential dangers of this compound recently cost it a lot of money in a California courtroom. The jury awarded the plaintiff in the case well over a quarter of a billion dollars in damages.

Recent case in California involved a groundskeeper with heavy Roundup exposure

Many people only have some minor exposure to Roundup in their environment, but others may handle the chemical frequently. That level of exposure may not be as safe as Monsanto likes to claim. This recent case in California highlights the potential connection between chemical exposure and the development of a serious cancer.

The plaintiff in the massive California lawsuit worked for years as a groundskeeper. He applied glyphosate to fields routinely. At one point, when a hose broke, his whole body got covered with the plant-killing chemical. Eventually, he received a diagnosis of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

After learning all the details of the situation and deliberating for two and a half days, the jury found that the cancer was, at least in part, related to his chronic and heavy exposure to Roundup. They awarded the plaintiff $289 million, a cold comfort for someone whose doctors claim he likely won’t live past 2020.

Monsanto, for its part, continues to insist that Roundup is safe for humans. Unfortunately for this corporation, many more people will likely come forward with lawsuits in the near future. Failing to acknowledge the potential for negative health consequences could end up costing the company a lot more than printing a label warning of adverse health effects.

Consumers deserve to know if a product presents significant risks

Despite the popularity of the phrase “caveat emptor,” consumers generally assume that products they buy undergo proper testing to ensure they are safe. Unfortunately, this simply is not the case all the time. Some companies may do inadequate testing. Others may fund researchers and laboratories in the hope of skimming the results of studies in their favor.

Many products that have later been discovered to present human health dangers have initially passed safety inspections and tests. For those who who became sick after Roundup exposure or who lost a loved one to a cancer potentially connected to Roundup, now maybe the time to start considering if you have any legal options to pursue civil action against Monsanto.