Federal Regulators And EPA Block Roundup Cancer Warnings

Federal Regulators And EPA Block Roundup Cancer Warnings

Introduction

Federal regulators under the Trump administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stated that the warning labels for products that contain glyphosate, a chemical in the weed killer Roundup, would not be approved. This decision targeted the California regulation Proposition 65 that requires labels to warn consumers that the Roundup ingredient glyphosate is cancer-causing.

On August 7, the EPA sent a letter to registrants indicating that they would consider any Roundup cancer warnings to be false and misleading after the agency’s analysis has found that glyphosate is not a cancer-causing agent.

The EPA guidance stated that their discovery found glyphosate non-carcinogenic, they considered the Prop 65 warning language, based on the chemical glyphosate to constitute a false and misleading statement and also stated that the Proposition 65 warning statement for glyphosate-containing products would no longer be approved. 
EPA has made an effort to undercut California’s ability to regulate hazardous substances. The agency claimed that their research is in line with other regulatory agencies worldwide.

Roundup lawsuits are consolidated under federal multidistrict litigation (MDL No. 2741; In Re: Roundup Products Liability Litigation) in the Northern District of California, presided by U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria.

On November 16, attorneys representing a plaintiff in a lawsuit filed against Monsanto company requested U.S District Judge Vince Chhabria for an expedited trial as the plaintiff has less than six months to live as per his oncologist. On Friday, November 30, Monsanto told the California federal judge the dying man should not be granted a fast-track trial. The lawsuit filed on behalf of the 66-year-old California resident stated he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) due to exposure to glyphosate-containing weed killer Roundup.

The second bellwether trial case selected is the lawsuit filed by a plaintiff, which is scheduled to go for trial on February 25, 2019. A California couple allegedly affected by Roundup's adverse effects was granted an expedited trial by Superior Court Judge Ioana Petrou in Oakland last month; the case will head to trial on March 18, 2019, in California.

Several individuals affected by Roundup herbicides have sued the agricultural company in California, Missouri, and Delaware state courts. Multidistrict litigation has been formed in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, overlooked by Judge Vince Chhabria.

Monsanto has a brief history of legal troubles and Glyphosate is just another herbicide of the company to attract lawsuits. Plaintiffs across the U.S. have filed numerous lawsuits. IARC, considered to be the apex in the field of cancer research, classified glyphosate as a “probable human carcinogen.” According to IARC, Roundup is made up of other ingredients that are toxic in themselves, and are also known to increase the toxicity of glyphosate. Monsanto has known this for many years but still refuses to study the link between cancer and Roundup.