A California jury has ordered Monsanto to pay 289 million dollars in damages to a gardener who contracted cancer after using glyphosate-based herbicides for over 30 years.
The story of a US gardener who contracted cancer after using herbicides Roundup and Ranger Pro, produced by agrochemical giant Monsanto, has a surprise ending: a California jury ordered the company (recently acquired by multinational Bayer) to pay the man the record figure of 289 million dollars in damages. The verdict was much awaited by other thousands of people who have been affected by the use of glyphosate-based herbicides.
Read also: How the Bayer-Monsanto mega-merger will transform global agriculture
American jury finds glyphosate causes cancer. It’s the most used agricultural chemical ever. This finding has huge implications for the food chain. https://t.co/QLReS9iovL
— Tom Watson (@tom_watson) 10 August 2018
San Francisco’s Superior Court deliberated for three days to find that glyphosate contained in the company’s products Roundup and Ranger Pro contributed to cause Dewayne Johnson’s cancer. The 46-year-old man, who worked as a gardener in many public schools in California for over 30 years, got a cancer of the lymph system. Johnson’s lawyers affirmed that his illness was caused by the glyphosate-based weedkillers he used during the years of work. In the past, Johnson already had evident effects on his back and arms after spraying the herbicides in the school gardens up to 30 times a year. Now Monsanto has to pay 39 million dollars in compensatory and 250 million dollars in damages to the man who, according to doctors, is unlikely to live past 2020.
Read also: The human cost of agrotoxins. How glyphosate is killing Argentina
The ruling in favour of Dewayne Johnson paves the way to thousands of similar lawsuits filed by people who contracted cancer after using Monsanto’s products. And the glyphosate-based herbicides Roundup and Ranger Pro are the most likely suspects. The Californian jury said that Monsanto “acted with malice, oppression or fraud and failed to adequately warn its users of the danger”. The layers for Monsanto-Bayer said they will appeal the verdict but, meanwhile, other 5,000 lawsuits have been given the green light to trial.
Siamo anche su WhatsApp. Segui il canale ufficiale LifeGate per restare aggiornata, aggiornato sulle ultime notizie e sulle nostre attività.
Quest'opera è distribuita con Licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione - Non commerciale - Non opere derivate 4.0 Internazionale.
Corporations are putting our lives and our environment at risk through a growing and improper influence over institutions, whose responsibility should be, instead, protecting people and the planet. The visible consequences have made it imperative to expose their devious tactics and their steadfast and corrupt lobbying, recently revealed in the Poison Papers (a compilation of over
Monsanto has said yes. After 5 months of negotiations and hesitations, the US company has accepted Bayer’s offer of 66 billion dollars, debt included. So, the value of each share is now 128 dollars, up from Bayer’s previous offer of 127.50 dollars a share. In addition, the German pharmaceutical company has pledged to pay a
“Bayer recently met with executives of Monsanto to privately discuss a negotiated acquisition”. Bayer’s statement has upset an entire industry, if not the entire European continent. Europe is faced with particular pressures as two core issues could determine what we’re going to cultivate and eat in the near future: the renewal of the license of the
South African court dismisses a major lawsuit by 140,000 Zambian women and children against Anglo American for Kabwe lead poisoning. A setback for affected communities enduring the lasting impact of lead contamination.
Controversial African land deals by Blue Carbon face skepticism regarding their environmental impact and doubts about the company’s track record, raising concerns about potential divergence from authentic environmental initiatives.
Majuli, the world’s largest river island in Assam State of India is quickly disappearing into the Brahmaputra river due to soil erosion.
Food imported into the EU aren’t subject to the same production standards as European food. The introduction of mirror clauses would ensure reciprocity while also encouraging the agroecological transition.
Sikkim is a hilly State in north-east India. Surrounded by villages that attracts outsiders thanks to its soothing calmness and natural beauty.
Sikkim, one of the smallest states in India has made it mandatory for new mothers to plant saplings and protect them like their children to save environment
