DeWayne Johnson sued Monsanto, the makers of Roundup weed killer, because he contracted non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after using the pesticide.
The California Superior Court awarded him $289 million.
The introduction by his attorneys of internal Monsanto documents stating that the company knew that Roundup, with its active ingredient glyphosate, causes cancer was instrumental in deciding the extraordinary amount for Johnson.
There are currently 13,400 similar cases, some class-action, against Monsanto charging similar claims.
The literature on this subject is chilling.
It is now known that a concentration 1/450th of that used in agricultural applications damages human DNA and chromosomes. (International Agency for Research on Cancer).
This is a far cry from Monsanto’s original claim that Roundup is as safe as table salt.
A commentary reprinted in the PDN (May 18, 2014) “The toxic brew in our yards,” states that five years ago it was known that diseases associated with pesticide exposure include non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, prostate cancer, Parkinson’s disease and lung cancer.
The literature now also includes breast cancer, thyroid abnormalities, infertility, as well as DNA and chromosomal damage.
After spraying it on the ground to kill weeds, the glyphosate can be transferred to pets, children, tracked inside to the carpet or floor, adsorbed into clothing, and washed into the groundwater contaminating our drinking water.
To ignore this threat to everyone’s health is going to ultimately be very, very costly.
John Mackay,
Sequim