Monsanto

March 24, 2022

Monsanto seeks “emergency” delay for St. Louis trial

Monsanto on Thursday asked a St. Louis judge to delay the start of a trial over claims brought by three men alleging exposure to Monsanto’s glyphosate-based herbicides, such as the popular Roundup brand, caused them to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Opening statements in the case of Neal v. Monsanto are expected next week. But on Thursday morning Monsanto requested a continuance “due to exigent circumstances.” The company did not detail its reasons in the filing.

March 18, 2022

Unsettled – Another Monsanto Roundup case heads to trial

Three people suffering from cancer are set to face off against Monsanto in the latest courtroom battle over allegations that exposure to the company’s Roundup weed killer causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

The trial will be the first to take place in the company’s former hometown, with jury selection set to start on March 24. (A previous trial in St. Louis was cancelled just hours before it was scheduled to begin due to a settlement agreement.)

March 7, 2022

Another PCB lawsuit targets Monsanto

Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer set a press conference on Monday to announce a new lawsuit seeking “environmental justice” from Monsanto, the former chemical and seed company now owned by Bayer AG.

According to Feuer’s office, Monsanto and two affiliated companies polluted area waterways with toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chemicals shown to cause cancer along with an array of other health problems for people. PCBs have been shown to remain in soil and the sediment under rivers, lakes and other water bodies for years, and are often found in fish and shellfish.

March 4, 2022

Syngenta’s Monsanto moment

Five years ago the once seemingly invincible Monsanto Co. was dealt its first searing courtroom loss over allegations that its glyphosate weed killer causes cancer and Monsanto worked to hide the risks. That loss was followed by another, and another, and the global recognition of damning internal Monsanto documents that ultimately led Monsanto owner Bayer AG to agree to pony up more than $11 billion to settle thousands of cancer claims. The litigation still lingers as Bayer wrestles with angry investors and plans to remove glyphosate-based products, such as the widely used Roundup herbicide, from the US consumer market.

Now it’s Syngenta’s turn.

February 22, 2022

A not so appetizing report on weed killer in our food

New testing of food products from Iowa groceries finds “alarming” levels of glyphosate

Researchers reported Tuesday that they found “widespread” contamination of common grocery store items with the controversial weed killing chemical called glyphosate, known popularly by the brand name Roundup.

In a test of 86 food products sampled from groceries in Des Moines, Iowa, more than half – 45 – of the products were found to contain what the researchers called “alarming” levels of glyphosate. Whole wheat breads contained the highest levels, with chickpeas and Quaker Oats also showing high levels, according to the report.