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The health of an American cancer patient who is attributed to Roundup herbicide was at the center of the debate on Monday at the multinational's trial.
Had he been informed of potential health risks around RoundUp or RangerPro, Monsanto herbicides containing glyphosate, Dewayne Johnson, have terminally ill, would not "never" used, he said in an American court Monday, July 23.
Called to testify for several hours in this trial he The 46-year-old American told the San Francisco-based giant how he sprayed RoundUp for two years, but especially the RangerPro, his professional version, more powerful and diluted in water before spreading. [19659005] Read also:
First trial of glyphosate in the United States
A strong and deliberate voice, even giving away some humor, this father of two spoke at length about his cancer, an incurable non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosed in 2014 that he attributed to glyphosate, a highly controversial 'object of conflicting studies on its dangerousness – in particular its possibly carcinogenic nature
For Monsanto, there is no danger and therefore no reason to warn of any risk. According to Johnson's defense, on the contrary, the firm knowingly concealed the possible risks badociated with its products and prevented any reliable scientific study.
"If you had read a warning [sur l’étiquette] concerning risks of cancer, would you have used the RangerPro ?, asked him one of his lawyers, David Dickens, RangerPro can in hand. "I never sprayed RangerPro in schools or anywhere" answered this former head of the fight against "harmful" (animal or plant) schools of the city of Benicia
Monsanto holds its usual line of defense
M. Johnson was responsible for diluting RangerPro in water and then spraying the solution (sometimes 150 gallons – or 560 liters – a day) to kill weeds with an electric vaporizer, even after was diagnosed, he explained.
On two occasions, Mr. Johnson was heavily sprayed with RangerPro and his clothes soaked with this product, following malfunctions of the vaporizers, he continued, indicating to have researched the Internet and decided to call twice "hotline" Monsanto after the diagnosis, panicked by "the uncontrollable situation on [sa] skin" where was multiplying lesions very painful.
"I had been exposed to the RangerPro and I thought that could be the cause" said Dewayne Johnson again, saying that despite two calls and promises in this sense, nobody che Monsanto never called him back. Even if Monsanto had only mentioned possible risks of cancer, he would have stopped using it, he said.
Asked by his lawyer about the physical and moral suffering of his cancer, Mr. Johnson claimed that the trial had taken him out of a form of denial. "I know I will not get better" he said, promising nonetheless "to fight until his last breath" .
Prudente before this poignant testimony, Monsanto's defense conducted a very short cross-examination, essentially focusing on its usual line of defense. What did the doctors say to Mr. Johnson? "Asked Sandra Edwards, one of the firm's advisers. "They all said the same thing: there was no scientific proof of what causes" this type of cancer, replied Mr. Johnson, adding that he had "Perfect skin" before being exposed to glyphosate
My world "collapsed"
Before the diagnosis, "we had no worries, no stress, life was beautiful " had testified shortly before his wife Araceli, now forced to work 14 hours a day and to have two jobs for " help with the bills ". When she learned about illness, her world "collapsed" . "I did not want to believe it" she told the bar, anxious smile and weak voice, sometimes containing her tears.
Unlike the US federal agency for the protection of the California, where San Francisco is located, has put glyphosate on the list of carcinogens. Praised by farmers for its efficiency and low cost, glyphosate is also clbadified "probable carcinogen" since 2015 by the World Health Organization (WHO), but not by European agencies, the EFSA (Food Safety) and ECHA (Chemicals).
Johnson's defense hopes to obtain millions of dollars in damages from Monsanto, which is the subject of thousands of lawsuits in the United States. The trial is expected to last at least until August.
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