Monsanto on the dock in a roundup suit

Monsanto, which has just been bought by the German Bayer and whose corporate name is soon to disappear, is covered by the complaint of Dewayne Johnson, an individual with terminal cancer after spraying Roundup for two years

"Monsanto has known for 40 years that the basic components of Roundup can cause tumors in laboratory animals," he said. name of the prosecution, lawyer Brent Wisner, at the first day of the trial hearings in San Francisco.

This is the first trial against this product that is the subject of hundreds of United States. Officially opened in mid-June with jury appointment procedures, it got off to a good start on Monday and is expected to last at least three weeks.

"Monsanto has used every means at its disposal to scare scientists away. to oppose the researchers, "said Wisner, claiming that Monsanto had done everything to hide the link between his product and the risk of cancer.

Sold for more than 40 years, Roundup, one of the most used herbicides in the world, contains glyphosate, a very controversial substance that is the subject of conflicting scientific studies as to its carcinogenic nature.

Monsanto, who faces millions of dollars in damages alone, has always firmly denied any connection between cancer and glyphosate.

Dewayne Johnson was diagnosed two years ago with non-cancerous lymphoma. Hodgkin, incurable, explains one of his lawyers David Dickens, of the firm Miller, specialized in the defense of individuals considering themselves victims of defective products.

"It is not the fault with no luck", this is not due to a "genetic" problem, "it's because of its continued exposure to Roundup and Ranger Pro" (similar product of Monsanto), that it sprayed between 2012 and 2014 on school grounds of the city of Benicia, California, secures Mr. Dickens.

The prosecution's task is to convince jurors of the link between Roundup and Dewayne Johnson's cancer, while it has not been scientifically proven in despite long years of debate.

"Mr. Johnson's cancer is a terrible disease and we all need to have the greatest empathy for the ordeal he's going through," Monsanto's lawyer George Lombardi said in court Monday. "The scientific evidence shows that glyphosate-based products do not cause cancer or cause cancer for Mr. Johnson," he added.

Robert Kennedy Junior, Bob Kennedy's son himself former United States President John Kennedy's brother murdered in 1963, sat in the front row of the audience Monday as a member of the team of lawyers gathered around the plaintiff.