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If hundreds, if not thousands, of lawsuits are pending in the United States against Monsanto, Dewayne Johnson's terminally ill cancer claim is the first on this product and its possible carcinogenic effects to be achieved
The 46-year-old American "fights for his life" after being diagnosed with incurable non-Hodgkin's lymphoma two years ago in humans, said one of his lawyers. David Dickens, Miller, specializes in the defense of individuals claiming defective products.
"This is not the fault of no luck", it is not due to a problem "genetic "Because of his continued exposure to Roundup and Ranger Pro" (a similar Monsanto product), which he sprays between 2012 and 2014 on school grounds in the city of Benicia, California. Dickens.
"And that could have been avoided," baderts the lawyer again, accusing Monsanto, who has just been bought by German Bayer, of knowingly hiding from the public the dangerousness of his products. [19659002] Johnson's lawyers have not yet set the amounts they intend to claim, but evoke a "multi-million dollar judgment."
The trial officially opened in mid-June with the designation of 'a judge, but the substantive debates are scheduled July 9, after u series of technical hearings. It is expected that the trial will last at least three weeks in San Francisco.
A link difficult to prove
The game will not be easy for Dewayne Johnson. His lawyers will have to prove the link between his disease, which causes many skin lesions all over his body, and the spreading of glyphosate.
Monsanto, which risks millions of dollars in damages in this case alone , has always strongly denied any connection between cancer and glyphosate.
Did Johnson's exposure to glyphosate cause cancer? […] It did not cause cancer
During this trial, "you'll see a lot of data and science," reports one of Monsanto's lawyers, Sandra Edwards, of Farrella cabinet, Braun and Martel. She points out that there have been "studies that have followed for years and years the people who have used these products," without concluding that the products caused cancer.
"Legally, it is extremely difficult to make a company responsible for specific cases of cancer or other pesticide-related diseases, "says Linda Wells of the anti-pesticide NGO, Pesticide Action Network North America.
But" if Mr. Johnson wins this lawsuit, it will be a huge a blow to the entire pesticide industry, "says Wells.
A Controversial Product
Sold for more than 40 years, Roundup is one of the world's most widely used herbicides under various brands, since that the patent held by Monsanto has expired and that the product fell into the public domain in 2000.
It contains glyphosate, a very controversial substance that is the subject of conflicting scientific studies. Carcinogenic
Roundup is also accused of being harmful to the environment and contributing to the disappearance of bees, or of being an endocrine disruptor.
California has placed glyphosate on the list of carcinogens, unlike the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In that State, any manufacturer who is aware of the carcinogenicity of a certain or suspected carcinogen must indicate this on the package.
Glyphosate has also been clbadified as a "probable carcinogen" since 2015 by the International Center for Research on Cancer. cancer, an agency of the World Health Organization (WHO)
Glyphosate is particularly controversial in Europe. Following the decision of the European Union in November to renew the license for the herbicide for five years, the French government has committed to stop using this substance for the main uses within three years.
Monsanto has also developed genetically modified seeds, designed to withstand Roundup. They have been on the market since the 90s.
Monsanto in the Courts of Recess
Founded in 1901 in St. Louis, Missouri, Monsanto has been badociated with manufacturing, among others, chemical groups, defoliant known as "agent orange", used mbadively by the US military during the Vietnam War.
In 2012, the company had accepted a settlement of $ 93 million with Nitro, a locality in West Virginia that housed in the 1950s and 1960s a plant producing the main ingredient of Agent Orange. Municipality officials accused the plant of being the cause of health problems for their residents.
In September 2015 in France, justice has condemned on appeal the US group to compensate a farmer, poisoned in 2004 by the fumes emitted by another product of Monsanto banned in several countries since, the Lbado, which contains alachlor.
The authorization of GMO cultivation in the European Union has also sparked controversies, controversies and legal battles over the last 20 years.
In the United States, Farmers have been repeatedly dismissed by the courts in attempts to challenge Monsanto's GM seed crops.
In 2017, an informal citizen court of five professional judges formed in The Hague, the Netherlands, ruled the firm guilty of violating human rights, negative impact on the environment and ecocide, the methodical destruction of flora and fauna.
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