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Dewayne Johnson, suffering from terminal cancer, is scheduled to testify in San Francisco court on Monday in a lawsuit against agrochemical giant Monsanto, accused of concealing the carcinogenic nature of his drug. Featured Herbicide, Roundup.
This testimony, expected to last all day, is eagerly awaited in this trial, the first of its kind regarding the potentially carcinogenic effects of this widely used chemical in the world, and since
Dewayne Johnson, a father of two, was diagnosed two years ago with an incurable non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which resulted in numerous injuries to her body. Between 2012 and 2014, he sprayed Roundup on school grounds in a small town in California, in the western United States, whose active ingredient is glyphosate, an effective and controversial herbicide.
this 46-year-old American is the product that caused his illness, and Monsanto, which has just been bought by the German Bayer, knowingly concealed its dangerousness when it should have included a warning on the
"Monsanto has known for 40 years that the basic components of Roundup can cause tumors in laboratory animals," said one of the plaintiff's lawyers, Brent Wisner, on the first day of the trial, on 9 July
"Monsanto used all the means at its disposal to scare scientists and oppose researchers," he said.
The task of the prosecution is arduous because it involves convincing the jurors of the link between Roundup and Dewayne's cancer Johnson, while it has not been scientifically proven despite long years of debate.
For its part, Monsanto has since the beginning of the trial to refute any link between glyphosate and cancer, scientific studies to support, which are disputed by the anti-glyphosates
Monday's hearing will be a delicate pbadage for Monsanto, as the testimony of Dewayne Johnson is poignant.
"The cancer of Mr. Johnson is a terrible disease and we must all have the greatest empathy for the ordeal he's going through, "said one of the Monsanto group's lawyers at the opening of the trial, George Lombardi.
– Studies subject to caution? –
"The scientific evidence shows that glyphosate products do not cause cancer or cause cancer of Mr. Johnson," he argued, however,
The defense of Mr. Johnson said he hoped "as much as possible" in damages from Monsanto, which is the subject of thousands of lawsuits in the United States, at varying degrees of advancement.
Commercialized since 1974, Roundup, one of the world's most widely used herbicides, contains glyphosate, which is the subject of conflicting studies and advice.
Unlike the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) , California, where San Francisco is located, has placed glyphosate on the list of carcinogens.
Glyphosate is also clbadified as a "probable carcinogen" since 2015 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an organ of the World Health Organization (WHO), but not by the European agencies, Efsa (food safety) and Echa (chemicals)
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, a few days after its expiry, the French government undertook to stop using this substance for the main uses of the herbicide. three years ago
However, glyphosate is widely acclaimed by farmers for its efficiency and low cost
Critics criticize EU science agencies for relying too much on data provided by the European Union. industry, lack of means and personnel, questioning published studies.
The Mansanto trial is expected to last at least until August.
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