© 2024 University of Missouri - KBIA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Federal Jury Finds Bayer's Roundup Weed Killer Caused A California Man’s Cancer

A federal jury in San Francisco found that Roundup likely caused California resident Edwin Hardeman to develop non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
File photo | Eli Chen | St. Louis Public Radio
A federal jury in San Francisco found that Roundup likely caused California resident Edwin Hardeman to develop non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

A federal jury in San Francisco has unanimously decided that Bayer AG’s weed killer Roundup caused a California resident to develop cancer.

Edwin Hardeman alleged in his suit that using the herbicide over three decades on his properties caused him to develop non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer that affects the immune system. His lawsuit is the first federal court case against Bayer’s Roundup and could predict the outcome of hundreds of cases that the company faces for similar claims. Bayer bought St. Louis-based Monsanto, maker of Roundup, last year.

The second phase of the trial to weigh liability and damages will begin Wednesday.

“It is clear from Monsanto’s actions that it does not particularly care whether its product is in fact giving people cancer, focusing instead on manipulating public opinion and undermining anyone who raises genuine and legitimate concerns about the issue,” said Hardeman’s lawyers, Aimee Wagstaff and Jennifer Moore, in an emailed statement.

Bayer has denied its products cause cancer.

“We continue to believe firmly that the science confirms that glyphosate-based herbicides do not cause cancer,” said an online statement from Bayer. “We are confident the evidence in phase two will show that Monsanto’s conduct has been appropriate and that the company should not be liable for Mr. Hardeman’s cancer.”

A state jury in California last fall also ruled that Roundup caused a former school groundskeeper, Dewayne Johnson, to develop non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Johnson received $289 million from that verdict.

Hardeman’s lawyers plan to discuss research on the harmful effects of glyphosate, the key ingredient in Roundup, in the second phase of the trial. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, a part of the World Health Organization, reported in 2015 that the chemical likely causes cancer.

However, the Environmental Protection Agency released an assessment in 2017 that concluded that glyphosate is not carcinogenic.

Follow Eli on Twitter: @StoriesByEli

Send questions and comments about this story to feedback@stlpublicradio.org

Copyright 2021 St. Louis Public Radio. To see more, visit St. Louis Public Radio.

Eli Chen is the science and environment reporter at St. Louis Public Radio. She comes to St. Louis after covering the eroding Delaware coast, bat-friendly wind turbine technology, mouse love songs and various science stories for Delaware Public Media/WDDE-FM. Before that, she corralled robots and citizen scientists for the World Science Festival in New York City and spent a brief stint booking guests for Science Friday’s live events in 2013. Eli grew up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, where a mixture of teen angst, a love for Ray Bradbury novels and the growing awareness about climate change propelled her to become the science storyteller she is today. When not working, Eli enjoys a solid bike ride, collects classic disco, watches standup comedy and is often found cuddling other people’s dogs. She has a bachelor’s in environmental sustainability and creative writing at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and has a master’s degree in journalism, with a focus on science reporting, from the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism.