What You Need to Know about Roundup
Roundup is a glyphosate-based herbicide weed killer that kills weeds while allowing genetically modified crops to flourish. It covers more than 168 million acres in the United States and is used on almost all corn, cotton and soy farms, as well as on individual consumers’ personal lawns and gardens.
In 1970, Monsanto chemist John E. Franz discovered that glyphosate is a highly effective herbicide. In 1974, Monsanto released glyphosate to the market for agricultural use under the name Roundup. It quickly grew in popularity and now generates $4 billion in revenue annually, securing its spot as the most popular herbicide in the world. Roundup is a product of Monsanto, which was acquired by Bayer in 2018 as part of its crop science division. Today, Bayer is the target of thousands of lawsuits that claim a possible association between long-term Roundup use and certain cancers. More specifically, Roundup is alleged to be linked to a group of blood cancers called non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL).
The number of lawsuits filed increased after the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) released a glyphosate risk assessment in 2015, categorizing the chemical as a group 2A probable carcinogen. Despite Monsanto and the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) repeated denials of a link between Roundup use and cancer, there is a growing body of research that may support the IARC’s assessment. This includes research published by former EPA advisors that found heavy exposure to Roundup may increase a person’s risk of developing NHL by 41 percent. It also includes the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s (ATSDR) 2019 toxicological profile, which suggests a possible link between glyphosate exposure and cancer.
Roundup Products Containing Glyphosate
Higher concentrations of glyphosate are used in Roundup products designed for use on harder-to-kill weeds and other invasive growth over expansive areas. Most Roundup products, including Roundup Ready III, Roundup Lawn and Garden, and Roundup Original, also contain other ingredients that help glyphosate work faster and more effectively.
Glyphosate’s toxicity may be enhanced when combined with inactive ingredients found in Roundup products. These adjuvants, or inactive ingredients in Roundup, may be hazardous to humans. Researchers have found that the combination of glyphosate with these chemicals may multiply the toxicity of the product. In other words, the chemicals may be even more powerful (and potentially dangerous) when combined with glyphosate into a single product, than when isolated on their own.
Roundup Products Glyphosate Concentration:
- Roundup Ready III: 2 percent
- Roundup Lawn and Garden: 18 percent
- Roundup Original: 41 percent
- Roundup Super Concentrate: 50.2 percent
Roundup Exposure: Complications and Side Effects
It is alleged that individuals at the highest risk of developing NHL due to glyphosate exposure are those who use Roundup most frequently, typically as a part of their job (e.g., agricultural workers, groundskeepers, landscapers, gardeners, farmers and pesticide / herbicide applicators).
Brief exposure to glyphosate can cause the following symptoms:
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma presents its own set of symptoms. It is extremely important to seek medical attention if you develop any of the following signs of NHL after being exposed to Roundup:
Have You Been Diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma After Roundup Exposure?
To-date, dozens of Roundup cases have gone to trial out of tens of thousands filed. Juries have found that Roundup was a significant factor in numerous plaintiffs’ NHL cancer diagnoses. Damage awards have been substantial, including, but not limited to $289 million, $80 million and $2 billion, with a large proportion of these amounts allocated as punitive damages. Bayer has also settled many cases for confidential amounts.
About the Firm
Founding Partner Tom Young has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for governmental entities and individual victims of various major disasters over the past 25 years, including the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the 2015 Volkswagen “dieselgate” emissions scandal, recent devastating hurricanes along the East Coast, the ongoing nationwide opioid epidemic, PFAS “forever chemical” contamination and more. The firm also represents individuals in mass tort actions who were allegedly harmed by various dangerous and defective products such as the herbicides Roundup and Paraquat, medical devices like hernia mesh, the pharmaceutical Zantac, talcum powder based consumer products (baby powder), infant formula associated with necrotizing enterocolitis in premature newborns, and service member veterans harmed by water contamination at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.
Young holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Economics and a Juris Doctor, with Honors, from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. While there, Young was one of the first students awarded a Certificate in Environmental & Land Use Law. Young’s practice includes educating and assisting consumers, businesses, nonprofit organizations and government entities in understanding their rights as they pertain to losses due to negligence or disaster, in both state and federal court. Importantly, we only represent plaintiffs, not defendants, and never insurance companies.
He is a member of the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society, the Golden Key International Honor Society, the Florida Bar, the District of Columbia Bar, the State Bar of Arizona, the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States, the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C., the Florida Justice Association, the Arizona Association for Justice, and the American Association for Justice. Young was the 2012-2018 President of the Civil Justice Foundation and a former AAJ state delegate.
Patrick Mickler has extensive experience in the legal industry representing clients in complex national mass tort litigations involving product defects and pharmaceuticals as well as general negligence matters. Mickler has also assisted clients, including governmental entities, in various major disasters, including the nationwide opioid epidemic, and the ongoing PFAS “forever chemical” environmental catastrophe.
In addition to his work as an attorney, Mickler is also a principal of The Injury Board (IB), an exclusive membership organization of well-respected plaintiff trial law firms across the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada committed to preserving the civil justice system. Mickler often leverages relationships formed through IB to joint venture with member firms on numerous mass tort cases.
Mickler holds a Bachelor’s of Arts degree from Washington and Lee University in Journalism and a Juris Doctor, summa cum laude, from Mitchell Hamline School of Law. He is a member of the American Association for Justice, The Florida Justice Association, and the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C., as well as the Florida Bar and the District of Columbia Bar.