Briefing Notes For Bay County Board of Commissioners Re Banning of Glyphosate Products On Public Property

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“How Does Someone Get Exposed to Glyphosate?

Exposure to glyphosate can occur in a number of ways:


 Breathing it in
 Getting it on your skin
 Getting it in your eyes
 Ingesting food or water that has been treated or is tainted.
The risk increases if the individual does not wash their hands after use and proceeds to eat or
smoke. When exposure does take place, the eyes, skin, nose, and throat may get irritated. If
RoundUp gets in the eyes, it could lead to mild irritation or a superficial corneal injury. When
the chemical is swallowed, saliva may increase and it may burn or cause pain in the mouth and
throat. Additional side effects include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

“What Are the Health Concerns Involving Monsanto RoundUp?

  Although RoundUp has been around since the 1970s, recent studies into its active ingredient
glyphosate have brought adverse health consequences to light. A research team at the University
of Washington conducted a comprehensive review of existing studies and found that glyphosate
exposure increases the risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) by more than 40
percent. This conclusion is in alignment with the World Health Organization’s (WHO)
classification of glyphosate as a probable cause of cancer in 2015. WHO’s decision to do so
came after their subdivision, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC),
concluded that the herbicide damages genes.”
(https://www.thedunkenlawfirm.com/florida-roundup-lawsuit-lawyer/)

“Roundup has been under a microscope since 2015 when the International Agency for Research on

Cancer (IARC) declared Roundup’s active ingredient glyphosate a possible human carcinogen. Since

then, Roundup manufacturer Monsanto (purchased by Bayer) has been battling thousands of lawsuits

alleging that the product caused non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Unfortunately for the company, a
rowing number of countries, states and cities have been restricting or outright banning Roundup and
the use of glyphosate.

Glyphosate is being banned because of its potential link to cancer in humans, as well as potentially
causing the death of important insects, such as bees. Biologists have sounded the alarm over the

serious decline in insect populations that affect species diversity. In addition, scientists warn that

these glyphosate and other similar products damage ecosystems by disrupting the natural food chains

and plant pollination.

“Florida
Over concerns that harmful pesticides were killing the local plant life, in March 2019 the city of

Miami passed a resolution banning the use of glyphosate on city property. The ban went to effect

immediately after its passage by city commissioners. The city typically uses almost 5,000 galls of

glyphosate products every year. This ban will significantly reduce resident exposure. On a state level,

Florida put a stop to herbicide use while it investigated its effects on wildlife. Other Florida cities

that banned or restricted Roundup include:

 Indian River County


 Fort Myers
 Key West
 Martin County
 Miami Beach
 North Miami
 Port St. Lucie
 Satellite Beach
 Sebastian
 Stuart
 Vero Beach”

(https://www.carlsonattorneys.com/news-and-update/banning-roundup)

July 21, 2022 Update: Glyphosate is the active chemical ingredient in Roundup that has been linked
to lymphoma and is now considered a human carcinogen. The CDC released the surprising results
of study which found that 8 out of 10 people in the U.S. have glyphosate in their urine. The study
tested urine samples from a group of participants designed to represent the U.S. population and
found that 80% of the samples had trace amounts of glyphosate. The CDC indicated concern over
the study results and suggested that additional research was needed. (If they are looking for a
shortcut, there are many studies Roundup juries have seen that show the link between Roundup and
NHL.)
July 8, 2022 Update: The prospect of future Roundup liabilities continues to case a shadow on
Bayer in the eyes of investors. On June 21st, the Supreme Court formally declined to hear Bayer’s
appeal that could have reversed the course of the Roundup litigation and ended any future liabilities.
Since then, Bayer’s stock is down about 12% as investors are once again very concerned about how
much the continuing litigation may end up costing the company. Even though glyphosate-based
Roundup will be taken off the retail market at the end of this year, there could be thousands of
former Roundup users who will be diagnosed with NHL and become Roundup plaintiffs over the next
decade. 

July 4, 2022 Update: A unanimous Ninth Circuit panel told the EPA to reconsider its
conclusion that the weedkiller Roundup is free from "unreasonable risk to man or the
environment.”  The court agreed with environmental and food safety advocates that the EPA did not
fully consider whether Roundup causes cancer.  Importantly, the court pointed out that "most studies
EPA examined indicated that human exposure to glyphosate is associated with an at least somewhat
increased risk of developing NHL."  This does not jive with the EPA's "not likely to cause cancer"
conclusion. 

Bayer's momentum from a few wins in recent Roundup lawsuits is now dead.  History is not on the
side of glyhosate. 

(https://www.millerandzois.com/roundup-cancer-attorneys.html)

At least 67 significant civil cases are underway in The United States

(https://justicepesticides.org/en/juridic-ases/?
_la_submit=Filter&_la_search=glyphosate&_lam_case_jurisdiction_country%5B
%5D=United+States&_lam_case_complaint_date%5B%5D=&_lam_case_complaint_date%5B
%5D=&_lam_case_decision_date%5B%5D=&_lam_case_decision_date%5B%5D=)|

Types of Blood Cancer Claimed in Roundup Lawsuits

 Anaplastic Large T-Cell Lymphoma

 Follicular B-Cell Lymphoma

 Mediastinal B-Cell Lymphoma

 Large B-Cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL)

 Mantle Cell Lymphoma

 High-Grade Mature B-Cell Lymphoma

 Hairy Cell Leukemia


 Acute T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma

 Thymic Lymphoma

 Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Sample of Roundup trials have resulted in verdicts favoring the plaintiffs.

Dewayne Johnson v. Monsanto | $20 Million


Edwin Hardeman v. Monsanto | $25 Million
Alva and Alberta Pilliod v. Monsanto | $2 Billion

(https://www.consumersafety.org/product-lawsuits/roundup/)

Additionally:

03-04-21 | Bayer Proposes $2 Billion to Settle Future Roundup Lawsuits

06-25-20 | Bayer Agrees to $10.9 Billion Roundup Settlement

07-26-19 | $2 Billion Roundup Verdict Reduced to $86.7 Million

06-14-19 | Is Roundup Dangerous? Can Weed Killer Cause Cancer?

05-14-19 | Historic Roundup Verdict Awards $2 Billion to Couple with Cancer

03-21-19 | 2nd Roundup Verdict Goes Against Monsanto

10-23-18 | Judge Reduces $289 Million Award, Denies Monsanto Retrial Request

08-28-18 | $289 Million Roundup Verdict; Monsanto Faces 8,000 More Cases

07-12-18 | Roundup Cancer Lawsuits Can Move Forward


None of this is lost on the insurance industry:
“Judge Vince Chhabria of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

denied Bayer’s request for approval of its $2 billion settlement proposal, finding that certain

parts of the plan were “unreasonable” in his six-page ruling.

“The judge found that the proposal’s medical monitoring benefits did not take into account that

people can expect to wait 10 or 15 years after exposure before developing the disease or that it is

primarily contracted by older people over age 65. He also criticized the compensation fund that

is designed to last only four years, or even a shorter period if it is exhausted earlier by claims

from people already diagnosed with cancer.

“In exchange for these benefits, the proposed agreement called for class members who elect to

sue despite the existence of the fund to lose their right to seek punitive damages. They would

also have to agree to admit at trial the opinion of a scientific panel that might undercut the

opinions of their own experts. ‘[T]he reason Monsanto wants a science panel so badly is that the

company has lost the ‘battle of the experts’ in three trials,’ the judge wrote, adding, ‘At present,

the playing field on the issue of expert testimony related to causation is slanted heavily in favor

of plaintiffs.’ ”

“In sum, wrote the judge, the Bayer Monsanto proposal ‘would accomplish a lot for Monsanto. It

would substantially diminish the company’s settlement exposure and litigation exposure at the

back end, eliminating punitive damages and potentially increasing its chances of winning trials
on compensatory damages.’ ”

“But it would ‘accomplish far less for the Roundup users who have not been diagnosed’ with

cancer, he wrote.

“Chhabria added that these deficiencies are ‘bad enough on their own’ but they are ‘exacerbated

by the difficulties with effectively notifying people of the right to opt out of the class at the front

end.’ ”

(https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2021/05/27/616125.htm)

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