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Ingredient in Weed Killers Tied to Cancer is Found in Over 80% of US Urine Samples

weedkiller linked to cancer

Over 80% of urine samples drawn from children and adults in a U.S. health study contained glyphosate, a chemical contained in weed killers linked to cancer. According to a report in The Guardian, scientists are calling this finding “disturbing and concerning.” 

The report, released by a unit of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), found that out of 2,310 urine samples, taken from a group of Americans intended to be representative of the U.S. population, 1,885 were laced with detectable traces of glyphosate.

This is the active ingredient in herbicides sold globally, including the widely-used Roundup brand. Nearly a third of the study’s participants were children ranging from age 6 to 18. Academics and private researchers have been noting high levels of the herbicide glyphosate in analyses of human samples for many years now.

Effects of Glyphosate

But, only recently has the CDC started examining the extent of human exposure to the chemical. This revelation comes at a time when there is growing concern over how pesticides in food and water affect human health and environmental safety. A 2019 analysis found glyphosate exposure increases the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Both the amount and prevalence of glyphosate found in human urine has been rising steadily since the 1990s when Monsanto Co. introduced genetically engineered crops that are designed to be directly sprayed with Roundup, according to research published in 2017 by the University of California San Diego School of Medicine. 

Farmers in the U.S. use more than 200 million pounds of glyphosate each year and it is sprayed directly over genetically engineered crops such as corn and soybeans as well as over other crops such as wheat and oats to dry crops before harvesting them.

Monsanto and the company that bought it over in 2018, Bayer, have argued that glyphosate and Roundup products are safe and that residues in food and human urine don’t pose health risks. However, that assertion doesn’t like up with the findings of researchers and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (a unit of the World Health Organization), which classified glyphosate as a possible human carcinogen in 2015.

If You Have Been Affected

If you or a loved one has been exposed to glyphosate through Roundup, you may be able to file a lawsuit against Bayer (Monsanto) seeking compensation for damages including medical expenses, cost of diagnosis, lost wages, permanent injuries, disabilities, cost of surgery, pain and suffering and emotional distress. Manufacturers of these types of products are required under the law to warn consumers about the dangers of these products. However, Monsanto, for decades, has failed to warn consumers about the link between its weed killer products and cancer, in spite of knowing about the research for many years.

The mass tort attorneys at Bisnar Chase are handling Roundup weed killer cases against Bayer (Monsanto) now. If you have any questions about pursuing your legal rights, please contact us at 1-800-561-4887 for a free consultation and case evaluation.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jul/09/weedkiller-glyphosate-cdc-study-urine-samples

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