Roundup heading to court over cancer claims

A major class action has been announced against parent company Bayer amid claims that long-term exposure to the weedkiller can cause non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Tony Carbone, managing partner of Carbone Lawyers, is leading the class action which already includes about 100 litigants and will be heard in Victoria’s Supreme Court.

He will argue that Roundup should not be on the shelves and that many victims have suffered permanent medical and psychological conditions.

“The claims are going to be based on misleading and deceptive conduct in terms of how the company conducted itself and marketed the product,” Mr Carbone told A Current Affair.

“We say that the warnings aren’t adequate enough.”

The World Health Organisation has classified Roundup as a probable carcinogen, however, most people adversely affected by the spray are career gardeners and farmers who have been heavily exposed to the chemicals.

“These are people that spray religiously out in the backyards and front lawns,” said Mr Carbone.

“They’ve come up with the symptoms as well, but the majority are farmers and gardeners.”

Some local councils have banned the use of glyphosate – the main chemical in Roundup – such as Fairfield City and Georges River Councils in Sydney and Moyne Shire in Victoria.

Others, such as Bayside and Kingston City Councils in Melbourne and Ku-ring-gai and Willoughby Councils in Sydney have limited its use.

Bayer spokesperson Lachlan Bird told A Current Affair that the company firmly stands by the safety of their product and “will vigorously defend the claim in court.”

The full statement is below.

Statement from Bayer

Bayer is a company devoted to life sciences. The health and well-being of our consumers and the environment are critically important to us. Monsanto Australia Pty Ltd, a Bayer-owned entity, has today received a writ for a class action filed in the Supreme Court of Victoria. We firmly stand behind the safety of our products, and this claim will be vigorously defended.

This article is by Ashley Wick and originally posted on:
https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/roundup-class-action-non-hodgkins-cancer-claim-heading-to-court/44c74618-2493-4ed3-bbed-cf820dee2557