Florida Roundup Cancer Lawsuit Lawyers
Recently, a California jury held the biotech company Monsanto liable for a case in which a California groundskeeper alleged that the herbicide Roundup caused him to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In 2018, the court ordered Monsanto to pay $289 million in damages. The same year, Monsanto was bought by German multinational company, Bayer.
Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, has long since been the subject of studies to determine whether or not the popular herbicide causes cancer on consumers. This particular lawsuit claimed that Monsanto had known about the potential dangers of the product, but failed to inform consumers of the risks. In addition to this lawsuit, many other consumers have filed claims after developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma and other illnesses after using Roundup.
Roundup has been on the market for decades. As a highly effective herbicide, many people have purchased and used the product. If you’ve been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma after frequent or prolonged Roundup usage, your medical condition may be linked to Roundup. Reach out to The Driscoll Firm, LLC. Our product liability attorneys are ready to hear your story and help you understand your legal options. Call 800-900-7704 today for a free, no-obligation consultation with one of our lawyers.
Who is at Risk?
Though Roundup has been widely available for years, those who suffer from the most serious effects tend to work in the landscaping and agricultural industries. Inhalation has been found to be the most dangerous form of exposure to the herbicide, which especially puts people who handle and administer large quantities of Roundup at a much higher risk of developing serious illnesses.
Although inhalation is believed to be the most dangerous form of exposure, contamination can also occur through accidental ingestion and dermal absorption. While people purchase Roundup for both commercial and residential use, the following populations may be at a higher risk due to high volume and ongoing exposure:
- Farmers and Agricultural Workers
- Landscapers and Groundskeepers
- Nursery Workers
- Herbicide Applicators
- Personal Gardeners
- Community Gardeners
If you or someone you love do not fit into these classifications but have used Roundup and developed an illness, you should still seek legal help. Anyone in close proximity to Roundup and treated plants are vulnerable to the dangers of the active ingredient, glyphosate.
Large food manufacturers also use large amounts of Roundup to treat their crops and kill weeds as they attempt to meet market demand. In fact, Monsanto engineered crop seeds to survive heavy applications of Roundup and still thrive. These seeds, referred to as “Roundup Ready,” are used by large food distributors like Lays, Kellog, and Nabisco. The usage of Roundup to protect crops, unfortunately, comes at a cost for consumers.
How is Glysophate Dangerous?
As the active ingredient in Roundup, glyphosate is incredibly effective as a plant killer. Chemist John Franz discovered this chemical in the 1970s. The National Pesticide Information Center classifies glyphosate as a non-selective herbicide. So when it comes to killing plants, glyphosate doesn’t discriminate between different types of plants, it kills them all. The efficacy of glyphosate comes from its ability to block the shikimic acid pathway, which is an essential enzyme pathway where plants metabolize their nutrients. By blocking this pathway, glyphosate causes plants to starve and die.
Biochemists developed genetically modified glyphosate-resistant plants in response to Roundup. Since glyphosate kills all plants, the goal was to develop plants that could withstand Roundup applications so that crops survive, but weeds and other invasive plants die. By developing these glyphosate-resistant plants, farmers, agricultural businesses, and other consumers could protect theit crops and plants at a relatively low cost.
Though a cost-effective weed killing solution, based on what we know now, the price for consumers’ health is incredibly high. A report released by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate as a group 2-A carcinogen, meaning that significant evidence indicates that it is probably a carcinogen. Studies on the effects of glyphosate in plants reveal that plants treated with Roundup develop an amino acid deficiency.
This same amino acid deficiency can be replicated in the human body. Amino acid deficiencies in humans can cause a variety of issues, specifically an imbalance in gut bacteria. Imbalanced gut bacteria causes inflammation and as a result, compromises the immune system. Chronic disruption to the body’s amino acids can have serious long term effects on health.
Though Monsanto always maintained that Roundup is safe for consumers, internal company documentation, uncovered through the course of lawsuits, tells a different story. Monsanto has gone to great lengths to obscure the truth from consumers.
Roundup Side Effects
Though Monsanto claims that Roundup doesn’t pose a risk to consumers’ health, the statistical link between habitual Roundup users and serious illness is uncanny. In addition to Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the following illnesses have been reported:
- Attention deficit disorders
- Reproductive and fertility complications
- Respiratory illnesses
- Depression
- Hypothyroidism
- Autism
- Obesity
- Birth defects (including anencephaly)
- Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS)
- Multiple sclerosis
- Parkinson’s disease
- Brain cancers
- Breast, lung, and prostate cancer
- Inflammatory illnesses (including Celiac disease)
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Colitis
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- Liver disease
- Alzheimer’s
Though these illnesses can be traced back to many contributing factors, the truth remains that if you have used, been exposed to, or ingested Roundup, your health may be adversely impacted. The lawyers at The Driscoll Firm, LLC understand how hopeless you may feel if you, or someone you love, have recently been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma or another serious illness. We are ready to hear your story and help you through this difficult time. If Roundup is to blame for your illness and related expenses, we are ready to fight for you.
Why Should I Hire a Lawyer?
If you’ve been harmed by Roundup, your compromised health can quickly complicate your life in various ways, from expensive hospital stays, ongoing treatment, lost wages, and lost enjoyment of life. Companies should absolutely be held responsible when their products completely turn consumers’ lives around. An experienced product liability lawyer understands the complex legalities surrounding products that are unsafe for consumers. If you are serious about holding those responsible for your illness accountable, consider hiring a skilled lawyer.
While reaching out for legal help can often seem like yet another stressor, a lawyer will actually alleviate some stress for your family so that you can focus on your health, treatment, and recovery. There are different paths that a product liability claim may take. Whether your attorney chooses to file your individual claim, participate in a class action, or a multidistrict litigation claim, you can feel comfortable knowing they have your best interests in mind.
When a lawyer takes your case, an important part of their job is determining how much your claim is worth. Your attorney will calculate all of your financial and non-financial losses to get a solid idea of how significantly you have suffered as a result of exposure to Roundup. If you attempt to handle your claim alone, you may accept a settlement that doesn’t come close to offsetting your losses.
Though accepting a prompt offer may feel like much-needed financial relief, if the amount you are offered doesn’t cover your current and future expenses, you shouldn’t accept it. When you pursue the settlement you need, you will want the knowledge, skill, and legal acumen of one of the lawyers at the The Driscoll Firm, LLC.
What Type of Compensation Could The Driscoll Firm, LLC Help Me Recover?
If you’ve been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma or other cancers linked to the glyphosate in Roundup, one of our lawyers will fight to help you recover damages for the following:
- Medical Expenses– When someone else is responsible for causing your illness, they should be made to pay bills related to your medical treatment.
- Pain and Suffering – Not all losses are financial. Though cancers have an impact on your physical health, they also have an effect on your emotional wellbeing. For this reason, a lawyer can help you recover compensation for the ongoing pain, emotional struggle, and stress of an illness.
- Lost Wages – Serious illnesses keep you from working and earning a living as you did before. The responsible party should be made to cover expenses to offset hits to your career and earning potential.
- Punitive Damages– This type of compensation is awarded to punish the at-fault party, in this case, Monsanto, for putting you in harm’s way.
If you’ve lost a loved one due to a Roundup related illness, get in touch with our team as soon as possible. Though taking legal action will not bring your loved one back, we can help you seek justice on their behalf.
The team at The Driscoll Firm, LLC know what it takes to hold negligent companies accountable when they endanger consumers. If you are serious about recovering compensation we are ready to hear your story and get to work. Call us at 800-900-7704 today.