| What happens when agrichemical companies are sued en masse by people who have been harmed by exposure to their toxic pesticides? Big Ag lobbyists buddy up with politicians to try to pass bills that give the corporate poison pushers immunity. Bayer-Monsanto has been hardest hit by pesticide litigation. Roundup lawsuits, which have been in the news for the last several years, are a huge financial drain. Approximately 167,000 lawsuits have been filed by people who claim they developed cancer, primarily non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, from their exposure to Roundup. The litigation has cost the company billions of dollars and its shares have plummeted, with a market capitalization now at less than half of what it paid to acquire Monsanto. And it’s not over by a long shot. Bayer’s latest strategy is to pass laws, state by state, that take away farmers’ and other individuals’ ability to sue if they get sick. If passed, the bills would protect Bayer (and others) against claims it “failed to warn” people about the potential health harms of Roundup, or any other pesticide produced, as long as the product is labeled in accordance with EPA regulations. This means that Bayer’s cancer victims would no longer be given their day in court and no future lawsuits would be allowed. |
