‘Monsanto knew about Roundup cancer danger, covered up’

This photo shows Dutch anti-Monsanto demonstrators in 2013. Their banner says, translated ‘Monsanto cancer corporation!’. It mentions toxic Monsanto products, like Agent Orange, used in the Vietnam war, and Roundup weed killer.

Translated from Dutch NOS TV today:

Million fine for Monsanto, ‘Company knew for years of possible Roundup hazard’

Chemical company Monsanto already got signals in the 1990s that use of the controversial weed killer Roundup can be carcinogenic, as shown by internal correspondence of the corporation. A judge has now presented the bill.

The documents, which are now known as the ‘Monsanto papers‘, were revealed in claims claim cases such as those of 46-year-old Dewayne Johnson. For many years he was a gardener at a school and frequently came into contact with Roundup unprotectedly.

He started the case because he says he got lymph gland cancer by glyphosate, one of the active ingredients of the pesticide. A jury in the American state of California put him in the right. He has been awarded a compensation of 289 million dollars in total.

The ‘Monsanto papers’ provide a remarkable insight into the chemical industry, [Dutch journalist] Harmsen knows. Thus it appears that Monsanto not only knew about the possible negative effects of the product on humans. The American company tried to hide everything pointing in that direction.

‘Scientific studies’

The internal documents also show that the company wants to ‘fight’ independent studies that point out the risks of Roundup. To undermine these, employees of the company also wrote – in the greatest secret – as ghost writers, ‘scientific’ studies that claimed the opposite.

“The correspondence within the company shows that Monsanto received warnings in the 1990s that Roundup might be carcinogenic”, says Harmsen. “Then a scientist hired by the company said there were indications that the product could cause damage. Monsanto kept that secret, and the cooperation with the scientist was eventually stopped.”

Carcinogenic

For decades, Monsanto has acted to the outside world as if it knew nothing. Also in 2015, when the World Health Organization said after research that glyphosate is ‘probably carcinogenic’, the company continued to deny it in vehemently. In fact, Monsanto put researchers at the institute under pressure. The Monsanto papers show that the company wanted to create ‘indignation’ about the study by the World Health Organization.

Despite the opposing voices, glyphosate was admitted again in the European Union for five years at the end of 2017. …

But according to Harmsen, Monsanto was involved in these studies [that caused the European Union to have that pro-Monsanto decision] in an unethical way. …

Alarm bells

They saw that in the European Parliament as well. After hearing about the Monsanto papers, alarm bells have started ringing, and a committee has been set up. It is now examining how approval of the pesticide has been achieved in Europe. An outcome of that study is expected in December.

Monsanto still denying Roundup weedkiller causes cancer despite massive payout: here.

Honey bees exposed to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, lose some of the beneficial bacteria in their guts and are more susceptible to infection and death from harmful bacteria. Scientists believe this is evidence that glyphosate might be contributing to the decline of honey bees and native bees around the world: here.