Monsanto Faces Man Dying of Cancer

-Source-Bloomberg-Quint- Lee Johnsons doctors didnt think hed live long enough to testify in court that exposure to Monsanto Co.s Roundup weed killer caused his deadly cancer. But the 46-year-old is now first in line to go to trial against the agrochemical giant among thousands of people across the U.S. who blame its herbicide for their disease. As groundskeeper for the school district in Benicia California about 40 miles east of San Francisco Johnson mixed and sprayed hundreds of gallons of Roundup. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2014 and in July after chemotherapy and other treatment his oncologist gave him six months to live. Glyphosate the main ingredient in Roundup was first approved for use in Monsantos weed killer in 1974. As it grew to become the worlds most popular and widely used herbicide the question of whether it causes cancer has been hotly debated by environmentalists regulators researchers and lawyers -- even as Monsanto has insisted for decades that its perfectly safe. Now a jury will decide in a case set to start this week in San Francisco state court. Does the Worlds Top Weed Killer Cause Cancer? Trumps EPA Will Decide The outcome wont be binding on any of the thousands of plaintiffs in St. Louis making similar claims or for the approximately 300 cases before a federal judge in San Francisco or even the dozens of lawsuits consolidated in nearby Oakland. But Johnsons lawyers who are involved in lawsuits in all those jurisdictions see his trial as an indicator of how others will go.