Growing concerns about another Monsanto-created herbicide are popping up across the country, with many complaints and lawsuits being filed by agricultural workers and farmers.
Recently, a federal court awarded a Missouri farmer $265 million for lost income and damages after coming to the conclusion that an herbicide he used killed valuable plants the farmer relies on. The farmer claims the herbicide Dicamba, also called XtendiMax, is responsible for destroying his crop yield because it “drifts” in the air and contaminates other crops.
A U.S. watchdog group contacted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), who approved Dicamba as an herbicide despite its relation to other toxic herbicides, for more information. The EPA outlined that it takes complaints “very seriously,” it declined to reveal just how many complaints have been made against Dicamba.
In fact, in June 2020 a federal court ruled Dicamba use is dangerous and ordered farmers to immediately stop using all brands of Dicamba. The court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) broke the law when it approved the use of Dicamba when it ignored the damage to nearby crops.
The farmer’s suit was filed against Bayer, the pharmaceutical company that owns Monsanto, the maker of Dicamba. Monsanto has been the subject of numerous lawsuits against , Roundup for years. Roundup has been found to cause a wide range of cancers, most commonly Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. While Dicamba is being blamed for killing crops and affecting farmers financially, it also has toxins that may cause cancer, most commonly lung and colon cancer.
The History of Dicamba
Though it’s just now getting public attention, Dicamba was first registered in the United States in 1967 and has been registered for use on a variety of crops including corn, wheat, cotton, and soybeans, to name a few. It wasn’t until 2017 that the EPA started receiving many complaints about incidents of neighboring plants being injured. This prompted an agreement between Dicamba manufacturers and the EPA to put in place measures to minimize damage of neighboring crops for farmers.
Today, Dicamba is used both in the agricultural industry as well as in residential areas and other sites, like golf courses, and is one of the most widely used herbicides of its kind.
Though used on crops, the EPA conducted an analysis prompted by the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) that determined residues from dicamba that remain on food products are deemed safe. For any non-occupational exposure to Dicamba, the EPA has determined that exposure to Dicamba is safe and has not issued any warnings at this time.
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and Roundup
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is the most common cancer diagnosis for those who use or have used the herbicide Roundup. According to the Mayo Clinic, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma originates in the lymphatic system, and this is where your body works to fight disease. The Mayo Clinic outlines four risk factors that make people more likely to develop non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma:
- Medications that suppress the immune system
- Infection with certain viruses and bacteria
- Chemicals
- Old age
The Mayo Clinic says chemicals such as “those used to kill insects and weeds,” can be a factor in a diagnosis of the disease, and while more research must be done to the causation, many experts agree this is a factor. This is why consumers should be weary when using any of these products and should do their own research before purchasing and using them.
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Scary Similarities to Roundup
Roundup and Dicamba share a similar chemical makeup, and scientists worry that exposure to both herbicides exposes users to higher risks of developing lung and colon cancer, as reported by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
Unlike Roundup, which is meant to remove weeds that grow around crops, Dicamba is sprayed onto plants to control their size and prevent them from overgrowing.
The core problem is that the spray drifts onto crops that are not immune from its toxic effects, damaging or killing money-making crops for farmers and costing farmers thousands of dollars in lost revenue. Additionally, though Dicamba has been around for decades, there is still a lot that scientists don’t know about the effects of long-term exposure to the herbicide.
We Can Help
To date, Monsanto faces 140 Dicamba lawsuits across the U.S., and each suit is estimated to be worth approximately $250 million. The lawsuits have been brought against both Monsanto and BASF, a German-based company that produces its own version of Dicamba.
If you or a loved one used Dicamba, Roundup, or another Monsanto herbicide and have been diagnosed with cancer, we want to hear from you. Monsanto should pay for your losses or Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma diagnoses. Call our team at (800) 614-2067 to discuss your potential case. All consultations are 100% free and confidential, and you never have to pay us any out-of-pocket fees.
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