(VitalNews.org) – Bayer, a chemical giant, has looked to lawmakers to pass bills that would protect it from lawsuits that claim their weedkiller, by the name of RoundUp, causes cancer.
The company has asked a few different states to pass this bill while citing verbiage from other bills that were passed in Iowa, Missouri, and Idaho that would protect the same thing. Essentially, the bill would state that the companies couldn’t be held liable if they did not disclose that their product causes cancer as long as their labels complied with the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Legal experts have pushed back saying that the legislation could have broader consequences, such as extending it to any product that could hold a liability or immunity for large corporations from lawsuits of any kind. This is what’s been seen since the bill was passed in Iowa.
Matt Clement, A Missouri attorney, said “It’s just not good government to give a company immunity for things that they’re not telling their consumers.” He continued, “If they’re successful in getting this passed in Missouri, I think they’ll be trying to do this all over the country.”
The company is currently facing over one hundred and sixty thousand legal claims that their product, RoundUp weedkiller, causes non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. They have been able to appeal some of the claims but they’ve also gone through multiple large losses, which have amounted to over ten billion dollars. The company continues to worry about the continuation of these charges as many lawsuits and cases are waiting to be resolved.
Bayer said that they are focusing their energy on making sure that people understand the real risks, but that the product, if used as directed, is not likely to be carcinogenic according to experts. They are a huge part of farming and farmers in multiple states use their weedkiller on crops often.
Bayer is continuing to push this bill but the result won’t be known until it is either passed or denied by legislation.
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