The U.S. Supreme Court has refused two bids brought by Bayer to appeal previous decisions that its glyphosate products like Roundup cause cancer.
On June 27, the justices turned away a Bayer appeal, leaving in place a lower court decision upholding an $87 million judgment awarded in a lawsuit in California to Alberta and Alva Pilliod, who were diagnosed with cancer after spraying Roundup products for over 30 years.
On June 21, the court declined to consider another Bayer appeal, leaving in place a lower court decision that upheld $25 million in damages awarded to California resident Edwin Hardeman, a Roundup user.
This follows closely on the heels of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ 3-0 decision to order the US Environmental Protection Agency to review glyphosate anew, saying its 2019 re-authorization did not adequately consider the human health and ecological risks associated with the herbicide’s use.
Glyphosate is the main active ingredient in most herbicides used in Crown forest operations in New Brunswick. It’s found in products like Vision, Vision MAX and Roundup and has been linked to cancer in humans and a host of other health problems.
In 2016, New Brunswick’s Chief Medical Officer of Health’s Action Plan on Glyphosate found that New Brunswick uses more glyphosate per hectare of harvested forest than any province in Canada. The Conservation Council has long advocated that the province stop the old-fashioned, citizen-funded practice of spraying the forest.
Learn more about forestry reform and nature protection in N.B.
Learn more about forestry reform and nature protection in N.B.