The US Supreme Court heard arguments on Monday regarding a key pesticide regulation case. The proceedings focus on whether herbicide companies, such as Monsanto, which is now owned by Bayer AG, can be sued for causing health effects like cancer.
At the center of the case is glyphosate, a weed-killing chemical used in the Roundup brand and other herbicide products. Thousands of cancer victims allege that Roundup was responsible for their illnesses in one of the largest waves of product liability litigation in U.S. history. These lawsuits accuse the company of failing to warn users that the active ingredient causes cancer and argue that the product should have been labeled as a cancer risk.
Glyphosate has been scientifically linked to cancer in multiple studies and was classified as a probable human carcinogen by an arm of the World Health Organization in 2015.
The Supreme Court gave Bayer AG a mixed reception on its bid to stop tens of thousands of these lawsuits. The final ruling could determine the future of these claims and may weaken the ability of consumers to sue companies for failing to warn of product risks.