ND Shields Roundup From Cancer Lawsuits

A new first-of-its-kind law enacted in North Dakota could shield agrochemical manufacturer Bayer from lawsuits claiming it failed to warn customers that its popular weedkiller Roundup could cause cancer.

Bayer is hopeful that success in North Dakota could lead to similar laws being passed around the country. The company faces an onslaught of lawsuits seeking billions of dollars for alleged harm from Roundup. The next state to follow North Dakota could be Georgia, where a similar bill is pending before Governor Brian Kemp.

Bayer acquired Roundup with the 2018 purchase of St. Louis-based Monsanto. Bayer contends glyphosate, an active ingredient in Roundup, has for decades provided a safe and efficient way to control weeds with less tilling, which helps prevent soil erosion. For crops such as corn, soybeans and cotton, Roundup is designed to work with genetically modified seeds that resist glyphosate’s deadly effect.

Bayer has been hit with about 181,000 legal claims alleging that glyphosate causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Though some studies associate glyphosate with cancer, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said it is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans when used as directed.

North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong declined to comment Thursday about the legislation, which he signed without fanfare on Wednesday.