Judge Delivers Bad News to Makers of Roundup

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that hundreds of lawsuits by people attributing their cancer to the weed-killer Roundup can proceed to trial, reports Reuters. Despite referring to expert opinions that active ingredient glyphosate causes cancer as "shaky," US District Judge Vince Chhabria concluded that a jury might find otherwise. Cancer victims and relatives say maker Monsanto (the name is going away under new owner Bayer) knew of health risks but failed to inform consumers. According to a Monsanto lawyer, however, "the scientific evidence is overwhelming that glyphosate-based products do not cause cancer," per the Guardian. The WHO in 2015 said glyphosate was "probably carcinogenic" while the EPA says it's probably not. (One of those suing is DeWayne Johnson, a father of three with terminal cancer who worked with Roundup frequently at his job.)