Florida Personal Injury Lawyers Blog
A new report has found that glyphosate, a weed-killing chemical that some health authorities link to cancer, is in a number of popular breakfast foods and cereals marketed to children.
The study by the non-profit Environmental Working Group (EWG) discovered trace amounts of the most widely used herbicide in the country in oats, granolas and snack bars. Thirty-one out of 45 tested products had levels higher than what some scientists consider safe for children.
Recently, some scientists, doctors and activists around the world have worked to keep glyphosate out of crops due to concerns that it is a dangerous carcinogen.
EWG used its own, more stringent standards to conclude that products with excessive levels of the herbicide included Quaker Old Fashioned Oats, Cheerios, Quaker Dinosaur Egg Instant Oats, Great Value Instant Oats, and Back to Nature Classic Granola. Glyphosate was even found in a few organic products, though most had non-detectable levels.
The World Health Organization says glyphosate is a “probable carcinogen,” and California lists it as a chemical “known to the state to cause cancer.”
Glyphosate is the active ingredient in the Monsanto weed-killer Roundup. Last week, a jury in California ordered Monsanto to pay one man $289 million in damages after a man claimed the company’s weed killers caused his cancer.
In a statement Quaker said: “We proudly stand by the safety and quality of our Quaker products. Any levels of glyphosate that may remain are significantly below any limits of the safety standards set by the EPA and the European Commission as safe for human consumption.”
General Mills said: “Our products are safe and without question they meet regulatory safety levels. The EPA has researched this issue and has set rules that we follow.”
Glyphosate, also known by the brand name Roundup, is the most used agricultural chemical in the world, acting as a weed-killer. This new study also suggests that it is now a carcinogen.
With the rise in herbicide-resistance crops in recent years, the demand for Roundup has grown, resulting in more medical studies and health surveys concentrating on glyphosate exposure. Monsanto, the company that created and sells Roundup, denies any claims that the chemical is dangerous. They released a statement stating, “glyphosate does not cause cancer” and “has a more than 40-year history of safe use.” However, a number of lawsuits have recently come about, claiming that Monsanto knowingly hid evidence of Roundup’s toxicity because of the large profit they see in the monopolized market for herbicide. It is now being linked to the development of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
If you or someone you know was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, or another type of cancer, after exposure to glyphosate please call our Florida Injury Attorneys at Whittel & Melton at 866-608-5529 today. You may have the legal means to seek financial compensation and we can answer any questions you have. Contact us online 24/7.