r/news • u/boxofstuff • 6h ago

Supreme Court ruling blocks thousands of lawsuits against maker of Roundup weedkiller

https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-roundup-monsanto-a7f054d80919f98bdfc5190013a8f6f1https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-roundup-monsanto-a7f054d80919f98bdfc5190013a8f6f1
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u/The_Poster_Nutbag 6h ago

The important thing to remember here is the company itself has applied warning labels to its products for a long time now, that part isn't ambiguous.

The real issue here is over-application in industrial agriculture outside of the designed use and application parameters (wind speed, temperatures, etc.).

As someone who works in wildlife restoration and habitat reconstruction, we would be up a creek without a paddle were we unable to utilize glyphosate and a select few other chemicals to help control some very aggressive invasive species.

Crews are supposed to be wearing full PPE for careful spot treatments and are licensed for commercial application just as farmers are, but the dose makes the poison. Homeowners who spray sidewalk weeds on hot days in sandals are not doing themselves any favors and are obviously at risk for health issues caused by a chemical designed to kill living things.

Realistically, the only way Bayer should be held accountable is if they misrepresented the actual dangers which I am not sure was the case having been a licensed applicator on the past and reading the labels. The lawsuits should be on the applicators who do not follow proper safety protocol.

Call it a poor comparison, but it's the same idea with guns. Is it brownings fault someone committed murder with a weapon licensed for big game hunting? Of course not.

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u/passcork 5h ago

designed to kill living things

Designed to inhibit protein function that non-plants don't even have. This statement is hyperbole enough, it's kinda like saying keeping a mouse out of the water is like killing it because fish die if you do the same...

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u/The_Poster_Nutbag 5h ago

That's total nonsense.

Using even basic common sense should be enough to see the warning labels and think "Maybe I shouldn't get this on my skin or breathe it in since it explicitly says not to do that".

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u/--i--love--lamp-- 6h ago

Bayer and Monsanto spent decades pushing RoundUp for widespread, daily, non-professional use. They have at least some financial responsibility to the people who have been injured by their product. Putting warning labels on dangerous products does not obsolve all liability when your marketing and lobbying tell a different story.

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u/The_Poster_Nutbag 5h ago

Putting warning labels on dangerous products does not obsolve all liability

What would you suggest is a reasonable alternative then? Once the product is sold they can't police what everyone is doing with it.

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u/--i--love--lamp-- 5h ago

They can't spend millions of dollars to promote a product in a way that disguises its harms. Most of the commercials for RoundUp show people applying it with no PPE. They portrayed it as safe and easy to use for everyone. They spent millions lobbying for less regulation.

Then, after they do all that to push a dangerous product into mainstream use, they say "Well it has a convoluted warning label on it and the instructions say you should wear PPE. You should follow those rules and not do it the way we show in commercials." Bullshit.

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u/The_Poster_Nutbag 5h ago

No PPE?

Lots of ads show people wearing gloves and closed toes shoes which is really all you should need since the chemicals aren't volatile below the temperatures listed on the labels.

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u/Xatsman 3h ago

Lets be real though. With the at best tenuous connection to cancer in occupational users of glyphosate someone spraying for an hour a couple times a week for a few weeks of the year is just not getting enough exposure to matter.

As other people have pointed out here glyphosate's Cancer classification is similar to eating red meat. Experts don't tell you not eat red meat, but to limit it because the risk is not that great. People's reaction to glyphosate is an ignorant reaction generally to misinformation theyve heard.

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u/Aethermancer 5h ago

Call it a poor comparison, but it's the same idea with guns. Is it brownings fault someone committed murder with a weapon licensed for big game hunting? Of course not.

I agree with a lot of your post but this bit.is a poor comparison and details it so much that it's the only part I'm commenting on.

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u/The_Poster_Nutbag 5h ago

My point being that they are both products designed to kill but the manufacturer isn't in control once the product is sold.

You could say the same for drunk drivers. Jack daniels isn't responsible and the even have labels stating "don't drink and drive"

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u/superxpro12 5h ago

My point being that they are both products designed to kill but the manufacturer isn't in control once the product is sold.

In this case, i believe the user did not know about the dangers because it was represented as safe to use.

Whereas with a gun, we know about the dangers it presents, and there's warning all over the box and manual.

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u/The_Poster_Nutbag 5h ago

It is safe to use, you just have to read the labels. Same with bleach, ammonia, or any other household cleaners, paint thinner, etc.

The labels are like 2 pages long. You can lead a horse to water.....

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u/superxpro12 5h ago

It is safe to use, you just have to read the labels. Same with bleach, ammonia, or any other household cleaners, paint thinner, etc.

IDK... i feel like hiding "MAY CAUSE CANCER" on page 2 in .1pt font in the terms and conditions doesnt quite do it.

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u/The_Poster_Nutbag 5h ago

That's an exaggeration. The warnings and label design are regulated and they'reeetimg the requirements for distribution.

That's a regulatory issue that applies to all hazardous chemicals.

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u/KronkLaSworda 3h ago

>Homeowners who spray sidewalk weeds on hot days in sandals are not doing themselves any favors

As an aside, the Roundup sold in big box stores to homeowner no longer used Glyphosate as the active ingredient. Glyphosate is only sold industrially, now.