Featured image of a dollar bill folded into the shape of a shirt
June 20, 2023

Bayer and Monsanto to Pay Almost $7 Million in False Ad Settlement.

In the midst of dealing with thousands of lawsuits claiming that Roundup weed killer causes Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and other types of leukemia and lymphoma, Roundup manufacturers Bayer and Monsanto have now been found violating a 1996 agreement with the state of New York regarding false advertisement.

THE REVIEW

In 2020, a review of Bayer and Monsanto’s advertising materials was conducted by the attorney general of New York’s office, which requested that Bayer/Monsanto provide evidence to back up their claims that their herbicide products are safe. The investigation showed multiple instances of the companies making misleading and/or false statements in their advertisements. 

One of their most notable claims was that glyphosate, Roundup’s active ingredient, was less toxic to humans than common household products like dish detergent and dish soap. The three-year investigation concluded with a statement from New York Attorney General Leticia James.
“Once again, Monsanto and the company’s current owner, Bayer, made false and misleading claims about the safety of their products, but we will not allow them to get away with endangering our environment.”– New York ATTORNEY GENERAL LETICIA JAMES

In regard to this violation, Bayer and Monsanto were told to “immediately cease and desist” from making false advertisements and misleading claims about the safety of their glyphosate-based Roundup products. Despite the 1996 agreement with the state of New York, Bayer/Monsanto were found to have repeatedly advertised their herbicides as safe and non-toxic without proper factual information.

The attorney general’s office accepted the $6.9 million payout for “pollinator research, management, and programs designed to restore pollinator habitats,” and to “mitigate environmental pollution affecting bees and other pollinators,” according to Inside Climate News.

How safe is Glyphosate?

The active ingredient in Roundup, glyphosate, has been linked to liver and metabolic diseases in children, harmful effects in pollinators, as well as cancers in lab rats and humans. Studies have shown that the herbicide can pose a threat to the environment and cause serious harm to wildlife by disrupting enzymes in gut microbes essential for maintaining good health. The chemical was classified as a Group 2A carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2015, claiming it was “probably carcinogenic to humans” based on “limited” evidence of cancer in humans and “sufficient” evidence of cancer in animals subject to testing.

You may also like