RoundUp and Lymphoma

Research Shows an Association Between RoundUp Usage and Cancer

Pesticides are used for one reason and one reason only, for their skilled ability to kill things.  The usage focuses on their ability to kill pests — weeds, insects, and other unwanted intruders.  However, research has shown for a number of years that pesticides can also cause injuries to the people that use them and those that are exposed through air, water and contaminated soils.  These injuries include, but are not limited to, certain types of cancer, such as Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and childhood leukemias and brain tumors as well as neurological injuries such as Parksinon’s disease and related disorders.

What evidence is there that shows that RoundUp may cause cancer?

A number of papers have linked pesticide exposure, and specifically RoundUp or glyphosate (its active ingredient) to blood cancers such as Non-Hodgkins Lymhpomas.

Pesticide exposure as risk factor for non-Hodgkin lymphoma including histopathological subgroup analysis.

Mikael Eriksson, Lennart Hardell, Michael Carlberg, and Måns Åkerman

We report a population based case-control study of exposure to pesticides as risk factor for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Male and female subjects aged 18-74 years living in Sweden were included during December 1, 1999, to April 30, 2002. Controls were selected from the national population registry. Exposure to different agents was assessed by questionnaire. In total 910 (91 %) cases and 1016 (92%) controls participated. Exposure to herbicides gave odds ratio (OR) 1.72, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.18-2.51. Regarding phenoxyacetic acids highest risk was calculated for MCPA; OR 2.81, 95% CI 1.27-6.22, all these cases had a latency period >10 years. Exposure to glyphosate gave OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.10-3.71 and with >10 years latency period OR 2.26, 95% CI 1.16-4.40. Insecticides overall gave OR 1.28, 95% CI 0.96-1.72 and impregnating agents OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.07-2.30. Results are also presented for different entities of NHL. In conclusion our study confirmed an association between exposure to phenoxyacetic acids and NHL and the association with glyphosate was considerably strengthened.

International Journal of Cancer, 2008 vol. 123 (7) pp. 1657-1663
Available here.

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and specific pesticide exposures in men: cross-Canada study of pesticides and health.

H H McDuffie, P Pahwa, J R McLaughlin, J J Spinelli, S Fincham, J A Dosman, D Robson, L F Skinnider, and N W Choi

Our objective in the study was to investigate the putative associations of specific pesticides with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma [NHL; International Classification of Diseases, version 9 (ICD-9) 200, 202]. We conducted a Canadian multicenter population-based incident, case (n = 517)-control (n = 1506) study among men in a diversity of occupations using an initial postal questionnaire followed by a telephone interview for those reporting pesticide exposure of 10 h/year or more, and a 15% random sample of the remainder. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were computed using conditional logistic regression stratified by the matching variables of age and province of residence, and subsequently adjusted for statistically significant medical variables (history of measles, mumps, cancer, allergy desensitization treatment, and a positive history of cancer in first-degree relatives). We found that among major chemical classes of herbicides, the risk of NHL was statistically significantly increased by exposure to phenoxyherbicides [OR, 1.38; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.06-1.81] and to dicamba (OR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.32-2.68). Exposure to carbamate (OR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.22-3.04) and to organophosphorus insecticides (OR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.27-2.36), amide fungicides, and the fumigant carbon tetrachloride (OR, 2.42; 95% CI, 1.19-5.14) statistically significantly increased risk. Among individual compounds, in multivariate analyses, the risk of NHL was statistically significantly increased by exposure to the herbicides 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D; OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.01-1.73), mecoprop (OR, 2.33; 95% CI, 1.58-3.44), and dicamba (OR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.00-2.81); to the insecticides malathion (OR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.31-2.55), 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis (4-chlorophenyl) ethane (DDT), carbaryl (OR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.21-3.69), aldrin, and lindane; and to the fungicides captan and sulfur compounds. In additional multivariate models, which included exposure to other major chemical classes or individual pesticides, personal antecedent cancer, a history of cancer among first-degree relatives, and exposure to mixtures containing dicamba (OR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.40-2.75) or to mecoprop (OR, 2.22; 95% CI, 1.49-3.29) and to aldrin (OR, 3.42; 95% CI, 1.18-9.95) were significant independent predictors of an increased risk for NHL, whereas a personal history of measles and of allergy desensitization treatments lowered the risk. We concluded that NHL was associated with specific pesticides after adjustment for other independent predictors.

Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev, 2001 vol. 10 (11) pp. 1155-1163
Available here.

What has the World Health Organization said?

On March 20th, 2015, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), perhaps the premier international authority on cancer reported that glyphosate (RoundUp’s active ingredient) as well as the insecticides malathion and diazinon were probably carcinogenic to humans and classified them as Group 2A carcinogens.  The press release from IARC can be found online here and the full monograph can be found here: IARC Glyphosate Monograph.

What has Monsanto, the maker of RoundUp told the public?

Monsanto, the maker of RoundUp continues to contend that RoundUp is safe, and in fact, non-toxic.  Monsanto has claimed in the past that RoundUp is environmentally friendly, can be applied everywhere, is biodegradable, and its ingredients are as safe as table salt!  In fact, the 1996 the State of New York sued Monsanto for misleading the public with respect to the safety of RoundUp.  Monsanto agreed to stop making these statements, but only to stop making them in the State of New York.  Their false and misleading statements continue in 49 other states and across the globe.

What to do if you have been diagnosed with cancer that you believe has been caused by RoundUp?

The Firm has a deep interest in representing people that have been injured by RoundUp and other pesticides that may be toxic to humans, including RoundUp and other herbicides such as Mecoprop (MCPP) and MCPA as well as insecticides such as carbofuran, lindane, fonofos, and terbufos.  While the science continues to develop, we would like to hear from you about your experiences with these dangerous chemicals.