• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead

2

Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline

3

eBay will pay nearly $50 million after employees reportedly sent a Massachusetts couple a bloody pig mask, cockroaches and death threats

1

He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead

2

Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline

3

eBay will pay nearly $50 million after employees reportedly sent a Massachusetts couple a bloody pig mask, cockroaches and death threats
HealthMonsanto

Monsanto’s Roundup Is on Trial. The Charge: Causing Cancer

By
Brittany Shoot
Brittany Shoot
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Brittany Shoot
Brittany Shoot
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 10, 2018, 6:40 PM ET
Spraying Herbicide on Dandelion
DSLR picture of spraying herbicide on Dandelion. Onfokus—Getty Images/iStockphotoOnfokus—Getty Images/iStockphoto
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Does Monsanto weed killer Roundup cause cancer?

On Monday, proceedings began in San Francisco Superior Court to answer that question. The plaintiff, Dewayne “Lee” Johnson, a 46-year-old former groundskeeper at a Bay Area school district, claims Monsanto hid evidence that the active ingredient in its Roundup herbicide causes cancer. Johnson was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma four years ago, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The ingredient in question is glyphosate, which California added to a list of chemicals known to cause cancer just last year. Glyphosate is also listed by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer as a probable human carcinogen.

Johnson’s attorney said in opening statements that since 2000, there has been mounting evidence that glyphosate causes genetic damage. He further noted that Monsanto has worked to suppress and ignore than information.

Roundup is not the ag giant’s only concerning chemical. Another, Dicamba, is a herbicide that has been banned in Arkansas and is known to drift into other areas, compromising non-Monsanto crops.

Depending on how the Roundup trial plays out, it’s expected that Johnson’s suit, which he filed in 2016, could open the floodgates for many more similar suits against the biotech giant—up to at least 4,000 of them, according to the Chronicle.

Despite the controversy surrounding it, Roundup continues to be a lucrative product, earning Monsanto annual revenue of $4.8 billion. And regardless of the trial outcome, Monsanto will soon get the rebranding benefit of a new name, thanks to the $66 billion buyout by pharmaceutical giant Bayer.

About the Author
By Brittany Shoot
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Health

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Health

f
CommentaryPandemic
Dr. Fauci, the Lockdown Czar, just won’t go away
By Steve H. HankeJuly 29, 2026
4 hours ago
f
North AmericaWhite House
Beyond the Covid origins: Fauci’s pandemic diary reveals a starstruck Julia Roberts and Trump gasping for oxygen
By The Associated PressJuly 29, 2026
5 hours ago
f
LawCongress
RFK says he found Fauci’s diary in government archives as Fauci invokes the Fifth Amendment over 100 times
By Lauran Neergaard, Ali Swenson and The Associated PressJuly 29, 2026
5 hours ago
milk
HealthGrocery
California is banning ‘sell-by’ dates in grocery stores, but they’re pretty much made up anyway
By Olga R. Rodriguez and The Associated PressJuly 29, 2026
13 hours ago
f
North AmericaCongress
Fauci’s diary shows he thought Covid could be man-made. Now he’s telling Congress it was ‘molecularly impossible’
By Lauran Neergaard, Ali Swenson and The Associated PressJuly 29, 2026
13 hours ago
Daniel Nadler wears a black shirt, smiles, and speaks into an earpiece microphone
AITerm Sheet
A new medical AI study found the same flaw in OpenEvidence, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Doximity
By Lily Mae LazarusJuly 29, 2026
15 hours ago

Most Popular

He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead
Success
He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead
By Preston ForeJuly 29, 2026
11 hours ago
Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline
Retail
Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline
By Sydney LakeJuly 29, 2026
12 hours ago
eBay will pay nearly $50 million after employees reportedly sent a Massachusetts couple a bloody pig mask, cockroaches and death threats
Law
eBay will pay nearly $50 million after employees reportedly sent a Massachusetts couple a bloody pig mask, cockroaches and death threats
By The Associated Press and Leah WillinghamJuly 28, 2026
1 day ago
Jamie Dimon says his stockbroker father taught him to invest with a 'brutally hard' childhood game
C-Suite
Jamie Dimon says his stockbroker father taught him to invest with a 'brutally hard' childhood game
By Sarah GlodekJuly 29, 2026
19 hours ago
Current price of oil as of July 29, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 29, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 29, 2026
17 hours ago
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
Real Estate
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 25, 2026
5 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.