A California jury has found that one of the world's most widely-used weedkillers was a "substantial factor" in causing a man's cancer.
Pharmaceutical group Bayer had strongly rejected claims that its glyphosate-based Roundup product was carcinogenic. But the jury in San Francisco ruled unanimously that it contributed to causing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in California resident Edwin Hardeman.
The next stage of the trial will consider Bayer's liability and damages. During this phase, Hardeman's lawyers are expected to present evidence allegedly showing Bayer's efforts to influence scientists, regulators and the public about the safety of its products.
The German company, which acquired Roundup as part of its $66bn takeover of US rival Monsanto, said it was disappointed with the jury's initial decision. Bayer continues "to believe firmly that science confirms that glyphosate-based herbicides do not cause cancer".
In 2015, the World Health Organization concluded that glyphosate was "probably carcinogenic to humans". In California the agriculture industry sued to prevent a requirement that Roundup carry a cancer warning, even though the state lists it as a chemical known to cause cancer.
The case was only the second of some 11,200 Roundup lawsuits to go to trial in the U.S. Another California man was awarded $289m in August after a state court jury found Roundup caused his cancer, sending Bayer shares plunging at the time.
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