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Bayer Settles Missouri Roundup Case Mid-Trial; Looks to US Supreme Court
Bayer this week put a halt to its latest courtroom battle over allegations that its weed killing products cause cancer, settling a Missouri case after four weeks of testimony and just as the trial was coming to a close and just ahead of important U.S. Supreme Court consideration.
The confidential settlement, recorded June 16 in Missouri state court in St. Louis, came after the judge in the case denied Bayer’s motion for a directed verdict in the company’s favor that would have headed off jury deliberations. It is among many similar cases that Bayer has settled since purchasing Roundup maker Monsanto in 2018.
During the latest trial, lawyers for 54-year-old Albert Grantges argued that he developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma because of 20 years of heavy use of “potent” formulations of glyphosate-based herbicides such as Roundup, made with the active ingredient glyphosate. Grantges used large quantities of the company’s glyphosate-based herbicide products in his work as a landscaper as well as in personal use at his home, lawyer Tobi Millrood told the jury.
New Study Finds Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in California WIC-Approved Foods
A new report released today by the Clean Label Project reveals the presence of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in a range of food products approved for California’s Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC, program — sparking an important conversation about chemical exposure among some of the state’s most vulnerable populations.
The study, funded in part by the Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment, tested 71 WIC-approved food products and found detectable levels of phthalates in more than a quarter of items. These chemicals, commonly used in plastic packaging and food processing, are known to interfere with hormone function and have been linked to developmental, reproductive, and behavioral health issues.
While all products tested complied with California Proposition 65 safety thresholds, the findings underscore a larger issue: the lack of regulatory oversight on food packaging and contact materials that can leach harmful substances into the food system.
“This study is a wake-up call,” said Jackie Bowen, Executive Director of Clean Label Project.
Air Pollution Is ‘Keeping Kids out of School’ in Pennsylvania’s Allegheny County, Study Shows
In 2020, Dr. Deborah Gentile helped lead a study that showed children living near major sources of industrial pollution in Pennsylvania’s Allegheny County were diagnosed with asthma at triple the national rate — and quadruple for African American children. Among the students with asthma in the study, 59% suffered from uncontrolled symptoms.
Now Gentile, a pediatric allergist, has published a report looking at one of the real-world consequences of those numbers: missed days of school. Researchers analyzed three years of attendance records for students in the school district directly adjacent to the 120-year-old Clairton Coke Works, which makes coke, a concentrated form of coal used to manufacture steel.
The results showed that rates of absences for students with asthma “significantly increased” on days they were exposed to higher levels of PM2.5 — fine particulate matter, tiny and often toxic particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs.
Love It or Hate It? Virginia’s Styrofoam Ban Takes Effect July 1
Virginia’s ban on Styrofoam is set to take effect July 1, four years after legislators approved its phase-out, with the reception getting mixed reviews despite what officials say is its harmful effect on the environment.
State lawmakers have wanted to see Virginia go foam-free, as the legislation bans single-use polystyrene — better known as Styrofoam. It includes plates, cups, containers and bowls. Maine was the first state to ban the material in 2019.
Chick-Fil-A is stirring up the sweet tea, moving to paper cups a whole month early. “We go above and beyond expectations, so we wanted to be ahead of the curve,” said Will Taylor, owner and operator of the Frederick Boulevard Chick-fil-A.
What have his customers said about the change? “Mixed reviews,” he said. “Most of our customers are not very excited about the change.” That may be an understatement.
The news hit social media site Reddit recently. Comments there include: “Sweats like woah,” “This feels gross” and the helpful advice: “Bring your own tumbler.”
Poison in the Water: The Town With the World’s Worst Case of Forever Chemicals Contamination
If Agneta Bruno closes her eyes, the soapy smell takes her back to childhood. Cycling home to the barracks where she lived with her father, an air force major, she would whiz through patches of snowy-white foam near the entrance of the base. The foam resembled the bubbles you get in the bathtub, just thicker. “I had to lift my feet up to avoid getting wet,” Bruno told me.
Aqueous film-forming foam is a miracle of firefighting: it’s highly effective in putting out flammable liquid fires, such as those caused by jet fuel spills. Chemicals in the foam create a stable blanket over liquid fuel, trapping the flammable vapours and extinguishing the fire.
At the air force base in Bruno’s home town of Kallinge in Sweden, firefighters were trained to douse flames using the foam. New recruits came every few weeks, so the training sessions were pretty constant. Afterwards, the foam would soak away into the sandy soil and disappear.
Kallinge is a small, tired-looking town in southern Sweden, dotted with small, wooden houses in various colours, many in need of fresh paint. A large factory dominates the center: it has been making cast-iron cookware for more than 300 years. The military base is on the outskirts, a short drive through a pine forest. The population numbers about 4,500, and the air is so clean that you can smell someone smoking from across the street.
