Login
Not so Fast — Lawyers for Cancer Victims See ‘Red Flags’ in Bayer’s Roundup Settlement Deal
A group of 14 law firms representing nearly 20,000 plaintiffs is seeking to intervene in Bayer’s proposed class action settlement of Roundup litigation, citing concerns that the settlement deal will not be fair to cancer victims. The group filed both a motion to intervene and a motion for an extension of time for court preliminary approval of the deal in St. Louis City Circuit Court in Missouri late on Feb. 24.
The law firms say the deal appears “unprecedented” and raises multiple “red flags”.
“It is hard to escape the impression that the proposed settlement would give Monsanto everything it desires — a near-complete release of liability for Monsanto and its parent company, Bayer AG — while giving inadequate consideration to many putative class members, who would surrender their substantive rights in exchange for settlement offers that may never result in payment,” the law firms state in their motion.
Bayer and a different group of plaintiffs’ lawyers filed the settlement proposal with the court Feb. 17, with a provision to seek preliminary court approval within a 15-day period.
Study Finds Prenatal Exposure to Dozens More PFAS Than Previously Detected in Cord Blood
Contemporary Pediatrics reported:
Babies born between 2003 and 2006 were exposed in utero to a broader range of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) than previously documented, according to a study published in Environmental Science & Technology. Using a data science–based approach and advanced chemical detection methods, investigators identified dozens of PFAS in archived umbilical cord blood samples, including compounds not routinely measured in traditional testing panels.
The study, led by Shelley H. Liu, Ph.D., associate professor of population health science and policy at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, applied both targeted laboratory testing and PFAS-focused nontargeted analysis (NTA) to cord serum samples from the Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment (HOME) Study, a prospective pregnancy and birth cohort based in Cincinnati, Ohio.
PFAS are a large class of synthetic chemicals used in products such as nonstick cookware, stain-resistant fabrics, food packaging, and firefighting foams. They are often referred to as “forever chemicals” because they persist in the environment and in human tissue.
Hazardous Substances Found in All Headphones Tested by ToxFREE Project
You wear them at work, you wear them at play, you wear them to relax. You may even get sweaty in them at the gym. But an investigation into headphones has found every single pair tested contained substances hazardous to human health, including chemicals that can cause cancer, neurodevelopmental problems and the feminisation of males.
Even products by market-leading brands such as Bose, Panasonic, Samsung and Sennheiser were found to contain harmful chemicals in the formulation of the plastics from which they are made. Campaigners condemned “a market-wide failure” as they called for broad bans on whole classes of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in consumer goods and greater transparency from manufacturers about what is in their products.
“These chemicals are not just additives; they may be migrating from the headphones into our body,” said Karolína Brabcová, chemical expert at Arnika, part of the ToxFree LIFE for All project, a partnership of central European civil society groups that carried out the research. “Daily use — especially during exercise when heat and sweat are present – accelerates this migration directly to the skin.
The Weedkiller at the Center of a National Debate Is in Your Food. Science Says Here’s What to Do.
On February 18, 2026, President Trump signed an executive order invoking the Defense Production Act to boost domestic glyphosate production, citing national security concerns. Glyphosate is the world’s most widely used herbicide. There’s a lot of complex history behind this: In January 2026, a key research paper that regulators had used for 20 years to vouch for the safety of the chemical, was retracted.
One day after the executive order was signed, Bayer, the manufacturer of glyphosate, announced a $7.25B settlement to resolve thousands of lawsuits claiming that this chemical caused cancer. Glyphosate entered the public’s consciousness in 2015, when the World Health Organization’s cancer research arm classified it as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” After which, tens of thousands of lawsuits have been filed by primarily farmworkers — stating it caused their non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
However, major regulatory agencies like the EPA and the European Food Safety Authority, maintain that it’s safe at current exposure levels. Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2018, disputes any causal link. The chemical is the active ingredient in Roundup, the weedkiller that you may spray on driveways, sidewalk cracks, and backyard weeds. It’s used on golf courses, parks, and school grounds, and it’s applied to staple crops like wheat, oats, corn, and soy. If you live anywhere near vineyards, the chemical may also be used to control pests on vines. If you have a gardener, they may also use it in your yard.
Health-conscious consumers, parent groups, and wellness advocates have raised concerns and questioned the timing — at a moment when food safety anxiety is already running high. However, farmers and agricultural groups have countered that there’s simply no viable large-scale alternative, and that pulling glyphosate would spike food prices overnight.
Are Forever Chemicals in Your Drinking Water? Check New EPA Data Here
Recent tests have detected toxic “forever chemicals” in public drinking water systems serving at least 151 million people, roughly half of all Americans who rely on these utilities to deliver clean water.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released new records Feb. 12 of water samples collected over the past three years. Many of these detections were for PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, the EPA doesn’t currently limit, or the measurements didn’t exceed limits the agency approved in 2024 for two types of PFAS.
However, more than 1,050 water systems reported average PFAS levels above the EPA’s new limits. Collectively, these systems provide drinking water for at least 52 million people, or more than 1 of every 7 Americans.
Since World War II, manufacturers have developed thousands of variants of PFAS to repel liquids and resist heat, which also makes the chemicals difficult to destroy. Whether people are exposed through products like stain-resistant fabrics or nonstick food wrappers or through contaminated air or water, researchers say the chemicals can accumulate in human bodies over time, increasing the risk of certain cancers.
“There is no level of exposure to these contaminants without risk of health impacts,” EPA officials said when the agency set a non-enforceable health-based goal of zero in drinking water for two of the most-studied of these chemicals – PFOS and PFOA.
Men in Their 50s May Be Aging Faster Than Women Due to Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’
The “forever chemicals” known as PFAS appear to be aging men faster in their 50s and early 60s, a new study found. Called forever chemicals due to the years it takes for them to break down, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances are present in the blood of an estimated 98% of Americans, according to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Epigenetic aging — a measurement of one’s biological age instead of chronological age — was most advanced in men, according to the study. “The associations between PFAS exposure and accelerated epigenetic aging were strongest in men aged 50 – 65,” said senior study author Xiangwei Li, a professor of epidemiology at China’s Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, in an email.
“In younger men and those over 65, the associations were weaker and generally not statistically significant,” Li said. “We observed some associations in women, but they were generally smaller and less consistent than those seen in middle-aged men.”
