U.S. Scientist Still on Stand in Roundup Cancer Trial

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(Transcript from today’s proceedings)

After a full day of testimony on Tuesday, retired U.S. government scientist Christopher Portier was back to the stand Wednesday to lay out for jurors the scientific research that has convinced him that Monsanto’s glyphosate-based herbicides cause cancer, and the failures of European and American regulatory systems to properly account for the scientific evidence.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs in the case had only a few remaining questions for Portier’s direct testimony before Monsanto’s attorneys were given the opportunity to cross examine Portier.

Portier, whose birthday is today, traveled from Australia to provide the testimony.

Portier was an “invited specialist” to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) when the unit of the World Health Organization classified glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen in March 2015.

The  plaintiffs are a married couple named Alva and Alberta Pilliod who both developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma after many years of use of Roundup. According to court documents, Alva reported using Monsanto’s Roundup Ready-to-Use Weed & Grass Killer and/or Roundup Super Concentrate approximately twice a week on four properties he and his wife owned  from 1982 to 2016. He did not wear protective clothing. Alberta reported similar usage.

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