The Supreme Court will decide whether federal pesticide labeling laws supersede state requirements for cancer warnings on Roundup products.
The case, Monsanto Company v. Durnell, arises from a 2019 Missouri lawsuit filed by John Durnell, who alleges he developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after using the herbicide.
The dispute centers on glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup. The Environmental Protection Agency has repeatedly approved Roundup labels without cancer warnings and concluded that glyphosate does not pose a public health risk.
In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as probably carcinogenic to humans. That classification triggered a wave of litigation against Monsanto.
The Court will consider whether federal law governing pesticide labels supersedes state labeling requirements, a question with implications for over 100,000 pending lawsuits.