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First published on the Associated Press by Sudhin Thanawala

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Roundup weed killer was a substantial factor in a California man’s cancer, a jury determined Tuesday in the first phase of a trial that attorneys said could help determine the fate of hundreds of similar lawsuits.

The unanimous verdict by the six-person jury in federal court in San Francisco came in a lawsuit filed against Roundup’s manufacturer, agribusiness giant Monsanto. Edwin Hardeman, 70, was the second plaintiff to go to trial out of thousands around the country who claim the weed killer causes cancer.

Monsanto says studies have established that Roundup’s active ingredient, glyphosate, is safe.

A San Francisco jury in August awarded another man $289 million after determining Roundup caused his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. A judge later slashed the award to $78 million, and Monsanto has appealed.

Hardeman’s trial is before a different judge and may be more significant. U.S. Judge Vince Chhabria is overseeing hundreds of Roundup lawsuits and has deemed Hardeman’s case and two others “bellwether trials.”

DeLauro Introduces Keep Food Safe from Glyphosate Act

3月 15, 2019 

Press Release

https://delauro.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/delauro-introduces-keep-food-safe-glyphosate-act 

WASHINGTON, DC — This week, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) introduced the Keep Food Safe from Glyphosate Act, new legislation that would overturn the Trump Administration’s decision to ignore glyphosate residues in the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) annual pesticide residue monitoring survey. Exposure to glyphosate—the weed killer made popular by Monsanto—was recently found to increase the risk of cancer by 41%.

“American families deserve to know that the food they are eating and feeding to their children is safe,” said Congresswoman DeLauro. “But that is not the case because the Trump Administration refuses to test our food for dangerous chemicals like glyphosate—an herbicide linked to increased risk of cancer. That is unconscionable. Congress needs to pass the Keep Food Safe from Glyphosate Act to ensure corporations are not profiting at the expense of Americans’ health.”

Today is the deadline to ask our legislators to support this bill!

The California Guild has introduced Assembly Bill 468 authored by Assemblyman Muratsuchi (D-Torrance). We should be proud of this landmark legislation that will require California school
sites and day care centers to utilize organic landscape management practices at school sites, playgrounds and athletic fields, replacing harmful pesticide and herbicides.  The bill is co-sponsored by Non-Toxic Communities そして Beyond Pesticides.

Send in your letters of support!

AB 468 will begin its long journey into becoming law in front of the Assembly Education Committee on 3月 27.  We need your letters of support – DUE 3月 19 by 5 pm. 

One day Natalie, a mom and nurse who lives in my town, called me, furious, and said that a truck with a tank had just sprayed her street with Rodeo (a glyphosate-based herbicide). She had a picture of the truck spraying that day, so we filed a complaint with the county agricultural commissioner and went to the Orange County Public Works with a binder of studies.

After one meeting and a few calls and emails, the manager agreed to propose alternatives. Since then, after a few meetings, our city has agreed to stop spraying glyphosate-based herbicides in residential neighborhoods. We are told that by 7月 2019 our city will have organic land care. Due to the efforts of many committed parents, my son’s entire school district has also agreed to use alternatives such as safer chemicals, mulch, and weed whacking. This was especially important to me because we noticed that he would have trouble breathing, and had asthma symptoms, after the city workers had sprayed Roundup on the hillsides by his school. It is terrifying to see your child having difficulty breathing. I am so grateful that his school district has discontinued the use of glyphosate herbicides.

3月 8, 2019 – Oakland, California - - The trial of Pilliod v. Monsanto Company (now Bayer) begins with jury selection on Monday, 3月 25, 2019, in Superior Court of California for the County of Alameda before Judge Winifred Smith. Attorneys for the plaintiffs anticipate the trial will last about a month.

Pilliod v. Monsanto is the first case in the California Roundup Judicial Council Coordination Proceedings (JCCP) and the third Roundup cancer case to proceed to trial.

More than 250 Roundup cancer cases are consolidated before Judge Smith as part of the California Roundup JCCP. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit allege exposure to Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer caused them to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

More and more we are all hearing about the huge role our genetics play in our health. It is the age-old question of nature vs nurture or another way to phrase it is genetics vs lifestyle.

Disturbing news was released today by US Pirg showing even higher levels of glyphosate in popular wine and beer than the test results  Moms Across America commissioned in 2017. These results clearly show that glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH) must be banned. Despite the fact that farmers have known since 2015 that glyphosate herbicides can cause cancer and many other serious health effects, they continue to spray GBH as a drying agent on their grain crops. Because the US EPA says it is safe to do so.   34 countries have banned または restricted glyphosate, but not the USA.

Sign the petition from USPirg to the USDA to test for glyphosate here.

The contamination of beer and wines is another great reason to join in the Friends of the Earth call to action and go to your local Kroger-owned Grocery Store this today or tomorrow ( find out of your local grocery store is owned by Kroger's here) and ask them to stop selling products with toxic pesticides in them! Find out more about the call to action here.

Read the full USPirg report and take action here.

We thank the USPirg team for their excellent work!

OpEd By Zen Honeycutt

Ladies, Mark Ruffalo. Need I say more?

Men, yes, I do. Here’s a little Valentine’s Day tip for you on what makes him so darn sexy.

Mark Ruffalo does not only raise the eyebrows of women around the planet because of his rugged good looks. There is another reason, one that has cropped up in the past few years. One that the media will not describe on CBS Good Morning Show or in the pages of the  “Sexiest Man Alive” articles in Vanity Fair. One that makes casting directors cringe and producers angry.

Activism.

“Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.”—WINSTON CHURCHILL

  When I declared Moms Across America—and essentially, myself—UNSTOPPABLE, I had no idea how much the universe would throw at me. I used the word “unstoppable” to encourage and support moms to keep going. Little did I know that there would be times when I felt not only stopped but also crushed. Pamm Larry, instigator of California’s ballot initiative to label GMOs, helped me put things into perspective when she said, “What’s the fastest way to get criticized? Do something.”

By Evan Zislis

We are naturally wired to help each other. It’s just part of our DNA. It may be the most exceptional trait of our species. Our collective history is defined by a shared ancestral memory of cooperation, collaboration, empathy, and assistance. Things fall apart when we forget. But in times of crisis, we remember – all at once, like suddenly we’re all hearing the same inspiring song – and we re-engage in step to the music. Suddenly, we’re one. And together, we evolve.

I’m a professional organizer. In my professional practice, I help people to simplify so they can focus on the things that matter most: who we love, what we do, how, and why we live… because everything else is just stuff. I help my clients de-clutter and get organized, but all that work is really just a guise for saving the world.