The medication Actos (pioglitazone) is used to treat type 2 diabetes. It is in a class of medications called thiazolidinediones and works by increOn August 11, 2018, a San Francisco jury found Roundup, the most popular weed killer in the world, gave a former school groundskeeper terminal cancer, Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), and awarded him $289 million in damages, including punitive damages to punish the agricultural company Monsanto. Lymphoma is a type of cancer that starts in cells that are part of the body’s immune system. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma starts in the white blood cells or lymphocytes and usually affects the lymph nodes and the skin. It can spread anywhere lymph tissue is found, including the lymph nodes, spleen, bone marrow, thymus, adenoids, tonsils and digestive tract. Glyphosate is the ingredient in Roundup responsible for this cancer. CNN reported last year that more than 800 patients were suing Monsanto claiming Roundup gave them cancer. Since then, hundreds more plaintiffs -- including cancer patients, their spouses or their estates -- have also sued Monsanto, making similar claims. After three days of deliberations the jury awarded Johnson $250 million in punitive damages and about $39 million in compensatory damages.

The evidence in humans is from studies of exposures, mostly agricultural, in the USA, Canada, and Sweden published since 2001. In addition, there is convincing evidence that glyphosate also can cause cancer in laboratory animals. On the basis of tumors in mice, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) originally classified glyphosate as possibly carcinogenic to humans in 1985. In March 2015, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) said the key ingredient in Roundup, glyphosate, is a probable carcinogen in humans. The IARC Working Group that conducted the evaluation considered the significant findings from the EPA report and several more recent positive results in concluding that there is sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals. Glyphosate also caused DNA and chromosomal damage in human cells. One study in community residents reported increases in blood markers of chromosomal damage after glyphosate formulations were sprayed nearby.

Just weeks before the start of the trial, several researchers who once served on a government panel assessing glyphosate’s safety released a new study suggesting people exposed to large doses of the chemical have a heightened risk for NHL. The team found a "compelling link" between exposure to glyphosate-based weed killers and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The researchers performed a meta-analysis of the epidemiological research around glyphosate and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In a meta-analysis, scientists combine and analyze data from multiple studies and look for broad trends in the research. The study concluded that people exposed to glyphosate at the highest levels have 41 percent higher risk of contracting non-Hodgkin lymphoma than people who lack exposure. The body of scientific evidence clearly indicates that Glyphosate, the core ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup weed products, is a human carcinogen causing Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.