Bayer reaches $6.9 million settlement over Roundup safety concerns

NEW YORK — Bayer, the company that makes Roundup, has agreed to settle claims from New York Attorney General Letitia James that it misled consumers by marketing the weedkiller, which has been linked to cancer, as safe and nontoxic.

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Monsanto and parent company Bayer CropScience LP will pay $6.9 million for allegedly making false and misleading claims regarding the safety of their products, according to The Associated Press. James announced the settlement in a news release on Thursday.

The companies claimed that Roundup products containing glyphosate were safe and nontoxic without adequate substantiation in their advertising, according to the attorney general’s office. Glyphosate is toxic to honeybees, butterflies and aquatic animals, according to the settlement obtained by the AP.

“Pesticides can cause serious harm to the health of our environment, and pose a deadly threat to wildlife, including pollinators and other species vital to agriculture,” James said Thursday.

“It is essential that pesticide companies — even and especially the most powerful ones — are honest with consumers about the dangers posed by their products so that they can be used responsibly. Once again, Monsanto and the company’s current owner, Bayer, made false and misleading claims about the safety of their products, but we will not allow them to get away with endangering our environment. My office will continue to protect the health of New York’s environment by ensuring our laws are respected and followed.”

The companies advertised that Roundup “won’t harm anything but weeds” and “do not pose a threat to the health of animal wildlife,” in some YouTube videos that have since been removed, according to Reuters.

The attorney general’s office said that the claims violated state laws against “false and misleading advertising,” Reuters reported. It also breached Monsanto’s 1996 settlement with New York over Roundup advertising.

The settlement requires that Bayer stop advertising glyphosate-based Roundup as “a safe and non-toxic product,” according to Reuters. The $6.9 million settlement payment will be used to reduce to impact of pesticides on pollinators and aquatic species, authorities said.

Reuters reported that Bayer has not admitted or denied any wrongdoing. However, in a statement, the company said “it was pleased to settle.”