KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) - A Florida city is no longer using a popular weed-killer on city-owned property after a California jury ordered the product’s maker to pay $2 billion to a couple claiming it caused cancer.
The Miami Herald reports that the Key West City Commission voted unanimously this week to ban herbicides that contain glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup Ready. The ban doesn’t apply to private property.
Commissioner Jimmy Weekley, who sponsored the resolution, says he hopes the city can be an example to others. City officials are urging county and state agencies to institute their own bans.
Roundup has been blamed for causing cancer in users in thousands of lawsuits against Monsanto’s owner Bayer, which denies such allegations and says the product is safe.
Bayer said it will appeal the $2 billion verdict.
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Information from: The Miami Herald, http://www.herald.com
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