Skip to main content

Support WBUR

Roundup transformed farming in the U.S. Could it change regulation too?

38:34
In this Feb. 24, 2019, file photo, containers of Roundup are displayed on a store shelf in San Francisco. The Bayer Corporation has spent more than $10 billion to settle lawsuits that claim the popular weed killer Roundup causes cancer. But a single verdict in Philadelphia this year has topped $2 billion and thousands of cases are still to come. Bayer calls the recent verdict "excessive" and insists Roundup is safe. However, it has reformulated the consumer version to remove a pesticide called glyphosate. (AP Photo/Haven Daley, File)
In this Feb. 24, 2019, file photo, containers of Roundup are displayed on a store shelf in San Francisco. The Bayer Corporation has spent more than $10 billion to settle lawsuits that claim the popular weed killer Roundup causes cancer. But a single verdict in Philadelphia this year has topped $2 billion and thousands of cases are still to come. Bayer calls the recent verdict "excessive" and insists Roundup is safe. However, it has reformulated the consumer version to remove a pesticide called glyphosate. (AP Photo/Haven Daley, File)

The Supreme Court will soon rule on who gets to decide when a product needs a cancer warning – and who can sue if they’ve been exposed. At the center of the highly politicized debate is America’s most successful weedkiller, Roundup.

Guest

Carey Gillam, editor-in-chief of The New Lede and contributor at The Guardian.

Ben Felder, editor-in-chief, Investigate Midwest.

Also Featured

Bill Billings, Iowa resident and cancer survivor.

Melissa Perry, epidemiologist and dean of the College of Public Health at George Mason University.

Dennis Weisenburger, professor emeritus of hematopathology at University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology.


The version of our broadcast available at the top of this page and via podcast apps is a condensed version of the full show. You can listen to the full, unedited broadcast here:


The first draft of this transcript was created by Descript, an AI transcription tool. An On Point producer then thoroughly reviewed, corrected, and reformatted the transcript before publication. The use of this AI tool creates the capacity to provide these transcripts.

This program aired on May 6, 2026.

Headshot of Leila Barghouty
Leila Barghouty Producer, On Point

Leila Barghouty is a producer for On Point.

More…
Headshot of Meghna Chakrabarti
Meghna Chakrabarti Host, On Point

Meghna Chakrabarti is the host of On Point.

More…

Support WBUR

Support WBUR

Listen Live