Pesticide Giants Want to Make It Impossible for You to Sue

Every year on June 1, Rob Faux’s neighbor sprays his fields with pesticides. It doesn’t matter if it’s windy, or the wrong conditions, or the field doesn’t need it — June 1 is  “spraying day.” For Faux, an organic farmer who’s chosen not to use pesticides on his crops, the “blind spray mentality” across his home state of Iowa is incredibly frustrating. Iowa spreads more pesticides than any other state, and also has the fastest growing cancer rate in the country. Faux himself is a cancer survivor, and he never stops wondering whether his diagnosis could be related to years of rampant pesticide exposure.

Pesticide exposure has been linked to a number of health issues, including neurological disorders, gastrointestinal complications, reproductive issues, and birth defects. Though Faux would much rather be out working in the fields, he is also the communications manager at Pesticide Action Network, and has dedicated much of the last couple years to advocating against a state bill that would shield pesticide companies from liability lawsuits related to their products. The bill failed to pass in the Iowa Senate this spring — a huge win for the some 89 percent of Iowans who opposed the bill. Similar bills were introduced in eight states, and passed in North Dakota and Georgia, respectively. Now, faced with billions in legal fees, pesticide giants such as Bayer (which acquired Monsanto, the creator of RoundUp, in 2018) are pushing for similar legislation to be passed at the federal level, a frustrating and terrifying prospect for those whose lives have already been impacted by pesticides.

“There are legislators who don’t want to hear expert knowledge on topics. They would rather just simply run with what they want to do, rather than understand how it’s going to affect people,” Faux said of the proposed federal legislation.