Weed Killers With Suspected Link To Cancer Banned In Miami Beach

MIAMI BEACH, FL — Fearing for the safety of residents and city employees, the Miami Beach Commission unanimously approved a ban on certain weed killers with a suspected link to cancer on Wednesday. The ban only affects weed killers that contain the chemical glyphosate.

“Glyphosate is a known carcinogen, and I’m pleased my colleagues unanimously agreed that we must eliminate its usage to protect our community,” said Miami Beach Commissioner Ricky Arriola. “As a father, especially, it is extremely important to know that when children are playing on our playgrounds or at our facilities, they are not harmed by this type of chemical."

Subscribe to Miami Beach Patch's free email news alerts and newsletters to stay up to date on what's happening in this urban beach resort

The resolution directs City Manager Jimmy Morales to ban the use of herbicides containing glyphosate by all city employees and contractors who perform landscaping and maintenance on city-owned properties, including public spaces such as parks.

Monsanto, which manufacturers glyphosate-based weed killers such as Round-up and Ranger Pro, was recently acquired by Bayer along with some 8,000 lawsuits in state and federal courts, according to the city's Melissa Berthier.

The lawsuits allege cancer risks associated with the use of the weed killers. One former school groundskeeper diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, was recently awarded $289 million by a jury after using Roundup at work. The suit alleged that Roundup was a substantial contributing factor to the cancer and that Monsanto failed to warn consumers of the product's cancer risk, according to Berthier.

A March 2015 report by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded that glyphosate is "probably carcinogenic in humans,” according to Berthier

Photo by Paul Scicchitano