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Audit purchases of poisonous Roundup by the State of Missouri

Submitted by rhunt
on Wed, 09/05/2018 - 9:24am
Date: 
09/14/2018 - 1:30pm

In July 2018, a San Francisco jury awarded $289 million to black groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson due to cancer resulting from his exposure to Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup.

As Missouri Green Party candidate for State Auditor, I am calling for a full audit of purchases of Roundup for use on roadways, state parks, schools and government buildings. I also want to know how much could be lost in lawsuits if the State of Missouri fails to pledge to not use Roundup and similar herbicides.

Can you join the Missouri Green Party at the debate between candidates for State Auditor to ask for an audit of herbicide use? The debate is at 1:30 Friday September 14 in St. Louis.

If you can join us, call 314-727-8554 or email fitzdon@aol.com

Below is the first item in my platform for Missouri State Auditor.

Best,

Don Fitz

1. Monsanto and other agribusinesses.

In July 2018 a San Francisco jury awarded $289 million to black groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson due to cancer resulting from his exposure to Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup. This was a wake-up call to all state governmental bodies that their practices could be poisoning workers, students and community members. As State Auditor I will audit costs of purchasing Roundup and other pesticides/herbicides for use on MO roadways, parks, schools, government building grounds and all other state green spaces (along with an audit of such costs by MO political subdivisions) and potential costs for litigation from lawsuits by workers, students and residents for health damage from pesticide/herbicide usage. The audit will gather information on the proportion of low paid workers according to ethnic groups to determine if Missouri has a pattern of differentially exposing people of color to poisonous chemicals.

As State Auditor I will examine financial relations between agricultural businesses (such as Monsanto) and Missouri Departments of Agriculture, Conservation, and Natural Resources as well as all campuses of the University of Missouri and all school districts, including gifts such as computers which may promote interests of the corporation. The State Auditor will explore whether the Missouri Department of Health has studied costs to governmental bodies in Missouri which could result from the use of agricultural products such as pesticides and herbicides including, but not limited to Roundup and Dicamba.