Costco is reportedly dropping Roundup products from its stores following a lawsuit involving a couple that claim the weed killer caused their cancer.
Earlier this month, a California jury ruled that Monsanto, the makers of Roundup, must pay over $2 billion to Alva and Alberta Pilliod, who claim Roundup caused their non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. They were awarded $1 billion each in punitive damages, along with a combined $55 million in compensatory damages.
Now, Costco appears to be breaking ties with the controversial product, according to Zen Honeycutt, the founder of Moms Across America who created a petition for the big box store to stop selling Roundup. She announced the news on her website.
“I called the headquarters, and after two days of messages and calls, I did finally confirm with three people that Costco was not ordering Roundup or any glyphosate-based herbicides for the incoming spring shipments,” she wrote.
A representative for Costco told PEOPLE, the company does not “have a statement available about the decision.”
: Jury Awards $2 Billion to Couple Who Say Roundup Weed Killer Caused Their Cancer
Moms Across America have also created two more petitions on Change.org, calling for Home Depot and Lowe’s to also remove all Roundup products in their stores.
Although Roundup contains glyphosate — an herbicide which is used in the killing of both broadleaf plants and grasses, Bayer, the subsidiary of Monsanto that makes Roundup, insists that the weed killer is safe to use, and said that they will appeal.
The first ruling against Monsanto came in August, when a man with terminal cancer who worked as a golf course greenskeeper won $289 million, which was later reduced to $200 million. The case opened the floodgates against Monsanto, who face an estimated 13,000 lawsuits for their products. In March, a second man was awarded $80 million.
Bayer released a statement in response to the $2 billion verdict, maintaining that they believe Roundup has no link to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“Bayer is disappointed with the jury’s decision and will appeal the verdict in this case,” the statement said. It also argued that the Pilliods had previous health issues that could have caused their cancer. “There is not reliable scientific evidence to conclude that glyphosate-based herbicides were the ‘but for’ cause of their illnesses as the jury was required to find in this case.”
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