Roundup maker to remove controversial ingredient from lawn and garden market

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA21) - On Thursday, Bayer officials announced they will remove glyphosate from the herbicide Roundup for lawn and garden consumers.

The move comes after years of litigation and claims about the health effects of glyphosate. The company is dealing with about 3,000 unresolved cancer claims.

While the Environmental Protection Agency and other organizations have concluded that glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans and does not risk public health when used as instructed, not all experts agree.

The International Agency for Research concluded that glyphosate may indeed be a carcinogen.

In a statement, Bayer officials made it clear their decision to pull the chemical from consumer versions of Roundup did not signal their acknowledgement of any health risk, but rather a step to reduce litigation and further risk.

“We want to provide comfort to our investors that the glyphosate litigation exposure should now be reasonably accounted for," said CEO Werner Baumann. "This clarity should also allow informed investors to direct their focus on operational performance, the quality of Bayer’s businesses and its intrinsic value”

But Bayer is still mired in potential legal action from cancer patients and their families. The company is setting aside an addition $4.5 billion to cover claims.

The company plans to pull glyphosate from consumer formulations of Roundup by 2023, replacing the chemical with other ingredients. The chemical will still be used in industrial applications.