Toxic Exposure: The True Story behind the Monsanto Trials and the Search for Justice

by Chadi Nabhan

Overview

A behind-the-scenes look inside three key trials involving Monsanto's weed killer Roundup, cancer, and the search for justice—written by an expert witness medical oncologist who lived it all.

For years, Monsanto declared that their product Roundup, the world's most widely used weed killer, was safe. But that all changed in 2015, when the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) analyzed data from scientific studies and concluded that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is probably carcinogenic. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) disagreed, other regulatory agencies got involved, and scientists clamored to understand the link between glyphosate and cancer.

Toxic Exposure tells the true story of numerous patients who developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a form of cancer, after using Roundup and their ensuing trials against Monsanto (now owned by Bayer, one of the largest agrochemical companies in the world). Written by Chadi Nabhan, MD, MBA, a cancer specialist, this is the only book written by an expert physician witness who testified in the first three trials against Monsanto.

Dr. Nabhan takes the reader behind the scenes of these pivotal trials, explaining key features of the cases, including how Monsanto downplayed the IARC's scientific conclusions, may have worked to change how the EPA classified glyphosate, and conducted extensive PR campaigns designed to minimize the public's perception of the negative health effects of its product. He also provides details about the other expert witnesses who reviewed the evidence, analyzed the science, and stood up to this agricultural behemoth in the courtroom.

Dr. Nabhan tells the inside story of corporate influence, courtroom drama, legal discourse, monumental verdicts, and the ensuing media frenzy surrounding this massive uncovering of the truth and the years of scientific and legal work that led up to it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781421445359
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	02/28/2023
Pages:	328
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.04(d)

About the Author

Chadi Nabhan, MD, MBA, FACP, is a board-certified hematologist and a medical oncologist who practiced hematology and oncology for years. He has authored or co-authored over 300 peer-reviewed manuscripts and abstracts. He is the author of Toxic Exposure: The True Story behind the Monsanto Trials and the Search for Justice and is the creator and host of the weekly Healthcare Unfiltered podcast.

Table of Contents

Author's Note
Preface
Chapter 1. The Phone Call
Chapter 2. The First Meeting
Chapter 3. The EPA
Chapter 4. Meeting Mr. Johnson
Chapter 5. The Night Before the Daubert Hearing
Chapter 6. Coming to America
Chapter 7. Daubert Day
Chapter 8. The Johnson Trial Begins
Chapter 9. My Trial Testimony
Chapter 10. The Johnson Verdict
Chapter 11. Hardeman
Chapter 12. The Second Trial Begins
Chapter 13. Verdicts
Chapter 14. Pilliods
Chapter 15. The Third Trial Begins
Chapter 16. Another Day in Court
Chapter 17. Judgment
Chapter 18. Endings
Glossary
Resources
Acknowledgments

What People are Saying About This

Mikkael A. Sekeres

Dr. Nabhan tells the dramatic story of how a household weed killer had tragic human consequences—with the authority of a cancer expert, and the compassion of someone who cares deeply about his patients. A compelling read.

Merril Hoge

When you're asked to help patients in their fight for justice, you have one choice: stand up, review the science and evidence, and do something. I have enormous respect and admiration for Dr. Chadi Nabhan for joining the team that defended and advocated for patients in the courtroom against Monsanto. We need more like him!

Lee Shapiro

Dr. Nabhan's passion and commitment to patients ring true in Toxic Exposure. In this David and Goliath story set in the Roundup litigation, he simplifies the science and evidence while facing Monsanto. Dr. Nabhan and his compatriots stared down a corporate giant and its prestigious lawyers in order to ensure that justice was served. An engaging read!

David Fajgenbaum

I couldn't put this book down. It's a behind-the-scenes look into the link between Monsanto's Roundup and lymphoma and the lawsuits that followed. As a physician and expert witness, Dr. Nabhan is the right person to share this balanced narrative with the perfect mix of medicine, science, and humanity. The lessons from this case will reverberate across the globe for years to come, and the lessons from this book will stick with me forever.

Michael Baum

Dr. Nabhan perceptively chronicles his journey from oncology professor to court battle veteran in three historic Roundup trials against pesticide manufacturer and litigation bully Monsanto. Using internal Monsanto documents, testimony, and studies, he effectively and affably reveals the real science behind Roundup's role in non-Hodgkin lymphoma and how Monsanto spent 40 years manipulating public opinion, regulators, and scientists to cover it up.

From the Publisher

I couldn't put this book down. It's a behind-the-scenes look into the link between Monsanto's Roundup and lymphoma and the lawsuits that followed. As a physician and expert witness, Dr. Nabhan is the right person to share this balanced narrative with the perfect mix of medicine, science, and humanity. The lessons from this case will reverberate across the globe for years to come, and the lessons from this book will stick with me forever.
—David Fajgenbaum, bestselling author of Chasing My Cure: A Doctor's Race to Turn Hope into Action

When you're asked to help patients in their fight for justice, you have one choice: stand up, review the science and evidence, and do something. I have enormous respect and admiration for Dr. Chadi Nabhan for joining the team that defended and advocated for patients in the courtroom against Monsanto. We need more like him!
—Merril Hoge, former NFL athlete and ESPN analyst, author of Find a Way: Three Words That Changed My Life

Dr. Nabhan tells the dramatic story of how a household weed killer had tragic human consequences—with the authority of a cancer expert, and the compassion of someone who cares deeply about his patients. A compelling read.
—Mikkael A. Sekeres, author of Drugs and the FDA: Safety, Efficacy, and the Public's Trust and When Blood Breaks Down: Life Lessons from Leukemia

Well done. An excellent resource for readers interested in environmental health, toxins, controversial legal cases, and manipulated science.
—Kelly Ryerson, MBA, GlyphosateGirl.com

Dr. Nabhan perceptively chronicles his journey from oncology professor to court battle veteran in three historic Roundup trials against pesticide manufacturer and litigation bully Monsanto. Using internal Monsanto documents, testimony, and studies, he effectively and affably reveals the real science behind Roundup's role in non-Hodgkin lymphoma and how Monsanto spent 40 years manipulating public opinion, regulators, and scientists to cover it up.
—Michael Baum, Managing Partner of Baum Hedlund Law and trial team member for each of the three Roundup trials depicted in Toxic Exposure

Dr. Nabhan's passion and commitment to patients ring true in Toxic Exposure. In this David and Goliath story set in the Roundup litigation, he simplifies the science and evidence while facing Monsanto. Dr. Nabhan and his compatriots stared down a corporate giant and its prestigious lawyers in order to ensure that justice was served. An engaging read!
—Lee Shapiro, Managing Partner, 7wireVentures

Kelly Ryerson

Well done. An excellent resource for readers interested in environmental health, toxins, controversial legal cases, and manipulated science.

Editorial Reviews

The author describes keeping his compassion for patients front and center despite tough grilling by Monsanto's lawyers and sharpening his resolve by remembering that he was there to help ameliorate suffering.Readers are invited along for the ride: sweating on the witness stand, hanging on the lawyers' every word, hoping for the truth to prevail.
—Civil Eats

From the Publisher