[ti:Bayer Hopes Study Prevents Future Roundup Lawsuits] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]German chemical company Bayer has agreed [00:03.84]to let an independent scientific team [00:07.60]study the health effects of its popular weed killer, Roundup. [00:15.00]Legal experts say the company hopes results of the study [00:20.60]will prevent future lawsuits by people who claim the product is harmful. [00:28.32]Bayer agreed Wednesday to pay as much as $10.9 billion [00:35.52]to end legal cases brought by U.S. Roundup users [00:41.20]who say the product gave them a form of blood cancer. [00:47.52]But as part of the settlement agreement, Bayer had to find a separate solution [00:54.28]aimed at limiting future claims without removing the product from stores. [01:02.96]The company decided to take a risk that the scientific study [01:08.24]will support its claim that the chemical glyphosate is safe for agricultural use. [01:17.48]Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup. [01:23.36]Regulators worldwide have found glyphosate not to be carcinogenic. [01:30.80]That includes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [01:35.88]and the European Chemicals Agency. [01:40.56]But the World Health Organization's cancer research arm [01:45.44]found the weed killer to be a "probable carcinogen" in 2015. [01:52.12]And since 2018, three U.S. juries, who listened to scientific evidence [01:59.72]from both sides during trial, found that Roundup causes cancer. [02:06.64]David Noll is a law professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey. [02:14.24]He told Reuters news agency that Bayer is "taking a huge risk by doing this." [02:22.80]He said the company hopes "time can show that the science [02:27.60]underlying the plaintiffs' claims is bad." [02:32.80]Many details of the proposal have not yet been released [02:37.64]and a final settlement must be approved by a federal judge. [02:43.40]But the settlement plan calls for an independent team of scientific experts, [02:50.00]who will likely be chosen and agreed upon by both sides. [02:57.08]The company will pay $1.25 billion to support the team's research, [03:04.04]an amount that does not include any payments to settle future lawsuits. [03:11.40]The scientific review process is expected to take at least four years. [03:18.84]Findings by the team would be legally binding on Bayer, [03:23.76]as well as anyone who has used Roundup before Wednesday, [03:28.88]but not developed cancer. [03:33.00]If the scientific team finds glyphosate to be non-carcinogenic, [03:38.84]those users could not bring legal action. [03:43.64]If the team does find glyphosate causes cancer, however, [03:48.64]Bayer could face many new lawsuits, with possible damages decided at a later date. [03:57.52]Bayer said Wednesday the lead plaintiffs' lawyers have agreed to the plan. [04:04.52]However, Reuters was not immediately able to reach those lawyers for comment. [04:12.04]In the past, lawyers representing people who said Roundup gave them cancer [04:18.08]have claimed Bayer manipulated scientific studies [04:22.60]and misled the scientific community. [04:27.48]Bayer denies those claims. [04:31.52]Company officials on calls with reporters and experts [04:36.00]said they were confident the scientific review would find Roundup safe. [04:43.48]Scientific teams have been set up in other major cases [04:47.92]involving mass plaintiffs against Bayer. [04:52.60]But those cases were generally not part of a settlement process, legal experts said. [05:01.28]Bayer's proposal was "creative but risky" and will likely face problems in court, [05:09.12]said Adam Zimmerman, a professor at Loyola Law School in California. [05:17.28]The experts said many details of the proposal remain unclear. [05:23.92]One unknown is whether people who have not yet gotten sick [05:28.72]could give up their rights to a future lawsuit under the plan. [05:35.28]I'm Bryan Lynn. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM