The Iowa Senate passed a controversial bill that critics claim protects pesticide manufacturers from civil lawsuits regarding the labeling of their products.According to OurQuadCities‚ Senate File 2412 allows that if a label is approved by theEPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) and is consistent with the most recent human health assessment under federal law and the EPAs carcinogen classification‚ companies would be safe from civil liability.However‚ critics said the health risks associated with products like Roundup and Paraquat are well known.Bayer‚ the chemical company that produces Roundup‚ proposed the bill in Iowa and other states in an effort to reduce lawsuits alleging the commonly used weedkiller has caused cancer. It says pesticide makers cannot be held liable for failing to alert people of possible health risks as long as their products have a federally-approved label‚Iowa Public Radiowrites.Iowa Senate votes to limit lawsuits over Roundup. As cancer rates in Iowa rise‚ state lawmakers continue to advance a bill that would add legal protections for pesticide makers like Bayer‚ who helped write the bill‚ GMWatch‚ an independent organization that reports on genetically modified (GMO) foods and crops and their associated pesticides‚ commented.Iowa Senate votes to limit lawsuits over Roundup. As cancer rates in Iowa rise‚ state lawmakers continue to advance a bill that would add legal protections for pesticide makers like Bayer‚ who helped write the bill. https://t.co/2f3p2PnfRF GMWatch (@GMWatch) April 3‚ 2024Iowa Public Radio reports:Republican supporters of the bill said it would ensure pesticide companies are not sued for following federal labeling rules‚ while Democrats said the bill sides with corporations against Iowans facing terminal illness.Senate President Amy Sinclair‚ R-Allerton‚ said the bill is needed to protect modern farming practices.Iowa feeds the world‚ Sinclair said. And we need partners in that who arent constantly under threat of lawsuits for following the very laws governing the way they do business.Senate Minority Leader Pam Jochum‚ D-Dubuque‚ said the bill takes away Iowans right to sue for being sickened by pesticides‚ and it protects multinational corporations.This bill is stripping away the legal protections for Iowa farmers‚ she said. And they are the people who are getting diseases like cancer and Parkinsons from chemicals theyre putting on their land that we know [are] causing it.Study after study has already demonstrated that these chemical products will increase your risk of developing either cancer or Parkinsons‚ Andrew Mertens from the Iowa Association for Justice told We Are Iowa Local 5 News.We Are Iowa noted:According to the Iowa Cancer Consortium‚ there is a link between certain agricultural practices and pesticide use‚ and cancer for agricultural workers.The International Agency for Research on Cancer came to the same conclusion back in 2015‚ classifying glyphosate as probably carcinogenic to humans.Bayer‚ the parent company of Roundup‚ has spent more than $10 billion to settle lawsuits claiming their product causes cancer‚ per the Associated Press. Around 200 Iowans have filed their own lawsuits against the company‚ citing that the product caused them to develop cancer.On the debate floor Tuesday‚ Sen. Jeff Edler‚ R-Marshall County‚ argued those lawsuits have inflated the prices of these products‚ further impacting Iowa farmers.Were dealing with billions of dollars of lawsuits against the farm industry‚ Edler said. The reality is‚ that money is coming out of farmers pockets.Senate Democratic Whip Nate Boulton‚ D-Polk County‚ disagreed.We have seen time and time again‚ corporate greed wins with these companies . this body is now considering legislation to protect those companies‚ Boulton said. This is madness.WATCH:Senate File 2412 is about shielding pesticide companies from liability. This would be the only kind of legislation of its kind in the entire country and its headed to the governors desk for signature. A very conservative state‚ Idaho‚ just rejected a similar measure this year‚ Iowa state Senator Sarah Trone Garriott‚ a Democrat‚ said.WATCH:A couple bills from todays senate debate: protections for pesticide companies‚ and a flat rate is not the same as a flat tax. pic.twitter.com/C3So4kp4Cx Sarah Trone Garriott (@SarahforIowa) April 2‚ 2024The bill‚ backed by Bayer‚ aims to protect the company and others like it from lawsuits accusing their products of not adequately warning of potential health issues‚ including cancer‚ theDes Moines Registernoted.Proposed bills in states like Iowa and Missouri are attempting to shield pesticide makers like Bayer from lawsuits over the possible harm from their pesticide products. (Bayer recently bought Monsanto‚ producer of RoundUp).These bills are backed by Bayer‚ who claims the ";future pic.twitter.com/0jwabO4nbs Conscious Strength (@ConsciousSTRG) April 4‚ 2024From the Des Moines Register:Craig Mischo‚ a lobbyist with Bayer‚ called the measure a labeling bill‚ saying there are no dollar caps on lawsuits and we can still be sued for anything else.Advocate groups disagreed with Bayers interpretation of the legislation‚ arguing it would effectively cut off members of the public from an array of legal options.Some of these other torts that hes talking about‚ like general negligence‚ all include a component or an element of a warning‚ said Kellie Paschke‚ with the Iowa Association for Justice. If this legislation was signed into law‚ it takes that off the table so we cant bring any other claims.The Senate version of the measure‚ Senate File 2412‚ passed on a 30-19 vote. Four Republicans joined Democrats in opposition.Read Senate File 2412 HERE.