A PONTYPOOL man with incurable cancer who worked as a forestry worker for 40 years believes the chemicals in a weed killer he used may have led to his illness.

Raymond Charles, 73, of Talywain, was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 18 months ago, and was told that it could not be cured.

He is now urging people that are concerned that they might be affected by this to get checked out as soon as possible.

“I went in to have an operation on my prostate,” he said. “I had a CT scan and they saw there were lumps in my stomach. I went on to have a biopsy and I was told it was cancerous.”

Mr Charles also underwent a bone marrow test which was clear.

“I have had scans and investigations but thankfully the tumour has not grown any bigger at present,” he said. “Unfortunately, they can’t operate on me as it’s in my stomach. I’ve seen a haematologist who has advised that they can control it but there is no cure.

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“I’m feeling alright in myself. It’s just a matter if going back for checks every three months now. There’s nothing else I can do.

“If I hadn’t had a CT scan, I still wouldn’t know about it now.

“If anybody thinks that they could be affected, then they should have it checked out straight away.”

During his work as a forestry worker, with his day-to-day tasks typically including planting, felling trees and weeding.

As part of his job, Mr Charles started using herbicides in the 1980s through until he retired in 2006.

But after hearing about the case of Dewayne Johnson in the USA, a groundsman who claimed weedkiller containing glyphosate had caused his Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma cancer was awarded $289m (£226m) in damages, Mr Charles felt he should look in to the potential link.

He said: “I was at home listening to the radio and they were talking about that case in the US where a man received $289 million because the jurors in San Francisco found that the company’s weed killers contributed “substantially” to the terminal illness of the groundskeeper, from Monsanto, the company that produces Roundup.

“I had been taken aback by it, as I had been using weed killers for about 20 years.”

South Wales Argus:

(Former forestry worker Raymond Charles believes his Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma may have been caused by chemicals in weed killer. Picture: Matthew Horwood.)

Mr Charles has consulted Welsh law firm Watkins & Gunn for advice.

The law firm is urging people to be aware of the dangers of using herbicides containing glyphosate, after a case in America linked the well-known weed killer, Roundup, to cancer.

Glyphosate is the active ingredient in many weed killers, although the science about its safety is still inconclusive. The chemical is used in agriculture and forestry, for weeds in industrial areas, as well as on lawns and gardens.

Since this case there have been two further trial wins in the USA, with juries making awards of $80 million and, in the latest case, £2.2 billion against Monsanto.

Clive Thomas, managing partner and head of personal injury at Watkins & Gunn says: “The case in the US has really concerned people about the possibility of a link between glyphosate in weed killer to cancer.

“This has been supported by the World Health Organisation’s international agency for research on Cancer (IARC) who classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans”.

“We will now be looking into Raymond’s case and it would be very helpful to know if anyone working in similar jobs has also developed similar symptoms. We have had a number of people in touch already advising of their concerns with the possible link to their cancers.

“I would urge anyone concerned to contact a solicitor and seek advice without delay.”

Natural Resources Wales, which manages woodlands in Wales since Forestry Commission Wales merged in to it in 2013, did not want to comment.