Overview

• On August 18, 2025, LingLong Wei sued Michigan State University for $100 million in Ingham County Circuit Court, alleging that exposure during her 2008–2011 horticulture program caused her thyroid cancer.
• The complaint charges that MSU required Wei to spray paraquat, glyphosate and oxyfluorfen for up to eight hours daily without proper training or protective equipment and dismissed her safety concerns and medical complaints as anxiety.
• Wei was diagnosed with papillary thyroid carcinoma in summer 2024, underwent thyroid removal surgery and now faces lifelong medication, a permanent scar and disrupted career opportunities.
• MSU spokesperson Amber McCann said the university provides required training and personal protective equipment in compliance with policies and laws and declined further comment due to pending litigation.
• The lawsuit arrives against a backdrop of evolving scientific evidence linking pesticide exposure to thyroid cancer and an EPA interim review of paraquat, which remains in use in the U.S. despite bans in about 70 countries.