C. American pesticide victims seeks justice

For several decades, U.S. pesticide companies sold chemicals that had been banned in the U.S. to undeveloped countries. Such was the case in Central America where plantation workers suffered the ill effects of using dangerous substances.

Today jury selection in Los Angeles commenced on a landmark case brought up by thirty Nicaraguan laborers who claim that they became severely sick after having worked with a pesticide known as DBCP. A spokesman for one of the defendants- Dow Chemical- said that no scientific studies have found that DBCP causes sterility. Yet according to the Environmental protection Agency’s website:

“(DBCP) was used as a fumigant on more than 40 different crops in the U.S. until it was largely phased out by 1979.

Long-term exposure to the pesticide causes male reproductive problems, including decreased sperm count, according to the site, which lists DBCP as a ‘probable human carcinogen.’”

A favorable verdict for the plaintiffs would open the door for more claims in the U.S. were penalties are stiffer than in Central America. Yet there exists a strong possibility of a settlement before a verdict is found, much like a case last April regarding DCBP’s effects.

Sources- Yahoo! News, The Latin Americanist

Image- Angry Toxicologist