Banana Split

Six farmworkers compensated for pesticide exposure, six cases dismissed

Posted at 3:00 PM on 06 Nov 2007

Six farmworkers who became sterile after working on a Nicaraguan banana plantation three decades ago were awarded a total $3.3 million from Dole Food Co. and Dow Chemical, after a judge agreed that the corporations "actively suppressed information about" the "reproductive toxicity" of now-banned pesticide DBCP. Six other plaintiffs with a similar claim had their cases dismissed, allowing a Dow lawyer to look on the bright side: "Dow Chemical is pleased that this jury concluded that six out of 12 plaintiffs were entitled to no recovery whatsoever." Dole's not-quite-so-diplomatic vice president declared his company will appeal: "Dole will not be intimidated by ugly accusations, fraudulent claims, junk science or threats from U.S. trial lawyers, and is prepared to fully litigate each and every case of workers over the last 30 years." Lucky for litigation lovers, four more similar suits against the two companies are pending.

sources: Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg News, Agence France-Presse, BBC News

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	Read more about: agriculture \| business \| health \| industrial ag \| litigation \| news \| Nicaragua \| toxics \| all of these topics Tools: print \| email \| write to the editor \| subscribe \| RSS Share: digg \| hugg \| stumbleupon \| reddit \| newsvine \| fark \| facebook Bookmark: del.icio.us \| google \| yahoo Banana Split Six farmworkers compensated for pesticide exposure, six cases dismissed Posted at 3:00 PM on 06 Nov 2007 Six farmworkers who became sterile after working on a Nicaraguan banana plantation three decades ago were awarded a total $3.3 million from Dole Food Co. and Dow Chemical, after a judge agreed that the corporations "actively suppressed information about" the "reproductive toxicity" of now-banned pesticide DBCP. Six other plaintiffs with a similar claim had their cases dismissed, allowing a Dow lawyer to look on the bright side: "Dow Chemical is pleased that this jury concluded that six out of 12 plaintiffs were entitled to no recovery whatsoever." Dole's not-quite-so-diplomatic vice president declared his company will appeal: "Dole will not be intimidated by ugly accusations, fraudulent claims, junk science or threats from U.S. trial lawyers, and is prepared to fully litigate each and every case of workers over the last 30 years." Lucky for litigation lovers, four more similar suits against the two companies are pending. sources: Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg News, Agence France-Presse, BBC News ADVERTISING POLICY < Previous \| Next > Comments: There are no comments. Be the first to post! You are not logged in. Thus, you cannot post a comment. If you have a Gristmill account, log in below. If you don't have a Gristmill account, well, by all means go make one! Meet you back here in five. Username: Password: Forgot your password? Enter your username and click: The comments of Grist users reflect the opinions of those individuals only, and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of Grist, its staff, its board members, their psychotherapists, or their aestheticians. Got it?	Also in Grist Naked Truth Lush employees go bare to protest excess packaging. Summer Pudding Chronicles Turn your summer berries into a delectable pudding. Assault and Battery Umbra refutes the rumors that hybrids aren't actually green. Chips Ahoy! A review of 10 health-food-store potato-chip brands. The Week's Most Popular Viewed Commented Emailed Ask Umbra on Method cleansers How to start composting Ask Umbra on toxins in your body A look at the environmental record of Joe Biden, Barack Obama's running mate Making a stink about green(ish) deodorants NYT Magazine probes Obama's economic thinking A choice of primary energies: renewable electrons win the gold No schadenfreude over the death of SUVs Can sustainable farming provide a sustainable living? How to start composting Enviros generally pleased with Biden's record on environmental issues Ask Umbra on Method cleansers Making a stink about green(ish) deodorants On summer's end and salad dressing From the Archives Capitol and Trade. U.S. Capitol buys carbon offsets. The Bees Wheeze. Natural-products maker Burt's Bees bought by Clorox. On Target. Big-box store Target will phase out PVC. News Archives