A French farmer who is now disabled and unable to continue his farming duties because of pesticide poisoning has won in court against Monsanto!
Monsanto has been found guilty of chemical poisoning! A court in Lyon ruled that Monsanto’s Lasso weedkiller formula, (containing alachlor) caused Paul Francois to develop neurological damage as persistent memory loss, headaches, and stuttering during speech.
Reports say that the 47 year old farmer sued Monsanto in 2004 after inhaling the Lasso product while cleaning his sprayer tank equipment. Soon after, Francois had symptoms that prevented him from working. The reason Monsanto is getting caught out this time is because the Lasso’s packaging did not have adequate warnings about the dangers of exposure. The French court agreed with the claims and evidence presented, declaring earlier this year that “Monsanto is responsible for Paul Francois’ suffering and must entirely compensate him.” The court is said to be looking for expert opinions on how to gauge Francois’ losses in order to determine how much Monsanto should be required to pay.
“It is a historic decision in so far as it is the first time that a (pesticide) maker is found guilty of such a poisoning,” said Francois Lafforgue, Paul Francois’ lawyer, to Reuters.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), exposure to alachlor can cause damage to the liver, kidneys, spleen, eyes, and could lead to the development of anemia or even cancer. (http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/basicinformation/alachlor.cfm)
In 2007, France banned Lasso in the country in accordance with a European Union (EU) directive enacted in 2006 prohibiting the chemical from further use on crops in any member countries. Despite the evidence shows alachlor can disrupt hormonal balance, reproductive or developmental problems, cancer, and still the chemical is still being used on crops throughout the U.S. to this very day. (http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Detail_ChemReg.jsp?Rec_Id=PC35160)
So... Who's going to the march May 25th -?
