Blog Topic

South American Field Workers Seek Justice in Los Angeles Courtroom
August 13, 2007

Pesticides are widely used by produce companies to eliminate the bugs and other pests that ruin crops and endanger our food supply. Unfortunately, sometimes those companies willingly use pesticides that harm their workers and consumers.

According to the Los Angeles Times, twelve impoverished field workers are currently fighting for fair compensation in a Los Angeles, California courtroom after a pesticide used by their former employer, Dole Food Co., allegedly left them sterile. According to the Nicaraguan banana workers filing suit, they worked for decades with the pesticide DBCP, but weren't told until the 90's that the chemical can possibly lead to sterility.

DBCP, which is short for its full name dibromochloropropane, was introducted in 1950's as a way to kill the parastic roundworms that frequently ruined American crops. In 1977, six workers who used the chemical at a California petroleum plant sued the manufactuer of DBCP after test results revealed they were sterile, and won a $4.9 million dollar judgement. In 1979, the EPA banned the compound from use on all produce except pinapples, and banned it from use on pineapples as well in 1985. These facts make Dole's continued use of the chemical in foreign countries, where EPA has no authority, all the more infuriating.

Since the chemical has been shown to have harmful effects on humans, over 30,000 field workers from countries such as Africa, Latin America, and the Phillipines have used the help of personal injury attorneys to seek compensation from companies that knowingly use DBCP.

In America, the EPA strictly monitors pesticides by performing exhaustive studies on their effects on consumers and the enviornment. Even when a pesticide is approved for use, the EPA issues strict guidelines for its use based on its toxicity class. It's shameful when a company takes avantage of lax pesticide laws in some other countries, and willingily exposes its workers to chemicals shown to be harmful.

Every company has an obligation to provide a safe working environment for all of its employees. You could have a claim for damages against your employer through a worker's compensation action. In some circumstances under California law, you may be entitled to a direct action against your employer if your employer knew of the harmful effects of toxics in the work environment. If you feel you have been seriously injured or poisoned in your place of employment, call the experienced California personal injury attorneys at The Reeves Law Group for a consultation.

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