Monsanto guilty of chemical poisoning

Published time: February 14, 2012 09:54
Edited time: February 14, 2012 19:16
French beekeepers demonstrate to protest the use of genetically-modified organisms in front of French Monsanto headquarters in Bron. Sign reads, "Principle of Precaution = No to GMO". (Reuters / Robert Pratta)

A French court ruled that a controversial US biotech company Monsanto is guilty of unintentional chemical poisoning of a French farmer. The verdict sets a French precedent for pesticide-poisoning and more cases are expected to follow.

­Grain farmer Paul Francois, says he suffered a number of neurological problems, including memory loss, stammering and headaches, after inhaling Monsanto's Lasso weed killer in 2004. He blamed the company for failing to provide adequate warning labels on its products.

"I am alive today, but part of the farming population is going to be sacrificed and is going to die because of this," Reuters quoted Francois as saying.

The present case is not the first of its kind. All previous health claims have reportedly failed because of the difficulties with proving the links between health issues and exposure to pesticides and other chemicals. Francois’s claims appeared to be easier to substantiate because he could describe a particular incident – the inhaling of a particular pesticide while cleaning the tank of his crop sprayer. The man was only able to obtain his work invalidity status after a court appeal.

The court in Lyon has now ordered experts to establish the sum of damages. Monsanto’s lawyers have not commented since the court’s ruling.

French authorities claim that they are getting around 200 pesticides-related alerts per year. As few as 47 cases have been officially recognized in the past decade.

Paul Francois’s case dates back to when EU countries actively used crop-protection chemicals. Many have now been banned, and the European Union is targeting a further reduction in pesticide use. Monsanto’s Lasso is now considered dangerous in many EU countries. In France, it was withdrawn in 2007.

France's health and environment safety agency ANSES is reportedly conducting a study on farming-related health issues. The results are expected next year.

The Monsanto company is a multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation which is particularly famous for its genetically modified products and herbicides. It is also notable for its involvement in high-profile lawsuits, where fines and damages have run into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Most of them were related to health damage caused by Monsanto’s products.

Comments (20)

Romanovich 01.03.2012 04:04

ok... I don't have time to go through all of these and I hope many who have posted know about Monsanto, its history, and its affiliates. The chemical compound they use in pesticides is from caterpillar guts and 1 of three strains, closest related to the strain of Anthrax. Their history involves Agent Orange where they manufactured the chemical for military use (claiming they are not responsible yet they did make the chemical). If you read their site and have any smarts you will see they spend most their space telling farmers what they want to hear by promising quality of goods, yet show very very very little of what chemicals they actually use, the definition of those chemicals, process of, use of, or of the detail of the technology used to do it. If a farmer uses their gene manipulated seeds (made to withstand the harmful chemical compound of the pesticide) and their crop pollunates to a natrual organic crop next door, that organic crop will die because its seeds are not gene manipulated to withstand the chemical compound. Of all their lawsuits, the biggest and first ones against them were shortened by them paying farmers large amounts of money to shut them up and avoid lengthy trial. Monsanto is a bad company and it doesn't take a genius to see it. You can use the excuse that its to help quicken the food production for populated planet, but organic seeds do the same thing... there is absolutely no reason for them to chemically manipulate seeds and enforce their uses, other then to cause illnesses in humanity (fact based on long exposer of chemicals) and greed of money.

+1

Undo

Noneyabiz 15.02.2012 03:02

Monsanto's Moses Mercado, Obama's appointee as senior advisor to the FDA (who also is a lobbyist for the Carlyle Group). Um...maybe that position should be filled by a dietitian so that maybe mass produced foods wouldn't leave us open to so many health problems due to malnutrition?     (FDA daily allowances for vitamins are apallingly short). OH I SEE...Enter stage left a pharmaceutical lobbyist for such a prominent position. Ok, RT News is still mass media, for those innocent bystanders out there, google: the Hegelian doctrine.the anvil of Exploitative "Free Market" is how the oligarchy of this current period in history will sell to the masses the hammer of "communism" the whole thing is a charade. If you don't believe me, read Sorros's  explanation of "1/2 truths" in many of his eloquent speeches. Flag me if you want, only know that there's only One Star in my flag and the stripes would be a bar code torn in half!

+4

Undo

Every country uses GMOs 14.02.2012 23:18

Russia just doesnt call them GMos.  Russians are dumb they think most farmers still use GMOs.  every country has modified vegetables. Most farmers don't use them here in America.  More farmers are and have been turning them down.  You little hippies here are fanatics.  Go fkn live life.  I hate vegetarians because you have to hear them complain about freakin everything. fk.

0

Undo

View all comments (20)
Add comment

By posting your comment, you agree to abide by our Posting rules

Log in to comment in full, or comment anonymously under character-limit restriction.

100 Text

– required fields

Register or

Name

Password

Show password

Register

or Register

Request a new password

Send

or Register

To complete a registration check
your Email:

or Register

A password has been sent to your email address

Edit profile

Name

New password

Retype new password

Current password

Save

Cancel

Follow us