Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Monsanto Guilty of Chemical Poisoning in France

Monsanto Guilty of Chemical Poisoning in France


Story at-a-glance
Since Monsanto is the world leader in genetically modified (GM) seeds, if you don’t want to support Monsanto, avoid buying GM foods and also support California’s 2012 Ballot Initiative to require labels on GMOs
Many of Monsanto's former employees have shifted into positions of power within the federal government, including Mike Taylor, the head of food safety at the U.S. FDA, whose employment history is a revolving door of working for the U.S. government and Monsanto
Monsanto is also facing a class-action lawsuit involving tens of thousands of residents from Nitro, West Virginia, where a Monsanto chemical plant produced the herbicide 2,4,5-T, a component of Agent Orange; the suit alleges the company spread toxic substances, primarily carcinogenic dioxins, all over the city
A French court found biotech giant Monsanto guilty of chemical poisoning in a case involving a French farmer, who suffered neurological problems after exposure to Monsanto’s Lasso weed killer




By Dr. Mercola


Most people do not realize that genetically engineered foods were only approved in the U.S. because the FDA hid 40,000 documents indicating their extreme toxicity.

Countries around the globe are making it increasingly clear that they're not going to continue to let Monsanto abuse the health of their people and environment without putting up a fight.

On the heels of being sued by India's National Biodiversity Authority on biopiracy charges, France has found the biotech giant guilty of chemical poisoning in a case involving a French farmer.

Monsanto Chemical Caused Farmer's Neurological Problems


After inhaling Monsanto's Lasso weed killer, which
was later banned in France in 2007, grain farmer Paul Francois said he experienced neurological problems including memory loss, headaches and stammering.

A court in Lyon, France ruled in his favor, with the sum of damages to be awarded forthcoming.

Francois is not the first farmer to come forward with health problems linked to pesticide exposure -- not by a long shot. France alone receives about 200 such alerts each year.

However, in the last decade only about 47 of the cases have been recognized as being caused by agricultural chemicals like pesticides, mostly because the farmers are exposed to so many chemicals over the course of their lives, that it is difficult to place blame on one over another.

As Reuters reported:


""It's like lying on a bed of thorns and trying to say which one cut you," said a farmer, who has recovered from prostate cancer and asked not to be named."

France, at least, appears to be taking the issue seriously. As the largest agricultural producer in the European Union, the country plans to cut pesticide use by 50 percent between 2008-2018.

Perhaps they're simply fed up with Monsanto's toxic products and questionable business ethics. A few years ago, a French court again found Monsanto guilty, this time of falsely advertising its Roundup herbicide as "biodegradable," "environmentally friendly" and claiming it "left the soil clean." France has also recently asked the European Commission to suspend Monsanto's authorization to plant genetically modified MON 810 corn, citing "significant risks for the environment" shown in recent scientific studies (Germany has also banned the cultivation of MON

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