Monsanto Found Guilty of Chemical Poisoning in Landmark Case

whydave

A French farmer who can no longer perform his routine farming duties because of permanent pesticide injuries has had his day in court, literally, and the perpetrator of his injuries found guilty of chemical poisoning. The French court in Lyon ruled that Monsanto’s Lasso weedkiller formula, which contains the active ingredient alachlor, caused Paul Francois to develop lifelong neurological damage that manifests as persistent memory loss, headaches, and stuttering during speech.
More HERE.

reilig

It seriously highlights the need for farmers to use protective equipment when handling chemicals like this. Regardless of the type of chemical being used or the handling instructions on the pack, we should all be using high standard protective equipment. Yet there are plenty of farmers around the country who do not use gloves or wear proper masks for spraying clearly to be seen if you travel the roads. If this poor guy had taken proper precautions, he may have not needed to sue at all!

bob charles

reilig wrote: »

It seriously highlights the need for farmers to use protective equipment when handling chemicals like this. Regardless of the type of chemical being used or the handling instructions on the pack, we should all be using high standard protective equipment. Yet there are plenty of farmers around the country who do not use gloves or wear proper masks for spraying clearly to be seen if you travel the roads. If this poor guy had taken proper precautions, he may have not needed to sue at all!

agreed, and im one of the people that you describe, when busy H&S goes out the window

pakalasa

Not just sprays but also pour-ons and other medicines. I got a seriously bad rash all over once from Noromectin that spilled over in the booth of the car. And that's just from the fumes of the stuff.
You'd have to wonder how many of the chemicals being used today, will become the asbestos of tomorrow.

bbam

The big problem here was that there were none or poor H and S warnings on the product.

Read the labels lads and lassies.
Not all masks protect for every chemical. Best be safe than sorry.

bbam

Here's some bedtime reading, probably for us all but particularly important to those going spraying, whether its your first or hundredth time out at it..


http://www.teagasc.ie/publications/2009/858/PesticidesCodeGoodPractice.pdf

http://www.hsa.ie/eng/Your_Industry/Agriculture/Other_Hazards/#che


I'd imagine the most common accident is spillage or accidental spray on a person..

Remember..

Remove the clothing as this prevents further contamination from saturated clothing.

Flush generously for 15 minutes with as cold a water as you can tolerate, cold water closes pores and prevents absorption.

If you are seeking medical help, bring a container or label with you as there are different treatments for different chemical burns.

bob charles

bbam wrote: »

Flush generously for 15 minutes with as cold a water as you can tolerate, cold water closes pores and prevents absorption.

Thanks for that, I presumed one would be just trying to dilute the chemical by flushing with water, didnt realise about closing pores

jack77

the longer your in a cold shower the better, i got burned by a chemical at work on the face and the lad with me kept telling me the wrong time( it was about 35 mins instead of 15) so id stay under it longer, basically till we had someone to take me to A&E. A&E said its what stopped me having any scars. always wear gloves and eye protection dealing with chemicals, after a while wearing them becomes second nature

Conmaicne Mara

I have goggles and a vapour mask (proper Scott one). Think I'll look into protective clothing after this, for spraying anyway. Often get some Vector on my hands, probably not good either.