The Militant (logo)  

Vol. 71/No. 33      September 10, 2007

 
Nicaragua farm workers protest pesticide exposure
 
BY RÓGER CALERO  
MANAGUA, Nicaragua, August 7—Hundreds of banana workers remained camped in front of the National Assembly building here to press their demand for compensation and medical care for more than 26,000 agricultural workers suffering from illnesses linked to toxic pesticide exposure.

The farm workers and their supporters had marched 86 miles to this capital from Chinandega, the center of Nicaragua’s banana-growing region. It was their fifth such march since their fight began in 1999.

“We want financial compensation from the banana companies. We want the government to recognize our rights and previous agreements,” said Santos Rivera, 49, a former banana worker from El Sauce. “This is a cause for all workers.”

Since late 1990s, banana workers in Nicaragua have waged a struggle, including legal action, demanding compensation from U.S. companies for distributing and using the pesticide Nemagon for decades. They say the companies did so with knowledge of its harmful health effects and environmental dangers, even after the U.S. Environmental Protective Agency banned its use in 1979.

Dibromochloropropane (DBCP), the active ingredient in Nemagon, is known to cause sterility and it is suspected in increased rates of cancer, depression, vision loss, and kidney, liver, and stomach problems. In addition to direct exposure to the pesticide, Nemagon and other pesticides have been found in drinking water supplies.

Nearly $17 billion is claimed in reparations against the food corporations that used DBCP: Dole Food Company, Chiquita Brands, and Del Monte, and against companies that manufacture the chemical: Shell Oil, Occidental Chemical, and Dow Chemical.

Other countries where the chemical has been used are Guatemala, Ecuador, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Honduras, and the Philippines.

Victorino Espinales, a leader of Asotraexdan (Association of Workers and Former Workers Affected by Nemagon and Fumazone), one of the leading organizations involved in the fight, said they were demanding that health-care funding for affected workers, won in 2005, be maintained. He said the Nicaraguan government has eliminated these benefits. They are also demanding lifetime pension benefits for those suffering from illnesses linked to DBCP poisoning.  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home