Pesticide Board vs. Ag-Mart
Today's News & Observer's frontpage features a story that we've discussed many times on our blog. It's the story of of a small boy named Carlitos, who was born in 2004, without arms or legs; as well as the story of several other children born with deformities near the same time.
What do these babies have in common? Their parents had been workers for Ag-Mart, a giant company based out of Florida that grows tomatoes. After a state investigation, Ag-Mart was cited for hundreds of pesticide violations--violations that the parents of Carlitos feel were the cause of their son's birth defects. Through administrative hearings over the years, most of the violations against Ag-Mart were thrown out, and the company was given a slap on the wrist and a fine of $6,000.
Most recently, this past February the NC Pesticide Board rejected the rulings of the judges and revived the case. In March, Ag-Mart agreed to pay for Carlitos' life-long care, but deny any relation between the pesticide spraying violations and the young boy's deformities.
Yesterday, the Pesticide Board held hearings against Ag-Mart, and the parents of Carlitos finally got a chance to give their testimony. From the N&O:
"On Wednesday, she and the boy's father said they were repeatedly exposed to pesticides while working on a North Carolina tomato farm run by Ag-Mart. Herrera was pregnant at the time.
'It happened morning, noon and evening,' Herrera said at a Wednesday state Pesticide Board hearing. Sprayers 'would pass by close to where we were working. They didn't care if we were eating.'"
What this all means, no one is sure yet. At least the parents of Carlitos finally had the chance to stand up and be heard. We'll report back as the story develops.
For more background on this issue, see the blog posts below or check out Toxic Free NC's blog post.
4/28/08: Pesticide Task Force Punts on the Tough Issues
3/19/08: Ag-Mart Case Drones On
1/9/07: It's Not Over Till It's Over
8/30/06: Ag-Mart Part II
4/19/06: The Tip of the Injustice Iceberg
