A lawsuit filed recently in Maui blames birth defects on chemicals sprayed on Monsanto cornfields.
The suit was filed by several families who all live in the same Kihei subdivision, which is located downwind from seed cornfields where pesticides and herbicides were used heavily, according to their attorney.
In a bid to oppose additional regulations, the state of Hawaii, the seed industry, and Monsanto have repeatedly defended the safety of the agricultural use of the chemicals. Therefore, of the goals of the lawsuit is to force more information to become public.
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Dana Fulton is one of those suing Monsanto. Her family home was in a North Kihei subdivision near two Monsanto cornfields. She now uses a tracheotomy tube, and said her birth defect has resulted in hundreds of procedures and four major surgeries.
Lory Marques said a Monsanto field was located right behind her house. Her son, Max, developed numerous health issues as a child, including ADHD and severe asthma. He also has a rare birth defect that caused kidney issues.
Monsanto cultivates herbicide-resistant seeds on its fields in Hawaii. So critics believe numerous chemicals are heavily sprayed to test the seeds, and believe more studies are needed.
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Bayer Crop Science Hawaii, Monsanto’s parent company, has issued this statement on the suit:
Safety is our top priority. On Maui, where many Bayer employees live near our farms, we take very seriously our responsibility to use all pesticide products safely and in accordance with the strict rules established by regulatory authorities. Every pesticide we use on our Maui farms has been comprehensively assessed and approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and every Bayer employee who applies the pesticides has undergone extensive training to ensure safe use for surrounding communities. The Hawaii Department of Agriculture conducts oversight to further ensure safe use. We have great sympathy for the plaintiffs, but we are confident that pesticide use on our Maui farms did not cause the health claims described in the lawsuit.1
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