Joanne R. Pompano
A jury awarded $4 million in damages to the parents of a child born without eyes. The lawsuit alleged that the mother had been exposed to the fungicide Benlate when she was six weeks pregnant. The mother reported the chemical that was being sprayed on tomato fields that bordered her residential neighborhood in Homestead, Florida soaked her. (61)
The Castillo family lived in Homestead next to a farm where the fungicide was used on crops. Their son, John Castillo Jr. was born without eyes. When his mother joined a support group for children with the same the birth defect, she learned about cases in other countries where Benlate was being investigated as a possible cause of similar eye disorders. (62)
A number of cases have been reported concerning the health issues revolving around Benlate including:
1. a nursery owner whose four children experienced serious nosebleeds and headaches after playing greenhouses and fields treated with the chemical. In addition, a family pet who died of poisoning.
2. a family who suffering sore throats, headaches and rashes after working in fields and greenhouses where Benlate was applied.. Their family dog also died.
3. a puppy was chronically ill but recovered after being removed from the greenhouse
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4. reports of no living insects inside or outside of greenhouses treated with the fungicide even though the last application was nine months prior.
(63)
