Benlate Fungicide Pollution Costs Dupont Millions

[Guest guest]

(Great - Dupont tested it here in Florida - maybe that is why all our turtle

are sick and our alligators are both sexes - and our coral reefs are dying.

Thanks Dupont, you are a real good neighbor!)

FUNGICIDE POLLUTION COSTS DUPONT MILLIONS

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida, February 28, 2001 (ENS) - Chemical giant DuPont

has been ordered to pay $12.3 million in damages to an Ecuadoran shrimp

farm - the second such ruling against the company in three months.

A jury in Broward County ordered the multimillion penalties after lawyers

argued that agricultural runoff of DuPont's fungicide Benlate had harmed

shrimp production on Ecuador's shrimp farm Aquamar, reports the " South

Florida Sun-Sentinel. "

In December, another south Florida jury ordered DuPont to pay $10 million

for damages at another Ecuadoran shrimp farm - also from Benlate runoff.

DuPont is appealing that verdict, and is expected to appeal this week's

decision as well.

At least 30 cases have been brought against DuPont by shrimp farms in

Ecuador, the world's third largest shrimp producer. Hundreds more have been

brought against the chemical company in recent years by farmers and other

businesses in several companies, all related to Benlate.

Many of the Benlate cases have been tried in Florida because DuPont tested

and marketed the fungicide in south Florida, and runs its Latin America and

Caribbean sales division from Coral Gables, Florida.

So far, DuPont has spent more than $1 billion to settle these claims. About

$200 million of that has gone to one law firm - Krupnick Malone

Roselli, the Fort Lauderdale firm that represented Aquamar in the trial that

ended Tuesday.

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