Corteva Agriscience is facing a new round of lawsuits brought on by families claiming that exposure to the insecticide chlorpyrifos caused neurological damages.
The first claim was filed in September in Kings County Superior Court and concerns a child born in 2003. The attorneys allege the plaintiff worked while pregnant in a packing house with produce previously treated with chlorpyrifos. The child’s father also worked in the fields applying the crop protection tool, known under the brand names Lorsban and Dursban. The attorneys argue the city of Huron’s tap water was also contaminated with chlorpyrifos brought in through runoff into the California Aqueduct.
“Young Rafael and others like him were literally awash in this deadly chemical before they were born,” said lead attorney Stuart Calwell. “Their central nervous systems never had a chance.”
The attorneys say 50 more plaintiffs have come forward and more cases will be filed this week.
