An Inclusive Litany

6/26/96

After John Castillo was born blind with underdeveloped eyes, a tragic condition called microphthalmia, his parents sued the DuPont corporation for $4 million. The boy's mother argued that her son was stricken in utero after she was briefly enveloped in a cloud of the DuPont fungicide Benlate that was discharged by a nearby farmer. The jury found in favor of the Castillo family, despite testimony from the farmer and supporting purchase and planting records confirming that he was not using Benlate at the time of the alleged incident. Even if he had been, thorough studies by the Environmental Protection Agency and World Health Organization and other scientists worldwide failed to link Benlate with any adverse health effects. The jury did, however, hear "expert" testimony concerning one test, that was not published or peer-reviewed, in which the human equivalent of two gallons of Benlate was pumped into rats' stomachs.