2 Immokalee farmworkers sue over babies’ birth defects

The lawsuits, filed in Collier Circuit Court, allege that Pacific Tomato Growers Ltd., Collier Fresh Co. and ATG Holding Co. ignored warnings on pesticides and used six known to cause birth defects

By AISLING SWIFT (Contact)
Originally published 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Updated 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 3, 2009

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/mar ... irth-defe/

IMMOKALEE — Maria Pedro and Christina Matias picked tomatoes in Immokalee fields before and after they became pregnant. As they worked, they say, pesticide containers burned next to the fields and crops were sprayed with toxic pesticides burned their skin. They also said they inhaled the chemicals used to kill harmful organisms.

When their babies were born, they had severe birth defects.

Both mothers contend those defects were caused by the toxic pesticides, which had clearly labeled warnings. But attorneys say those warnings were ignored so the companies could make more profits.

Matias, the mother of 3-year-old Juan Yovanni Matias Pascual, filed a lawsuit last month in Collier Circuit Court against three interrelated companies: Pacific Tomato Growers Ltd. of Palmetto, Pacific Collier Fresh Co. of Immokalee, and ATG Holding Co. of Palmetto. The lawsuit says Juan was born on July 17, 2005, with numerous birth defects, including brain damage and a cleft palate that makes him nearly mute.

Pedro, the mother of 4-year-old Dalia Estefani Domingo Pedro, sued the same defendants on Dec. 31, alleging that Dalia was born on Jan. 4, 2005, without a left ear and only a partial liver, ending in her having to undergo a liver transplant and weekly treatments.

Both mothers say their children will suffer future problems and continue to undergo treatments for their birth defects.

“Their lives will never be the same,â€