And the Syngenta discussion continues! On Friday, May 25, in St. Louis, Il Syngenta agreed to pay $105 million. This is to settle a lawsuit that has been in progress for almost 8 years of the herbicide called atrazine that has supposedly found its way into the water systems of over 300 communities. SOme claim that the chemical now found in the drinking water causes low birth weights, birth defects and reproductive issues. Runoff after a rainstorm can wash the chemical into water supplies, however, Syngenta argues that nobody could consume enough atrazine from the water to cause any effects. Apparently this deal will be good for Syngenta as they will still be able to sell their herbicide to U.S. corn growers and continue with their retailers, distributers and partners. No official court date has been set, however the federal lawsuit will include water providers in Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Indiana, Iowa, and Ohio and approximately $34.9 million of the payment will go to attorneys as fees.
Having learnt about Syngenta briefly already, it is very interesting to see them being sued again for another chemical. However, they do not seem to be effected very much by what seems to be a large amount of money since they are still allowed to sell their product that is the issue at hand. This seems rather unproductive as whatever water systems are re compensated for, just as many will be infected with the chemical if it continues to be distributed. I wonder if it is worth it to agree to this deal if the long term benefits are non-existent.
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