----- Original Message -----
From: "Catalina" <catalinaonline@???>
To: "ToniMor" <tmoreschi@???>; "MaxRave" <massinurra@???>;
"ainVit" <giulio.vittorangeli@???>; "ainSpezia" <marxilio@???>;
"ainRoma" <fabiomanfredi@???>; "ainRavenna"
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<borgheretto@???>; "ainArco" <gervasoniubaldo@???>;
"ainAosta" <elwira@???>; "Maurizio Zanetta -"
<m.zanetta@???>
Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2003 12:58 AM
Subject: Call Dow, Shell and Dole on Thursday!
> (come vedete anche a Washington il giorno 11 dicembre si tiene la giornata
> di sensibilizzazione in appoggio ai bananeros e contro il Nemagòn.
> E'molto importante la comunicazione e collaborazione che si è aperta con
gli
> amici di Nicanet.
> Fate girare l'info a tante persone , per la buona riuscita della nostra
> giornata- ciao angela)
>
> Don't forget to call Dow, Shell and Dole on Thursday! Tell Dow, Shell and
> Dole to Pay Up!
> > > International Action Day in Support of Banana Workers:
> > > December 11, 2003
> > > Call or Write to CEOs on December 11th!!
> > >
> > > Nemagon is a virulent pesticide that was used on banana
> > > plantations in Nicaragua, other countries in Central
> > > America, in the Caribbean, and in the Philippines. It is
> > > derived from debromochloropropane (DBCP) and kills a
> > > microscopic worm which inhibits the production and damages
> > > the appearance of bananas. Though banned in the U.S.
> > > since 1979 because workers in the plants manufacturing the
> > > product were found to be sterile, Nemagon was exported
> > > throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s to unsuspecting banana
> > > producing nations like Nicaragua Standard Fruit (Dole in
> > > the U.S.), Del Monte, and United Fruit (now Chiquita) were
> > > some of the companies that sprayed Nemagon on their crops
> > > of bananas. The pesticide was produced by Dow Chemical,
> > > Shell Oil, Occidental and others.
> > >
> > > A Nicaraguan court ruled on December 11, 2002, that Dow,
> > > Shell and Dole had to pay US$490 million to affected
> > > banana workers from the Department of Chinandega, but the
> > > companies have yet to pay one cent to the plaintiffs.
> > >
> > > In response to a letter sent by the Nicaragua Network and
> > > human rights activists, Shell Oil claimed that their DBCP
> > > was "not sold to growers for use in Nicaragua." There is,
> > > however, evidence to the contrary: the Managua newspaper
> > > La Prensa reported on November 10 that the government
> > > registry of the importation of pesticides and fertilizers,
> > > part of the Ministry of Agriculture, shows that a
> > > representative of Shell Oil Company imported the chemical
> > > beginning in 1973.
> > >
> > > December 11, 2003, will be the first anniversary of the
> > > legal victory. Call the CEOs of these companies as part
> > > of an international campaign of action in support of
> > > Nicaragua's banana workers. The Italy-Nicaragua
> > > Association is sponsoring a day of action on the 13th,
> > > with leafleting around Italy in support of the workers.
> > > Join this international campaign!
> > >
> > > For more information, visit the Nicaragua Network web page
> > > at www.nicanet.org, call (202) 544-9355 or write
> > > nicanet@???
> > >
> > > Fact Sheet, Talking Points and Sample Letter
> > > A case of human, labor, & environmental injustice
> > > The History
> > > * Nemagon is a virulent pesticide used in banana
> > > plantations in Central America, the Caribbean, and the
> > > Philippines
> > > * Nemagon was employed extensively in the banana-growing
> > > department of Chinandega, Nicaragua
> > > * Nemagon, derived from dibromochloropropane (DBCP), kills
> > > a microscopic worm which inhibits the production and
> > > damages the appearance of the bananas
> > > * Though banned in the U.S. since 1979, Nemagon was
> > > exported throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s to other
> > > countries
> > > * Dow Chemical and Shell Chemical, two of the major
> > > producers of Nemagon, exported up to 24 million pounds a
> > > year during this period
> > > * Standard Fruit (owned by Dole), Del Monte, and United
> > > Fruit (now Chiquita) are some of the companies that
> > > sprayed Nemagon on their crops
> > > * As a result it is estimated that 22,000 Nicaraguans are
> > > afflicted with Nemagon-caused diseases and disability
> > > * It is possible that derivatives of Nemagon are still
> > > being used in Nicaragua today
> > >
> > > The Effects:
> > > * The wide variety of Nemagon-caused symptoms have been
> > > attributed to the fact that DBCP targets the endocrine
> > > system
> > > * Male victims of Nemagon suffer from reduced, impaired,
> > > or completely decimated sperm counts, with 67% of the male
> > > banana workers in Nicaragua rendered permanently sterile
> > > * Female victims are plagued with menstrual disruptions,
> > > discoloration of the skin, repeated miscarriages, uterine
> > > and breast cancer
> > > * Both women and men live with migraines and permanent
> > > headaches, bone pains, vision loss, fevers, hot flashes,
> > > loss of fingernails and hair, hematoma-covered skin,
> > > weight loss, anxiety and other nervous disorders,
> > > depression, liver damage, kidney and stomach cancer
> > > * 466 Nicaraguans have died as a result of Nemagon-caused
> > > cancer
> > >
> > > The Case:
> > > * The Association of Workers, and Former Workers with
> > > Claims against Nemagon (ASOTRAEXDAN) has been organized,
> > > headed by one of the victims, Victorino Espinales
> > > * ASOTRAEXDAN has led the banana worker?s struggle by
> > > convening assemblies, conducting medical exams on past &
> > > present workers, operating a radio program, organizing
> > > public protests, and filing legal suits on behalf of the
> > > plaintiffs
> > > * On January 17th, 2001, due to these efforts, the
> > > Nicaraguan National Assembly passed Law 364, which lays
> > > the legal groundwork upon which farmworkers can sue the
> > > corporations
> > > * This law is explicitly threatened by the proposal of the
> > > Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA)
> > > * Three U.S. corporations have been found liable under Law
> > > 364 in a Nicaraguan court; Dole, Dow, and Shell have been
> > > ordered to pay US$490 million to Nemagon victims
> > > * Each of these companies has denied the legality of the
> > > case on fallacious grounds, calling for a new trial in the
> > > U.S.
> > > * Most recently, the farmworkers? cause has been bogged
> > > down by further legal problems, so the banana workers need
> > > your support now!
> > >
> > > Call or Write to Dow, Dole and Shell!
> > >
> > > Points to make in your call:
> > >
> > > 1. Your company was found liable for damages to the
> > > health of Nicaraguan banana workers in Nicaraguan courts
> > > because you produced and exported [or used, in the case of
> > > Dole] the unsafe pesticide Nemagon or DBCP.
> > > 2. You knew that this pesticide damaged the health of
> > > those who came in contact with it.
> > > 3. Therefore you should pay what the court in Nicaragua
> > > has determined you owe.
> > >
> > > Contact Information:
> > >
> > > William S. Stavropoulos
> > > President, CEO and Chairman of the Board
> > > Dow Chemical Company
> > > Chairman of the Board, CEO
> > > Midland, MI 48667
> > > Global Ethics and Compliance: (989) 636-3989
> > >
> > > David H. Murdock
> > > Chairman of the Board, CEO
> > > Dole Food Company, Inc.
> > > 47 Building
> > > One Dole Drive
> > > Westlake Village, CA 91362
> > > 1-800-232-8888
> > >
> > > Jeroen van de Veer
> > > President of Royal Dutch Petroleum Company
> > > CEO of Shell Chemicals
> > > Shell Chemicals Europe BV
> > > P.O. Box 8610
> > > 3009 AP Rotterdam, Netherlands
> > > Shell Oil Company in the United States:
> > > Raymond T. Collins (responded to previous letters)
> > > P.O. Box 2463
> > > Houston, TX 77252
> > > (713) 241-7111 (direct line)
> > > 1-888-467-4355 (press 0)
> > >
> > > Sample letter
> > >
> > > Dear Sir:
> > >
> > > As a person concerned about human rights, I am writing to
> > > express my alarm upon hearing that you have refused to pay
> > > damages awarded on December 11, 2002, by the Third Civil
> > > District Court of Managua, Nicaragua, which found your
> > > company guilty of causing injury to Nicaraguan banana
> > > workers and to their families. The damages were incurred
> > > from use of a chemical known as Dibromo-Chloropropane
> > > (DBCP) and sold under the commercial names of Nemagon and
> > > Fumazone. The use of this chemical inflicted irreversible
> > > damage, both physical and psychological, upon the workers
> > > and their families, and has resulted in the death of many
> > > workers in recent years.
> > >
> > > According to scientists, DBCP particularly targets the
> > > human endocrine system, which controls all the chemical
> > > processes that are critical to the development and
> > > functioning of the body's various anatomical systems. In
> > > 1977, 35 workers in a DBCP plant in California were found
> > > to be sterile. The toxin was immediately outlawed in
> > > California, and two years later, in 1979, the
> > > Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned the
> > > production and usage of DBCP throughout the US, using as
> > > evidence the chemical's poisonous effects on human
> > > chromosomes and its ability to persist as a toxin in soil
> > > and groundwater. The EPA also categorizes the pesticide
> > > as a ?probable human carcinogen.? As a result of these
> > > and other findings, the World Health Organization has
> > > classified DBCP as ?extremely hazardous.?
> > >
> > > I urge you to respect the ruling of the Nicaraguan court
> > > and pay the damages awarded to the affected banana
> > > workers. Under international law and in consideration of
> > > basic human rights standards, your company should assume
> > > its responsibility for perpetuating the use of a chemical
> > > which was long known to be unsafe.
> > >
> > > Sincerely,
> > >
> > > Your name
> > >
> > > For more information, visit the Nicaragua Network web page
> > > at www.nicanet.org, call (202) 544-9355 or write
> > > nicanet@???
> > >
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