8 people intoxicated by agrotoxics in district of Vaqueria, Paraguay.
On Monday December 22nd a 20 hectares soy field of the family Duarte, was being sprayed with agrotoxics at a distance of only 50 meters to a new extended neighborhood of the town Vaqueria in the department of Caaguazu. The fumigation took place in the afternoon with a tremendous heat. 8 intoxicated people were taken to the private clinic of Dr. Nimio González; among them are Juana Ojeda (34), E. C. (3), G. A. (16), Noelia Vera (49), M. A. (16) and T. V. (14).
The victims showed symptoms of an acute intoxication by pesticides such as headache, stomach ache, throwing up and diarrhea. The intoxicated people are inhabitants of a new neighborhood bordering a soy field. The diagnose made by Dr. Gonzalez was intoxication by agrotoxics, despite the presence and presion made by the current mayor of Vaqueria, Anastasio Vero López (PLRA; Liberal Party). The mayor is one of the bigger soy producers in the district and in a recent interview omitted that in Paraguay not a single case of health problems by agrotoxics use has taken place. Look at videoclip. It seems logic that the mayor is trying to cover up what happened that would put him in a bad daylight.
Therefor the distribution of objective and first hand information is important. In Vaqueria social organizations got mobilized immediately to guarantee and safeguard the populations' health. The health minister sent a mobile unite to the place to take blood samples of the victims.