23 Nov 2017

Call for more research into impact of pesticides in Hawaii

7:14 pm on 23 November 2017

A retired doctor on the Hawaiian island of Kauai is calling for more research into the impact of pesticides on people's health and well-being.

Tanked pesticides

Tanked pesticides Photo: 123rf

Locals have filed a lawsuit to force a Swiss firm to undergo an environmental review of its use of pesticide

The doctor Gordon Labedz said he believes multinational companies are trying to make plants reliant on their pesticide products and that as a result the health of locals is suffering.

He said he was hopeful someone will fund the study.

"No one has done any research on it. There are some doctors here on the west side sort of keeping track of the birth defects and some doctors are concerned about more autism and more birth defects but there is no solid research as there is no financial interest in doing that research, the companies they don't want to do research that would prove what the company is doing is dangerous.'"