At least 12 students were intoxicated with the fumes of toxic chemicals used to spray rice fields in Duarte province. Most of the students received first care at the Mario Mena public hospital in Cenovi, intoxicated by the pesticides applied to rice farms in Colón.
Yet, three of the students were taken to the San Vicente de Paúl Public Hospital after they suffered respiratory complications. Parents and teachers protested the repeated practice, as reported by Noticias SIN.
The local president of the Dominican Association of Public School Teachers (ADP) Robert Frías denounced that to date, they have not received any response from the authorities given the imminent danger in the area due to the use of pesticides in agricultural production.
Parents and teachers in these affected schools are calling on the authorities to intervene.
Listin Diario reports the intoxication at the schools are a recurring problem in the rice-producing province. The agreement to only apply the chemicals on Saturdays and Sundays has not been kept by the rice producers.
Diario Libre reports that over the past 20 years, the productivity of rice on average in the Dominican Republic has only increased 7.1%.
Read more in Spanish:
Noticias SIN
Listin Diario
Diario Libre
8 May 2023