Another Frivolous Atrazine Class Action Lawsuit Only Harms U.S. Farmers

After plaintiffs’ attorneys filed a federal lawsuit Monday in the Southern District of Illinois, Kurtis B. Reeg, attorney for defendant Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc., said another frivolous atrazine lawsuit only harms U.S. farmers.

“In these tough economic times, one may wonder why anyone – other than class action lawyers – would seek to destroy what EPA estimates is a $2 billion annual economic benefit to the nation, and all of the jobs that go with it,” Reeg said. “This lawsuit has no merit because we know from EPA-mandated testing that no water systems since 2005 have exceeded the annual average guidance for atrazine. We intend to defend ourselves vigorously.”

Atrazine is a widely-used herbicide in the U.S. and 60 countries around the world to help grow safe, affordable and abundant crops, including corn, sorghum, and sugar cane. EPA re-registered atrazine in 2006, stating it would cause no harm to the general population.

“This suit is no surprise, as the same plaintiffs’ attorneys who have been trying a wasteful case in Madison County, Ill., have been shopping this around for years,” said Reeg. “Just last month, plaintiffs in Illinois voluntarily dismissed numerous damage and liability claims they had made in their case. With that disarray, it appears attorneys are scrambling to another venue in which to waste scarce taxpayer resources with junk science and false allegations for personal gain at the expense of U.S. agriculture.

“Filing in federal court appears to be a mis-step, given the Iberville Parish, La., case which was dismissed by Chief Judge Butler in Mobile, Ala., in 1999. Judge Butler ruled that removing safe and approved levels of atrazine from drinking water was unnecessary and that shifting the costs of such unnecessary removal was wrong. This decision was also upheld on appeal, and we hope the court will rely on this past verdict to guide future decisions.

“Everyone should bear in mind that if a 150-pound adult drank literally thousands of gallons of water with atrazine at three parts-per-billion every day for 70 years, she still would not reach the exposure level at which no adverse impact has been detected in the laboratory.

“We know these communities are strapped for cash, and suing companies to upgrade their decades-old water systems may seem like an easy way to raise money, but it only harms local farmers who rely on these safely-regulated crop protection tools for their livelihood and to help cost-effectively feed a quickly growing consumer public.

“The many statements by farmers and their associations attest to their support for atrazine and its safety in use. They have for half a century. EPA’s atrazine regulation is a model of sound science carefully applied in its mission of protecting all Americans and our environment.

“As a hallmark of good stewardship, my client worked voluntarily with stakeholders for years and since then also with EPA to monitor the water systems where minute detections of atrazine may occasionally occur. Since 2005, no water system has had an annual average atrazine level in its drinking water greater than the EPA standard, which itself carries a 1000-fold safety factor.

Via EPR Network
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H1 B Visa Season is in Full Swing

The H1-b season is here. Many foreign workers with 4-year degrees will be filing their H-1 cases April 1st in the hopes of being able to work in the United States come October 1st. This visa is most popular amongst three groups of people: foreign students, medical professionals, and the tech sector. The H1b is fraught with a lot of misinformation. As a result, international lawyer Steven Riznyk has prepared a 9-page handout that people can download free at www.my-Immigration-Attorney.com in order to clarify the many questions immigration lawyers receive this time of year.

There is just so much misinformation out there, states Mr Riznyk, and with filing fees as high as they are, it would be a shame to file a case that would clearly not qualify. Additionally, the Internet if full of misinformation – information that is partial, preventing people from really understanding the issues. A call he received last week is indicative of what he means. A gentleman who drives trucks called me, states Mr Riznyk, and explained he had a job offer as a truck driver. We discussed his options and he had wanted me to call him back in Austria, which I did. He informed me that he did not want to hear from me anymore as he read a web site that informed him that for $247 he could apply for an H-1B visa and he stated “lawyers are too expensive”. The $247 he read in the web site stated it included filing fees. The filing fees for an H1B are $1570 or $2320, depending on the number of employees, and the H1B requires a 4-year degree or equivalent for a position that requires a four-year degree. Unfortunately, that person will not only lose $247, but also the filing date of April 1st. Most importantly he doesn’t qualify for an H1B, but nothing I could say would dissuade him.

Another aspect of the H1 that many people are not aware of is that it can be used for part-time work. The reason this is important is that the wages for an H1B employee are guided by a “prevailing wage” that the person must be paid. Regrettably, many employers seek to hire a foreign person in order to pay them less. When they discover that these candidates have to be paid a regulated wage, they often are unable to afford it. What they can do, states Mr Riznyk, is hire the person under the allowable budget, but on a part-time basis. However, states Mr Riznyk, there is a catch. If that person makes a high salary, that person is able to work part-time and still sustain themselves in the United States. If it is a low-paying position, the person may not make enough to cover expenses and that would lead to difficulties.

Lastly, cases should be well-documented. A lot of applicants pay the $1000 fee for Premium Processing so that they can have a rapid reply. However, they may receive an approval, denial, or RFE. An RFE is a Request For Evidence, or another way of stating that the government has more questions. If a case is not well documented, states Mr Riznyk, an RFE will not only slow the case down, but drive up the legal fees as responses to RFEs can take as long as the original case to prepare or longer. A lot of the appeals clients bring us, states Steven Riznyk, are from cases that were poorly prepared. I would urge people to really make certain that the case has all the information required to document all of the material aspects of the case so that it is not returned to you.

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Access Legal Calls For More Help For Asbestos Disease Victims

Access Legal, consumer legal services provider from Shoosmiths, is calling for more to be done to help victims of mesothelioma, as it believes that not enough is being done to help sufferers of fatal asbestos-related diseases.

Access Legal Calls For More Help For Asbestos Disease Victims

Access Legal wants to see more done to help victims of mesothelioma, an asbestos-linked cancer common in builders, plumbers, joiners, and teachers.

The call comes in the midst of a Health & Safety Executive awareness-raising campaign aimed at those workers most at risk. Sara Hunt, associate and asbestos specialist at Access legal from Shoosmiths, said: “With some people already hit by this creeping disease, and with many others potentially at risk, not a lot seems to be getting done.

“There are calls for government funding for a national centre for asbestos related diseases, and a 24,000-signature petition was presented to 10 Downing Street last year, but there’s been little positive reaction.”

Hunt also believes Alimta – a drug that extends the life expectancy of mesothelioma sufferers – should remain available on the NHS. In 2007 the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) said the drug was not cost effective. However, following successful lobbying that decision was overturned, and Alimta was made available on the NHS. Now, that decision in turn is being challenged.

Hunt said: “If that challenge succeeds, suffers will no longer have NHS access to Alimta.

“Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer, and sufferers often have a very short life expectancy. Is it right to deny them access to a drug that may extend their life?”

Asbestos was used extensively as a building, insulating and fireproof material, particularly from the 1950s to 1980s. People exposed as long ago as 40 years might only now be developing asbestos-related conditions.

Asbestos remains in around 500,000 UK buildings, with people exposed when asbestos is disturbed and asbestos fibres become airborne. It can also be disturbed by pushing drawing pins into walls, and it is thought a single drawing pin can release 6,000 fibres. Mesothelioma can be caused by exposure to just one fibre.

Teaching unions are campaigning for asbestos to be removed from schools, after figures revealed 228 teachers died from asbestos-related diseases between 1991 and 2005.

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