23, February 2014
Goliath pummels David
A shocking account of corporate intimidation of a renowned research scientist has recently surfaced. The scientist, Tyrone Hayes of the University of California, Berkeley, was hired by an agribusiness giant, Syngenta, to study their flagship product, atrazine, a widely used pesticide that is applied to more than half the crops in the United States and widely used on golf courses and Christmas tree farms. Much to Syngenta’s dismay, Hayes research exposed the potential harmful effects on the endocrine system leading to severe sexual abnormalities. Fearful that the publication could hurt their bottom line, Syngenta attempted to purchase the data. When that failed they launched a vigorous campaign to discredit Hayes work. Syngenta then retained the services of ‘hired guns’ to embarrass Hayes and discredit his work at professional meetings. Attempts were then made to smear Hayes’ reputation and pressure the U.S. Environmental Agency from banning atrazine which is already banned by the European Union. Fortunately, the EPA took a hard line and insisted that the research be published in several high-ranking journals including one sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. The situation then took a surreal turn for the worse. Death threats were made to Hayes and his family. Traumatized by the relentless efforts to silence him, Hayes sought help from the vice-chancellor for research, the dean and office of legal counsel only to be told that he “was on his own” – a sad epitaph to David’s efforts to thwart the predatory practices of a corporate Goliath.
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