Tiburce Cleon, a former banana plantation worker in Guadeloupe, developed prostate cancer shortly after retiring. The islands have high prostate cancer rates attributed to exposure to chlordecone, a toxic pesticide used extensively in banana plantations from 1972 to 1993. Activists and workers have long sought recognition of the health risks posed by this chemical, and recent court rulings have started to bring some compensation to victims. Cleon reflects on his experiences with the pesticide, emphasizing the lack of protection and awareness during his work life, which ultimately led to his diagnosis.
For decades, workers and activists in the French Caribbean have fought for recognition of chlordecone's devastating health and environmental impacts. Progress has been slow.
It's when I retired that it got worse, Cleon says. I went to the hospital, and the doctor told me that it was prostate cancer.
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