\u201cThe chemicals were like a slow death for me\u201d<\/h1>\n
<\/a>
\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Art-4_DSC7188-2-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
A Danwatch INVESTIGATION<\/h6>\n
\t\t\t<\/p>\n <\/a> Journalist<\/p>\n Editing: Amalie Linde \/ Photo: Esteban Barrera (Danwatch) & Jesper Nymark (Danwatch) \/ Translation: Aileen Bramhall Itani<\/p>\n Journalist<\/p>\n Editing: Amalie Linde \/ Photo: Esteban Barrera (Danwatch) & Jesper Nymark (Danwatch) \/ Translation: Aileen Bramhall Itani<\/p>\n In cooperation with Dagbladet (Norge) At three-thirty in the afternoon, he began to vomit blood. \u00a0Then he collapsed.<\/p>\n \u201cI threw up blood five times. The last time I can\u2019t remember,\u201d says 56-year-old Efren Velez Cede\u00f1o, describing his last day of work four years ago.<\/p>\n For thirty years, he performed quality control on bananas being exported to places like Denmark and other countries in the EU. \u00a0That February day in 2013 was his last on the job.<\/p>\n Cede\u00f1o received a diagnosis of cirrhosis of the liver. \u00a0Since he seldom drinks alcohol, some other cause had to be at work. \u00a0One possible cause is pesticides, and his doctors advised him not to resume work, because his condition could be worsened by ongoing contact with the chemicals.<\/p>\n \u201cThe doctors said that it was probably the pesticides that had ruined the inside of my body and ruined my life. \u00a0They also said they would examine my case more closely, but they never did,\u201d says Cede\u00f1o.<\/p>\n Even though the doctors advised him not to return to work because of the presence of pesticides, they would not provide Cede\u00f1o with a written assessment to this effect.<\/p>\n \u201cThe chemicals were like a slow death for me, they said. \u00a0It would be better to take precautions and not be exposed to the pesticides again. \u00a0But they wouldn\u2019t give me a written certificate to confirm that it was the chemicals that made me sick,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\u201cThere are 200,000 of us that work directly in the banana export business in Ecuador. How many thousands of us got sick?” \u201cOne doctor told me they were just following orders from above,\u201d said Cede\u00f1o, but they would not say anything more about what that might mean.<\/p>\n All the people we spoke with who have become ill because of pesticides used in banana production tell the same story: that their doctors tell them unofficially that their illness is caused by pesticides, but when the time comes to get it in writing, the doctors demur. \u00a0Bananas mean big money in Ecuador, and few dare to cross such a powerful industry, especially if they live and work in one of the country\u2019s banana-growing provinces.<\/p>\n Cede\u00f1o has a wife, two daughters and five grandchildren. \u00a0The family lives in a poor neighbourhood in Quevedo, one of the main cities in Ecuador\u2019s banana region. \u00a0They live together in one room, which also functions as a kitchen.<\/p>\n On a number of occasions while working on the banana plantations, he was caught in a mist of pesticides, he says.<\/p>\n \u201cIt burns the skin. \u00a0Stings and itches. \u00a0We were never told ahead of time that the planes would be spraying. \u00a0Never. We had to try to hide under some plastic or overhang.\u201d<\/p>\n He tries to remain calm as he tells his story. \u00a0He must be careful for the sake of his health not to become overexcited.<\/p>\n Danwatch contacted several banana plantations in an attempt to interview their owners. \u00a0None was interested in speaking with journalists.<\/p>\n These days, Efren Velez Cede\u00f1o worries about his colleagues on the banana plantations.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are 200,000 of us that work directly in the banana export business in Ecuador. \u00a0How many thousands of us got sick?\u201d<\/p>\n But like all the other workers we spoke with, he feels that he had no other choice.<\/p>\n Cede\u00f1o is not a man who wears his heart on his sleeve. \u00a0But when we ask him if he regrets having worked on the banana plantation, he swallows an extra time before answering.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the one hand, it was worth it, because I provided for my family and it was enough to live on. \u00a0But on the other hand, it has been my undoing, because of this sickness. \u00a0I hope that if we fight today, while we still live, the coming generations can be spared what happened to me. \u00a0I hope they won\u2019t all be contaminated like I was, and that pesticides won\u2019t kill them. \u00a0My dreams could not come true. Now I just hope that theirs will.\u201d<\/p>\n The investigation is divided into articles. You decide where to begin.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Working with bananas ruined his life because the pesticides made him sick, or so the doctors told him. They would not give Efren Velez Cede\u00f1o a written medical assessment saying that the pesticides caused his illness, however. According to several workers who spoke to Danwatch, this is a widespread problem.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2826,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_gspb_post_css":"","_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","slim_seo":{"title":"\u201cThe chemicals were like a slow death for me\u201d","description":"Working with bananas ruined his life because the pesticides made him sick, or so the doctors told him. 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Seidenfaden","author_link":"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/en\/author\/johan\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":2,"name":"Uncategorized","slug":"uncategorized","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":201,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":2,"category_count":201,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Uncategorized","category_nicename":"uncategorized","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"authors":[{"term_id":892,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"rebeca-calabria","display_name":"Rebeca Calabria","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","author_category":"","first_name":"","last_name":"","user_url":"","job_title":"","krypteret-kommunikation":"","description":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2837"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2837\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2837"},{"taxonomy":"branche","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/branche?post=2837"},{"taxonomy":"del-af-undersogelse","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/del-af-undersogelse?post=2837"},{"taxonomy":"genre","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/genre?post=2837"},{"taxonomy":"land","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/land?post=2837"},{"taxonomy":"serie-fokus","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/serie-fokus?post=2837"},{"taxonomy":"sorteres-som","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sorteres-som?post=2837"},{"taxonomy":"styling-design","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/styling-design?post=2837"},{"taxonomy":"tema","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tema?post=2837"},{"taxonomy":"virksomhed","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/virksomhed?post=2837"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=2837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\u201cThe chemicals were like a slow death for me\u201d<\/h1>\n
\n Working with bananas ruined his life because the pesticides made him sick, or so the doctors told him. They would not give Efren Velez Cede\u00f1o a written medical assessment saying that the pesticides caused his illness, however. According to several workers who spoke to Danwatch, this is a widespread problem.
\n
\n 15. december 2017 <\/a>
\n 
\n Rebeca Calabria<\/p>\n
\n Rebeca Calabria<\/p>\n
\n ![](\"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/logo-dagbladet.png\"){kind=logo}
\n
\n 15. december 2017 <\/a>
\n Working with bananas ruined his life because the pesticides made him sick, or so the doctors told him. They would not give Efren Velez Cede\u00f1o a written medical assessment saying that the pesticides caused his illness, however. According to several workers who spoke to Danwatch, this is a widespread problem.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u201cIt burns the skin. Stings and itches. We were never told ahead of time that the planes would be spraying. Never. We had to try to hide under some plastic or overhang.\u201d
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Efren](\"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Art-4_DSC01201Pilot-1.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEfren Velez Cede\u00f1osFormer employee in the banana production<\/cite>\t\t\t<\/p>\nA slow death<\/b><\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Art-4_DSC01201Pilot-scaled.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Art-4_DSC7189-1-scaled.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEfren Velez Cede\u00f1osFormer employee in the banana production<\/cite>\t\t\t<\/p>\nDreams that never came true<\/h4>\n