posted by famfam on Fri Oct 03, 2008 9:53 AM
I feel very sorry for these families and the children. But after 10 years how did they decide that it was the "toxic compounds" that caused the problems the children have.
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posted by Manna on Fri Oct 03, 2008 10:07 AM
It takes doctors a long time to identify what medical conditions a child has. Famfam, have you not read reports about a child who had unusual symptoms and it took the family years of testing and visits to specialists before they identified what was going on? And often the doctors don't even get it right. Remember the numerous articles about the young girl from Lake County with a supposed inoperable brain tumor that turned out to be a different kind of tumor in her nose? The Herald wrote up numerous articles about her and similar cases, so if you're a regular reader you should understand that developmental and physical symptoms in children usually take many years to identify, diagnose, and pinpoint the cause.
And when it comes to toxic compounds, the effects are not always immediately apparent or understood. Surely you have heard of Chernobyl, Love Canal, dioxin, toxic waste, and Superfunds. If not, read up. It'll answer your question.
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posted by gaggle of silverback apes on Fri Oct 03, 2008 11:41 AM
it sounds like famfam was saying that its hard to prove that it was the working conditions at motorola that caused these deficiencies and not something else.
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posted by EFox on Fri Oct 03, 2008 11:59 AM
I agree with famfam. To be honest, I think the women should have asked some questions upon becoming pregnant, to determine if their working environment was safe. I know that's the first thing I would ask. I am not trying to blame them, or say they at 100% at fault, but they do hold some responsibility.
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posted by BGer on Fri Oct 03, 2008 12:50 PM
Someone has to pay whether they did it or not. Look for the money.
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posted by Cyclist089 on Fri Oct 03, 2008 1:10 PM
That kind of thing is tough to prove.
My Brother in law works at Motorola, he has
s**t for brains..... wonder if that is Motorola's fault or his own....?
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posted by Manna on Fri Oct 03, 2008 2:47 PM
EFox,
Before you agree with famfam, don't you think you think you need a few more facts. You say that you think the women should have asked some questions about whether the working environment was safe for pregnant women. You don't know whether they did ask that, so how can you determine whether they hold responsibility for the consequences?
If you discovered they did ask and were told that a clean room protected them, how would it change your opinion?
And I'm not sure how you are agreeing with famfam., Famfam is questioning how the women decided the toxic compounds caused the children's problems. You are acknowledging that they most likely did, but stating the women should have known bette. You can't have it both ways. Make up your mind.
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posted by FidelSalutesBailouts on Sat Oct 04, 2008 1:00 PM
Typical Moto "throw away worker" mentality.
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posted by possum on Mon Oct 06, 2008 5:51 PM
Do you guys honestly think Motorola and many other big companies "do the right thing" in protecting their employees?Give me a break when i worked there we knew ahead of time when we had an inspection and we would "fluff" things up...the same was done when I was in the factory.
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posted by DarkKnight55 on Tue Oct 07, 2008 11:11 PM
I worked at Motorola in Schaumburg for 25 years and out of the hundreds of people that I knew who became parents while working there (myself included) I never knew even one who had a child with a birth defect, and only two women who had miscarriages which is not unheard of even in normal circumstances, and I worked in all areas of the facility. I think that this may be just another ambulance chasing scam for a couple of sets of unfortunate people who feel the need to blame somebody for their bad luck. And the sad thing is that Motorola will probably settle this scam out of court and pay them off.
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posted by Margaret Diann on Wed Oct 22, 2008 5:08 AM
The thing that is sad, is for the companies who are wrongfully sued ... such as Ford because there is asbestos in break linings. Or those who sue innocents for the mesothelioma lung cancer. Not asbestos, not smoking.
The chemical I know best is 2-butoxyethanol or Ethylene Glycol Monobutyl Ether. I suspect it is the BUTYL that is the most harmful component, and yes, it is a teratogen chemical and there are effects to the children born after serious exposure. Military look for something unique to their war period; however, they should look for a chemical that is common also to the general public: 'gulf war syndrome,' harm to Vietnam vets (the other chemical, not AO) ... Civilians with CFS, CFIDS, FM.
If you moved around the plant you would have better changes of avoiding too much exposure vs someone who worked with continuous exposure to this chemical. Until Congress bans this chemical, best protective equipment is air tight goggles & chemical gloves.
If they had too much exposure, they would have noted 'flu symptoms' AT THAT TIME: blood in urine, headaches, memory loss & FATIGUE