Regulatory Science And Social Movements: The Trial Against The Use Of Agrochemicals In Ituzaingó.

ARANCIBIA FLORENCIA

Bahía

Congreso; 13th International Public Communication of Science and Technology Conference; 2014

International Network on Public Communication of Science and Technology

In August 2012 a transgenic soy producer and a spraying pilot were sentenced to three years of conditional prison for pollution and harm to public health in Cordoba, Argentina. The trial was initiated by the Mothers of Ituzaingó and other grassroots movements from Cordoba, as children exposed to glyphosate-base pesticide sprayings got sick in the surroundings of transgenic soy fields. This was the first case of pollution judged by Criminal Law in Latin America. Challenging the toxicological classification of glyphosate, the veredict became a turning point in the fight for stronger regulations of a bio-technified agriculture. Through in-depth interviews to social movements´ members, lawyers, and physicians participating in the trial, and the Prosecutor in charge, I suggest that the joint action of social movements and experts can sometimes have a strong leverage over "regulatory science" (Jasanoff, 1990). This paper is part of an ongoing research about how communities can have a voice in regulating technological risks to which are exposed.