It’s a victory that will do him good, even if it won’t restore his health. Suffering from Parkinson’s disease, Gabriel Lebot has just seen the Rennes administrative court decide in his favor in the fight he has been waging for years against his former employer. Gardener in the town of Redon (Ille-et-Vilaine) for thirty-six years, the retiree handled quantities of pesticides without gloves or a mask. And even when he found his place in an office at the end of his career, it was right next to the chemical storage room, which was not ventilated. Retired since 2002, the Breton saw medicine diagnose him with Parkinson’s disease in 2008. Fifteen years later, he has just obtained recognition of his suffering as an occupational disease, making his former employer bend. “It’s a great victory, a great relief for him,” reacted his lawyer Me Hermine Baron.
“This direct link, there is”
During the hearing before the administrative court, the public rapporteur had supported the “direct” link between the exercise of the profession and the occupational disease. “This direct link, there is in my opinion”. Several scientific reports have linked the use of pesticides to Parkinson’s disease. The incidence of the disease is notably “13% higher” among farmers than the average population.
Court decisions recognizing the impact of pesticides on the health of gardeners and farmers are increasing in France. Jurisprudence that gives more weight to the demands of professionals affected by the disease.