The Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe conjure up images of sun, sea and sand, but for several decades they have been far from a tropical paradise for many local workers.
From the early 1970s until 1993, chlordecone, an "extremely toxic and persistent" pesticide, was used on banana plantations to tackle the banana weevil, a "pest that ravaged crops", said The Guardian.
Years later, residents of the two French territories continue to suffer from the fallout. The islands have some of the highest rates of prostate cancer in the world and chlordecone is "one of the culprits".
Chlordecone was first produced in 1952 and patented in the US for use on a variety of crops. But it was banned in the 1970s after factory workers in Virginia producing the molecule exhibited "alarming neurological damage", said Atmos magazine.
Other countries outlawed the pesticide, but France acquired its patent for use in its former colonies "despite warnings" of its side-effects. By the time France finally banned it in 1993, about one-sixth of the world's chlordecone had been used in the Caribbean islands.
This month a landmark ruling found France guilty of "wrongful negligence" for the widespread use of chlordecone in the Caribbean, said The Associated Press. The French government must now offer "financial reparation" for the anxiety suffered by those "durably exposed to the pollution", if they can prove damage.
While the decision is a "small step in a long fight for justice", the "vast majority" of plaintiffs in the case will receive nothing, according to The Guardian. | 
