Biotech worker, David Bell is denied Health and Safety Protections and Workers' Compensation after exposure to Agraquest's biological agents.
Below is a complaint written by David Bell's mother to the Commission on Health and Safety and Worker's Compensation in California.
August 27, 2009
Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation
1515 Clay St,
Oakland, CA 94612
RE: Complaint
California is NOT protecting employees rights to work in safe and healthy
environments nor are injured employees given the right to know of the hazards they
have been exposed to.
California employers, who willfully violate Federal and state laws are not held
accountable, they are given the green light to continue to violate the law and there
misdeeds of fraud and concealment are hidden under the umbrella of protection
within the corrupt California worker’s compensation system.
My son, David Bell worked as a laboratory Assistant Researcher/Microbiologist (to
obtain lab hours for his Bachelor of Science Degree) for one of these employers,
Agraquest Inc. (AQ) a biotechnology company that discovers, screens and
experiments with known and unknown microorganisms, AQ searches the world for
microorganisms; and brings them into the U.S., mostly in soil, They receive
microorganisms from “microbe hunters” and other biotech companies; not known is
whether they were natural or mutations and had been genetically modified. At last
count there were over 23,000 microorganisms in AQ’s “microbe collection”.
David also worked with and was exposed to larvae and live insects.
After 5 months and 9 days at AQ, after vomiting and being sick for days David had
purulent bloody pus draining from his nose. He told his supervisor he was sick and
clocked out. He then went to Immediate Care Medical Clinic; was placed on the broad
spectrum antibiotic Zithromax and told to see an ear, nose and throat specialist. This
he did; now the left side of his face and teeth were numb. He was scheduled for the
first, of what would become four major sinus surgeries only seven ( 7 ) days after
seeking emergency medical care. He’s had countless other sinus procedures in
physicians offices through the years.
David stopped producing enough B-cells for an intact immune system; for 3 years,
every 28 days he was hooked up to an IV pump receiving IMMUNOGLOBULIN
infusions at the hospital; each lasting up to 7 hours.
Several of David’s vital organs have been affected as the result of his employment at
the AQ laboratory; respiratory, lungs, heart, liver, spleen and GI tract.
Denied by AQ as being the result of David’s workplace illness and disease were
nineteen (19 ) fungus and bacteria that have been identified in David’s blood, sputum
and/or nose cultures and/or lab results showing levels of antibodies as a result of
exposure; ranging from positive to HIGH POSITIVE. ALL of these fungus and bacteria
are linked to AQ’s products, patents and/or other companies patents that the
scientists at AQ are listed as inventors.
This is David’s medical from 1995-1998; seven ( 7 ) pages total, 1 page is a
Confidential Health Information Form. This is his medical costs after working for AQ
beginning 1999 through 2005 with a cost of over $333,000, mostly paid by medicare
and none by AQ’s workers comp carrier. I stopped calculating after 2005 although to
this day he is still sick and has mucous of every shade of the rainbow coming from
his nose. That is, when he can get it out.
As David’s mother, I swear to you; he has never been sick like this before he went to
work at AQ. He had seasonal allergies, normal colds and flu and he did have a
hernia surgery at the age of 6 because of a car accident.
California has to stop protecting businesses and start protecting it’s workers.
Thank you,
Sandi Trend
cc: file
attachments: Three ( 3 ) photo’s
1) David Bell medical prior to working at AQ; 3 years (1995-1998)
(7 pages ; (1 page is a Confidential Health Information Form) and
comparison to David Bell Medical billings after working at AQ;
(1999-2005)
2) David Bell medical billings after working at AQ (1999-2005)
3) Comparison of David Bell medical prior to working at AQ; 3 years
(1995-1998) and David Bell medical billings after working at AQ (1999-
2005)
