French court refuses trial on use of toxic insecticide in French West Indies

A French court has ruled against a trial on the use of a known toxic insecticide in the French West Indies, shutting down the possibility of an investigation in a health scandal that has been ongoing for 20 years.

Despite being labelled as possibly carcinogenic in 1979, chlordécone was used between 1972 until 1993 - thanks to a by-law that allowed it to circumvent its ban, introduced in 1990.

FRANCE 24's Shirli Sitbon tells us more. ...