Court Excludes Expert’s Estimate of Child’s Pesticide Exposure as Lacking Science Basis

A family alleging home pest control spraying caused their son’s developmental injuries failed to provide scientifically valid expert testimony proving specific causation, an Iowa appeals court held (Junk v. Obrecht, Iowa Ct. App., No. 3-454).

The family’s expert witness retained to offer his opinion on the child’s exposure to chlorpyrifos in the spray based his opinion solely on the amount of pesticide applied to the home without considering the size of the home, the areas treated or the amount applied outside, the Court of Appeals of Iowa said.

Without expert testimony, the plaintiffs did not offer sufficient evidence ...