David Bell
David Bell was an Assistant Researcher/Microbiologist at AgraQuest, Inc. in Davis, California. He became ill after exposure to microorganisms at his workplace. His symptoms included nausea, severe headaches, bloody pus draining from his nose, and the left side of his face and teeth were numb. He sought emergency medical care, and they scheduled his first major sinus surgery.
David’s health has never been the same since he got sick from working at AgraQuest. He’s had 4 major sinus surgeries, he stopped producing B-cells for an intact immune system and was hooked up to an IV infusion pump at the hospital every 28 days for 3 years receiving IMMUNOGLOBULIN infusions. He has been on countless antibiotics and antifungals due to ongoing sinus infections, and the exposure at AgraQuest has also affected his lungs, heart, liver, spleen and gastrointestinal tract.
One of the AgraQuest Products that David was exposed to was QST 713 Bacillus subtilis. This is one of the products that David was instructed to transfer from LARGE drums to 24-pound bags for shipment. He was told it was "safe" and it "wouldn't hurt a fly," so he did not wear a respirator. David learned later that Bacillus subtilis was not safe, and it had been identified as an occupational hazard since 1969.
For additional details about David Bell's story, read the 2009 Application for Reassessment of a New Organism, read several news Articles, watch the Videos, read the article in GeneWatch and the articles published by The People's Vanguard, and check out our Resources page for links to additional news articles and other documents.
Sandi Trend, mother of injured AgraQuest, Inc. biotech worker, David Bell spoke of her discovery of the “conflicts of interest” in regard to the workers' compensation Judge, Suzanne F. Dugan, who presided over her son's workers' compensation trial on September 10, 2007.
According to Trend, Judge Dugan's husband, Michael T. Dugan was employed by PBS&J. On October 4, 2007 Michael Dugan's employer, PBS&J, co-sponsored the University of California--Davis's "Explorit Science Center's 16th Anual Science Fair and Silent Auction" - together with Agraquest, AgraQuest's patent law firm (Morrison and Foerster), and Marrone Organic Innovations (created by Pam Marrone who also founded AgraQuest). Not only were all four co-sponsors of the October 4, 2007 event, but they provided teams for participation in the events held that day.
AgraQuest Criminal Conspiracy Alleged
The Davis biotech company AgraQuest which was owned by Pam Marrone has been engaged in a criminal conspiracy to cover-up it's illegal use of fungus and bacteria without informing California and U.S. oversight agencies being made aware of their use.
As a result, biotech worker David Bell and other workers have been subject to contamination and sickness from these substances.
The Davis community health and safety was also put in jeopardy when the company instructed Bell and other workers to dump these substances on the grounds.
On February 9, 2009:
For the first time, in the nearly 10-year struggle of David Bell, it can be proven what AgraQuest (AQ) has been concealing.
A written statement from AgraQuest said that the Bacillus subtilis strain is the only active ingredient in AgraQuest's product Serenade, a project Bell was working on. "It has been tested in accordance with EPA and EU guidelines for microbial pesticides and poses no significant risk to handlers or the environment used according to label instructions," the report says.
Serenade's active ingredient is the bacterium, Bacillus subtilis strain, QST 713 (formerly QRD 713), which was discovered by AQ scientist, Sherry Heins, in a peach orchard in Fresno, California. All of the AQ products on the market which contain Bacillus subtilis ARE the strain QST 713.
What was not disclosed in the written statement from AQ is that David was not only exposed to AQ’s product Serenade, Bacillus Subtilis Strain QST 713, but numerous strains of bacteria and fungi, specifically bacillus subtilis strain AQ 153, which was also being tested at AQ.
- The Bacillus subtilis strain AQ 153 was discovered by George Vandemark (not with AQ) and was deposited with the American Type Culture Collection as ATCC 55614 by Agritope in Oregon.
- Bacillus subtilis AQ 153 is a different strain of bacillus subtilis than the strain of Bacillus Subtilis used by AQ in their Serenade product, (QST 713).
The application that AgraQuest founder and CEO, Pam Marrone filed with the United States Patent Office for the registration of United States Patent 6,004,774 on 11/25/1998 (listing the four AQ scientists as inventors) lists Bacillus subtilis strain AQ153 [ATCC 55614] (ACTIVE INGREDIENT) is the only Bacillus subtilis strain listed. This is the same patent which says, "to treat human fungal diseases", "disseminated disease" and "for example, Aspergillus sp, Histoplasma sp, and Tinea sp."
This patent application was filed 3 months and 10 days after David started working at AgraQuest.
In addition, only 4 days after David first sought emergency medical care, all four scientists from AgraQuest started signing over their interest rights to U.S. Patent 6,004,774. This patent was issued on December 21, 1999.
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