By MARLENE MILLOT
A BELGRAVE resident is set to share in a $25 million settlement after suffering from severe illness allegedly caused by drinking Bonsoy soy milk.
Erin Downie is the lead plaintiff in the class action against the manufacturer, exporter and distributor of Bonsoy.
On 24 November it was agreed that victims would receive what lawyers from Maurice Blackburn believe is a record payout for a food safety case in Australia.
Ms Downie, who is lactose intolerant, began drinking one to two glasses of Bonsoy in August 2007 just after she fell pregnant. After giving birth she was advised to double her intake to assist in breastfeeding.
While drinking the milk, Ms Downie suffered from boils, hair loss, bleeding teeth and gums, rashes and weight loss. She became extremely weak and her heart rate rose to 120 beats per minute.
Six weeks after giving birth she was no longer able to lift her baby or herself, and relied on her partner for full-time care.
Ms Downie had been drinking Bonsoy for more than two years when she heard on the radio that the milk had been recalled.
“It was shocking, I felt really angry. All the pieces of the puzzle came together as to why I felt ill,” she said.
Ongoing chronic fatigue, auto-immune disease and thyroid damage mean that Ms Downie faces long-term health problems.
“Chronic fatigue affects every aspect of my life. My quality of life is very poor,” she said.
Ms Downie will be unable to have any more children, which she says is heart-breaking.
Class action lawyers from Maurice Blackburn alleged that unsafe levels of iodine added to Bonsoy caused over 500 consumers become seriously sick.
Ms Downie’s daughter Mirakye is yet to show any health problems from exposure to the milk while in utero or through breast milk. But she has never known her mother as a healthy woman, as Ms Downie says she is still forced to spend three days a week in bed.
“Right from when (Mirakye) was little, every day she would ask if it was a good day or a sick day,” Ms Downie said.
“If it is a sick day she will bring me toys and books, and we play games in bed.”
Illness kept Ms Downie from her music for seven years, but recently she began writing music again and performing with her band Rebellious Bird.
“A lot of my music has been inspired by what I have been through,” she explained.
Her writing has a strong message of social justice, including a recent song ‘Raise Your Voice Out Loud’.
“It’s about the need to stand up against corporations and injustice.”
Ms Downie is frustrated by brand loyalty to Bonsoy that has seen little backlash against the product since the news broke of its recall in 2009.
“People think that only a few people got sick, but there are 500 of us,” she said.
“It’s frustrating that consumers have little compassion for what has happened to us, and it’s very frustrating that cafe owners don’t care,” she said.
A hearing of approval of the settlement will be held in January next year.
