France, June 4 -- The lower house of parliament voted in favour of a bill saying "the state acknowledges its share of responsibility for the health-related, moral, environmental and economic harm suffered" by Guadeloupe, Martinique and their populations.

The Senate had already approved the measure.

Chlordecone, also known as Kepone, was used in banana plantations on the two islands from 1972 to 1993 to combat weevils. France banned it on the mainland in 1990 but continued to allow its use in Guadeloupe and Martinique for another three years despite warnings about its dangers.

More than 90 percent of adults on the two islands have been contaminated, France's national public health agency Sante Publique France said.

France's health and ...