Chlorpyrifos Exposure Lawsuit Claims Pesticide Caused Farmer’s Parkinson’s Disease Diagnosis

Farmer was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease this year after a lifetime of living around the pesticide chlorpyrifos, including personally handling the chemical for at least 10 years.

A California man has filed a chlorpyrifos lawsuit alleging that a decade of occupational pesticide use, combined with years of broader exposure, caused him to develop Parkinson’s disease.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Robert Ranney and his wife, Jennifer Ranney, in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas on July 23, and the manufacturer removed the case to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania the following day.

Ranney names several chlorpyrifos manufacturers as defendants in the lawsuit, including Corteva Inc., Corteva Agriscience LLC, The Dow Chemical Company and FMC Corporation.

The lawsuit alleges the manufacturers failed to adequately study whether repeated chlorpyrifos exposure could cause chronic neurological damage in adults, including Parkinson’s disease. It also accuses them of minimizing evidence of neurotoxicity and failing to warn agricultural workers, consumers and the medical community as those risks became known.

Chlorpyrifos Exposure Risks

Chlorpyrifos was first introduced in the U.S. in 1965 as a broad-spectrum organophosphate insecticide that kills pests by interfering with enzymes needed for normal nervous system function.

The pesticide has been sold under various brand names, including Dursban, Lorsban, Cobalt, Bolton, Nufos and Stallion. In addition, the chemical has been commonly mixed and applied by farmers, farmworkers, pesticide applicators, pest control employees and groundskeepers using handheld sprayers, truck-mounted tanks and agricultural equipment.

The pesticide was also widely sold for residential use until 2000, when most household applications were phased out. Homeowners, renters and pest control technicians used chlorpyrifos products inside and around homes to kill termites, roaches, ants, fleas and other insects, potentially exposing residents through indoor spraying, treated surfaces, contaminated dust and perimeter or foundation treatments. The complaint indicates that, by 1992, household surveys estimated chlorpyrifos was used in 17% of American homes, with approximately 200 million household-related applications performed each year.

Chlorpyrifos was also heavily used during the first Gulf War to control mosquitoes, flies and other disease-carrying insects around military camps, living quarters and operational areas. Service members may have been exposed to chlorpyrifos pesticides while working near treated areas or coming into contact with contaminated equipment, clothing and surfaces.

However, recent research has strengthened concerns about the pesticide’s long-term neurological effects. A UCLA-led study found that individuals with prolonged chlorpyrifos exposure had more than 2.5 times the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. Laboratory testing also found movement impairment, inflammation, abnormal protein accumulation and the loss of dopamine-producing brain cells associated with the disease.

In recent months, a growing number chlorpyrifos Parkinson’s disease lawsuits have been filed nationwide, each alleging the manufacturers failed to provide adequate label warnings about the risks of neurological damage.

Chlorpyrifos Illness Allegations

According to his lawsuit, Ranney has been exposed to chlorpyrifos through agricultural use from 1965 until 2020, living next to farms where the chemical was regularly sprayed. From 1995 through 2005, he became an end-user, personally mixing and spraying the pesticide as part of his agricultural work.

Earlier this year, Ranney was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which the lawsuit says is due to his years of chlorpyrifos exposure.

“Plaintiff’s Parkinson’s disease will progress to become entirely debilitating. Plaintiff will lose the ability to control his motor functions. They are or will become unable to live independently. Parkinson’s disease has or will result in permanent physical injuries, pain, mental anguish, and disability. These injuries will continue for the rest of Plaintiff’s life.”

– Robert Ranney et al. v. Corteva Inc. et al.

The profound life changes caused by the disease will result in Ranney suffering significant medical expenses and losing his ability to work and hold a steady job, the lawsuit notes. Ranney indicates there were safer alternatives available but alleges he was robbed of the opportunity to make those choices due to the manufacturers’ deceptive marketing about the risks of chlorpyrifos.

The complaint also points to earlier regulatory actions involving the marketing and reporting of chlorpyrifos risks. It alleges Dow failed to timely report 249 adverse health events to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and previously agreed to stop making certain safety claims following investigations by the New York Attorney General.

Ranney presents claims of negligence, design defect, public nuisance and breach of implied warranty and merchantability. The couple seeks both punitive and compensatory damages.

Chlorpyrifos Parkinson’s Disease Lawsuits

Chlorpyrifos attorneys are currently reviewing potential product liability lawsuits for individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease after long-term exposure to the pesticide through:

• Personally mixing or applying chlorpyrifos
• Working on a farm during or after chlorpyrifos applications
• Living on a farm where chlorpyrifos was regularly used
• Using chlorpyrifos as a residential insecticide
• Working near chlorpyrifos spraying or pesticide drift
• Occupational exposure through pest control, construction, golf course maintenance or military service during the Gulf Wars

Free consultations and claim evaluations are available for individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Attorneys will review the treatment history and products involved, as well as location, duration and circumstances of exposure to determine whether the individual qualifies to pursue a claim.

All chlorpyrifos lawsuits are handled on a contingency fee basis, meaning there are no upfront legal fees or expenses, and attorneys are paid only if they successfully obtain compensation.

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