Chlorpyrifos Lawsuit Overview

Chlorpyrifos is a powerful organophosphate insecticide that was widely used for decades on farms, golf courses, residential properties, construction sites, commercial buildings and other locations throughout the United States.

Before most residential uses were banned in 2000, chlorpyrifos products were also readily available to ordinary consumers through home-and-garden stores, hardware retailers and similar outlets. As a result, potential claims are not limited to farmers or professional pesticide applicators.

Farmers, pest control workers, construction workers, groundskeepers, homeowners and military personnel may have inhaled the chemical, absorbed it through their skin or encountered it while mixing, spraying or remaining near treated areas.

Chlorpyrifos Parkinson’s disease lawsuits allege that Corteva, Dow Chemical and FMC failed to adequately investigate the pesticide’s long-term neurological effects or warn that direct and indirect exposure could cause Parkinson’s disease. Instead, plaintiffs claim the manufacturers continued promoting chlorpyrifos as safe while minimizing or concealing evidence of neurotoxicity.

Product liability claims are being pursued by chlorpyrifos lawyers for individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease after qualifying direct, residential, occupational or military pesticide exposure.

Who Is Eligible for a Chlorpyrifos Lawsuit?

Financial compensation may be available through a chlorpyrifos settlement for individuals formally diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease after substantial exposure to the insecticide, including those who:

• Mixed, loaded, handled or applied Dursban, Lorsban or another known chlorpyrifos product on at least five occasions
• Sprayed chlorpyrifos with handheld, backpack, truck-mounted, tractor-mounted or similar equipment
• Cleaned or repaired tanks, hoses, pumps, tools or machinery contaminated with chlorpyrifos
• Lived in or were present inside a home where chlorpyrifos or another insecticide was sprayed
• Lived in a residence treated for termites, particularly before most residential chlorpyrifos uses ended in 2000
• Experienced insecticide spraying, drift or residue exposure on at least five occasions while living or working on a farm
• Worked at construction sites where insecticides were repeatedly applied to soil, foundations, trenches or building perimeters
• Worked on a golf course and experienced repeated insecticide spraying, drift or residue exposure
• Served in the military during the Gulf Wars and were later diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease

Chlorpyrifos injury lawyers are actively investigating new Parkinson’s disease lawsuits against insecticide manufacturers for individuals throughout the United States who developed neurological injuries that may have been prevented with adequate warnings. All cases are pursued under a contingency fee agreement, so there are no out-of-pocket costs to hire an attorney and there are no fees or expenses unless a settlement or lawsuit payout is received.

To determine whether you or a loved one qualify for a chlorpyrifos lawsuit, submit information for review by a chlorpyrifos lawyer, who will evaluate the pesticide exposure history and circumstances of the potential claim.

Chlorpyrifos Lawsuit 2026 Updates

• August 3, 2026 Update: A California farmer has filed a chlorpyrifos lawsuit alleging that decades of exposure, including at least 10 years personally mixing and spraying the pesticide, caused him to develop Parkinson’s disease. The complaint claims Corteva, Dow and FMC failed to adequately study or warn about the long-term neurological risks associated with repeated chlorpyrifos exposure.
• July 17, 2026 Update: Lawyers are reviewing potential chlorpyrifos Parkinson’s disease lawsuits involving direct pesticide use, residential spraying, repeated farm, construction-site or golf-course exposure, and military service during the Gulf Wars.
• June 16, 2026 Update: Alexander Ramos filed a chlorpyrifos lawsuit in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas against Corteva, Corteva Agriscience, Dow Chemical and FMC. Ramos alleges that exposure while working for a pest control company from 1992 through 2015 caused him to develop Parkinson’s disease.
• January 30, 2026 Update: A peer-reviewed study examining chlorpyrifos and Parkinson’s disease reported evidence supporting a causal connection between pesticide exposure and the neurological disorder. Researchers evaluated epidemiological findings, laboratory research and biological mechanisms involving dopamine-producing brain cells.

What Is Chlorpyrifos?

Chlorpyrifos is a broad-spectrum organophosphate insecticide used to kill insects by disrupting their nervous systems.

The chemical works by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase, an enzyme the nervous system needs to regulate communication between nerves and muscles. When the enzyme is blocked, acetylcholine accumulates between nerve cells, causing excessive stimulation of muscles, glands and the central nervous system.

The Dow Chemical Company developed chlorpyrifos during the 1950s, patented the chemical and first registered chlorpyrifos products for sale in the United States during the 1960s. Over the following decades, it became one of the most widely used insecticides in the country.

Chlorpyrifos has been used as an insecticide, acaricide and miticide to control pests affecting crops, soil, buildings and foliage.

What Was Chlorpyrifos Used For?

Chlorpyrifos insecticides were used to control a broad range of insects, including:

• Termites
• Mosquitoes
• Cockroaches
• Ants
• Beetles
• Crop-damaging worms
• Root maggots
• Aphids
• Flies
• Lawn insects
• Ornamental plant pests

Because the pesticide was so versatile, it was applied in many different settings, including:

• Corn, soybean and wheat fields
• Fruit trees and orchards
• Cotton crops
• Vegetable farms
• Greenhouses and nurseries
• Golf courses
• Lawns and ornamental plants
• Residential structures
• Construction sites
• Commercial buildings
• Warehouses
• Schools and public buildings
• Termite treatments
• Animal facilities
• Military bases and encampments

Chlorpyrifos could be sold as a liquid spray, granular product, powder, pellet or concentrated chemical that had to be mixed into a larger tank before application.

Common Chlorpyrifos Exposures

Chlorpyrifos can enter the body through inhalation, ingestion or absorption through the skin. Exposure may occur when someone directly mixes or sprays the pesticide, remains inside a treated home, works near insecticide applications or serves in locations where pesticides were repeatedly used.

The circumstances can vary significantly from one person to another, which is why potential claims are generally evaluated according to the type, frequency and location of exposure.

Direct Chlorpyrifos Exposure

Direct exposure claims may involve individuals who personally mixed, loaded, handled or applied a known chlorpyrifos insecticide on at least five occasions. Exposure may occur while:

• Opening chlorpyrifos containers
• Measuring concentrated pesticide
• Pouring chemicals into mixing tanks
• Loading application equipment
• Applying Dursban, Lorsban or another chlorpyrifos product
• Spraying from handheld or backpack equipment
• Spraying from truck-mounted or tractor-mounted tanks
• Repairing contaminated pumps, hoses or machinery
• Cleaning pesticide tanks, tools or containers

Mixing and loading can be particularly significant because concentrated formulations may contain much higher levels of chlorpyrifos than the diluted chemical ultimately sprayed.

Workers may be exposed through splashes, spills, leaks, contaminated clothing, aerosols or direct contact with pesticide residue.

Residential Chlorpyrifos Exposure

Unlike many pesticide claims that primarily involve agricultural or commercial use, chlorpyrifos lawsuits may also involve ordinary consumers exposed when insecticides were sprayed inside their homes.

Before most residential uses were eliminated in 2000, chlorpyrifos products were widely available through home-and-garden stores, hardware retailers and similar outlets. Consumers commonly purchased the pesticide to control:

• Cockroaches
• Ants
• Termites
• Mosquitoes
• Lawn insects
• Ornamental plant pests
• Indoor insects
• Pests around home foundations

A residential exposure claim may involve someone who lived in or was present inside a home where a chlorpyrifos insecticide was sprayed at least once. Potential exposure may have occurred when:

• A homeowner personally sprayed the product
• A family member applied an insecticide
• A landlord treated an apartment or rental home
• An exterminator sprayed inside the residence
• A home underwent termite treatment
• Someone remained inside during or after an application
• Pesticide residue remained on floors, furniture, walls or other household surfaces

The person may not need to know the exact product involved, particularly when the treatment occurred before 2000.

Farm Exposure and Insecticide Drift

Farmers, farm laborers and individuals living on farms may have experienced direct exposure, insecticide drift or repeated contact with pesticide residue. Potential exposure may occur through:

• Mixing and loading agricultural insecticides
• Spraying crops with handheld or vehicle-mounted equipment
• Working near an active pesticide application
• Entering fields after spraying
• Contacting treated crops or soil
• Working downwind from insecticide applications
• Handling contaminated equipment, tools or clothing
• Living on a farm where insecticides were repeatedly applied

Construction Site Insecticide Exposure

Chlorpyrifos was also used for termite control, soil treatment and pest management around buildings and developing properties. Construction workers may have experienced exposure when insecticides were applied to:

• Soil before a foundation was poured
• Trenches surrounding foundations
• Building perimeters
• Framing areas
• Crawl spaces
• Utility entry points
• Landscaping around new developments
• Areas where workers were present during soil, termite or perimeter treatments

Potentially exposed workers may include:

• General laborers
• Excavation workers
• Heavy equipment operators
• Concrete workers
• Carpenters
• Site supervisors
• Utility workers
• Landscapers

Golf Course Chlorpyrifos Exposure

Chlorpyrifos was used on golf courses to control insects affecting turfgrass, ornamental plants and landscaped areas. Golf course workers may have encountered insecticides while:

• Mixing or loading pesticides
• Applying insecticides
• Mowing treated grass
• Maintaining recently treated areas
• Repairing irrigation equipment
• Working near active spraying
• Handling contaminated tools or machinery
• Entering treated grounds

Potential claims may involve groundskeepers, landscapers, maintenance employees, pesticide applicators and other golf course workers.

Gulf War Military Exposure

Military personnel serving during the first Gulf War may have routinely encountered chlorpyrifos and other insecticides used to control mosquitoes, flies, sand flies and other pests. Pesticides may have been used around:

• Military bases
• Temporary encampments
• Sleeping areas
• Dining facilities
• Equipment storage areas
• Vehicles
• Sanitation areas
• Perimeters around military installations

Unlike a civilian occupational claim, a veteran may not remember the pesticide name, who applied it or the number of individual spraying events.

As a result, lawyers are investigating Gulf War Parkinson’s Disease lawsuits, reviewing military service records, deployment locations, unit assignments and historical pesticide-use documentation for potential claim.

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Were you diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease after chlorpyrifos exposure? Share your story with AboutLawsuits.com and have your information reviewed by a lawyer to determine whether you may be eligible for a lawsuit.

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Chlorpyrifos Products Named in Lawsuits

Chlorpyrifos was sold under dozens of trade names, and the product someone remembers may depend on where and when the exposure occurred. Products identified in recently filed Parkinson’s disease litigation include:

• Dursban
• Lorsban
• Cobalt
• Nufos
• Bolton
• Stallion

Dursban Lawsuits

Dursban was a Dow chlorpyrifos product marketed primarily for residential, structural and commercial pest control.

Pest control companies and ordinary consumers used Dursban in and around homes, offices and other buildings. It was also applied for termite treatments, lawns, ornamental plants and certain outdoor uses, including:

• Home and garden sprays
• Treatments inside residences
• Termite treatments in completed homes
• Lawn applications
• Certain structural pest control uses

Lorsban Lawsuits

Lorsban was a chlorpyrifos insecticide marketed primarily for agricultural use. Farmers and commercial pesticide applicators used different Lorsban formulations to treat crops, soil and foliage.

Products such as Lorsban 4E were liquid concentrates that had to be:

• Opened
• Measured
• Mixed with water
• Loaded into application equipment
• Sprayed onto crops or soil
• Cleaned from tanks and hoses

Each of these steps could result in exposure through skin contact, spills, spray drift or inhalation.

Other Chlorpyrifos Brand Names

In addition to Dursban and Lorsban, chlorpyrifos products identified in lawsuits include Cobalt, Nufos, Bolton and Stallion. The specific brand may have varied depending on the manufacturer, location and year of use.

Many potential claimants were exposed decades ago and may no longer remember the exact product they encountered.

Employment records, pesticide application logs, purchase invoices, labels, photographs, coworker statements and historical records may help identify which chlorpyrifos products were used at a particular workplace or property.

Chlorpyrifos Manufacturers Named in Lawsuits

The first known defendants facing chlorpyrifos Parkinson’s disease claims include:

• Corteva, Inc.
• Corteva Agriscience LLC
• The Dow Chemical Company
• FMC Corporation

Chlorpyrifos Linked to Parkinson’s Disease

Scientific research has increasingly examined whether chlorpyrifos exposure can contribute to the development of Parkinson’s disease and other neurological injuries.

A 2025 study published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation evaluated more than 1,600 individuals and found that those with greater long-term chlorpyrifos exposure had more than 2.5 times the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. Researchers also observed Parkinson’s-like movement problems, loss of dopamine-producing neurons, brain inflammation and abnormal protein buildup in experimental models.

Earlier laboratory research also found that chlorpyrifos exposure altered the expression of genes associated with Parkinson’s disease and affected biological pathways involved in neurodegeneration.

Taken together, the research suggests chlorpyrifos may contribute to Parkinson’s disease through several overlapping forms of neurological damage:

• Oxidative stress: Chlorpyrifos may generate reactive oxygen species that damage proteins, cell membranes and DNA. Dopamine-producing neurons appear particularly vulnerable to this type of cellular stress.
• Mitochondrial dysfunction: The pesticide may interfere with mitochondria, reducing the energy available to brain cells while increasing the production of damaging free radicals.
• Dopamine system damage: Chlorpyrifos may disrupt dopamine-related signaling and contribute to the loss of neurons responsible for controlling movement.
• Brain inflammation: Experimental research has found increased neuroinflammation following chlorpyrifos exposure, which may further damage vulnerable brain cells.
• Abnormal protein accumulation: Chlorpyrifos may interfere with the brain’s ability to clear damaged proteins, contributing to the buildup of alpha-synuclein associated with Lewy bodies.
• Death of dopamine-producing neurons: These combined effects may damage cells in the substantia nigra, the part of the brain where neuron loss leads to the characteristic symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

Pesticide Exposure and Parkinson’s Disease

Pesticide exposure is considered an important environmental risk factor for Parkinson’s disease. However, agricultural workers and others may encounter several chemicals during their lives, making it necessary to examine the specific products used, the duration of exposure and the circumstances surrounding each claim.

Chlorpyrifos lawsuits allege the insecticide presents a distinct neurological risk because it directly affects the nervous system and may trigger several biological processes associated with Parkinson’s disease.

Lawsuits allege that chlorpyrifos manufacturers never adequately studied the long-term neurological effects of exposure among adults, despite decades of widespread use by farmers, pest control workers and other consumers.

Chlorpyrifos Parkinson’s Disease Symptoms

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder. Symptoms may initially be mild and affect only one side of the body, but typically worsen over time.

Movement Symptoms

Common motor symptoms include:

• Resting tremors
• Slowed movement
• Muscle rigidity
• Impaired balance
• Shuffling gait
• Freezing while walking
• Stooped posture
• Reduced arm movement
• Muscle spasms
• Difficulty speaking
• Difficulty swallowing
• Reduced facial expression
• Small or cramped handwriting

Non-Movement Symptoms

Parkinson’s disease may also cause:

• Loss of smell
• Constipation
• Sleep disorders
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Fatigue
• Memory problems
• Cognitive decline
• Low blood pressure when standing
• Excessive saliva
• Urinary problems

Some non-movement symptoms may appear years before tremors, stiffness or other characteristic movement problems.

Other Chlorpyrifos Side Effects

Chlorpyrifos exposure has been associated with acute poisoning and potential long-term neurological effects. Symptoms of immediate organophosphate poisoning may include:

• Headache
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Excessive sweating
• Muscle twitching
• Weakness
• Blurred vision
• Difficulty breathing
• Confusion
• Seizures
• Loss of consciousness

Long-term chlorpyrifos research has also examined neurobehavioral problems, memory difficulties, mood changes, developmental injuries and other neurological effects.

A study of occupationally exposed chlorpyrifos workers evaluated persistent neurobehavioral effects among individuals who handled the pesticide in work environments where exposure could be distinguished from other chemicals.

Is Chlorpyrifos Banned?

Chlorpyrifos is not subject to a complete nationwide ban in the United States. The EPA eliminated nearly all residential uses of Chlorpyrifos in 2000, but agricultural and certain non-residential uses continued.

In 2021, the EPA revoked all food tolerances for chlorpyrifos, effectively stopping its use on food and animal feed crops. However, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit vacated that decision in 2023, causing the tolerances to be reinstated. The EPA subsequently proposed revoking tolerances for all but 11 food and feed crops:

• Alfalfa
• Apples
• Asparagus
• Tart cherries
• Citrus
• Cotton
• Peaches
• Soybeans
• Strawberries
• Sugar beets
• Spring and winter wheat

Several states have independently prohibited or restricted chlorpyrifos, including California, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, New York and Oregon.

Chlorpyrifos Lawsuit Allegations

Chlorpyrifos Parkinson’s disease lawsuits raise claims against companies involved in designing, manufacturing, formulating, marketing and selling the insecticide. Plaintiffs allege the manufacturers:

• Failed to adequately study long-term neurological effects
• Failed to investigate the connection to Parkinson’s disease
• Sold an unreasonably dangerous insecticide
• Failed to provide Parkinson’s disease warnings
• Minimized evidence that chlorpyrifos was neurotoxic
• Misrepresented the pesticide as safe
• Failed to report adverse health information
• Relied on inadequate or misleading safety studies
• Continued selling chlorpyrifos despite safer alternatives
• Concealed information from users, regulators and the medical community

Chlorpyrifos Parkinson’s Disease Lawsuit Example

Alexander Ramos filed a chlorpyrifos Parkinson’s disease lawsuit in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas on June 16, 2026. According to the complaint, Ramos worked for a pest control company from 1992 through 2015 and was regularly exposed to chlorpyrifos products manufactured or sold by the defendants. Ramos alleges that he:

• Personally mixed chlorpyrifos chemicals
• Applied the insecticide using truck-mounted equipment
• Used handheld sprayers
• Worked near other chlorpyrifos applications
• Encountered the pesticide through ordinary occupational use

He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2017.

The lawsuit maintains that Ramos did not know chlorpyrifos caused his condition until he recently learned about the connection between exposure and Parkinson’s disease. It also alleges the manufacturers’ failure to warn prevented him and his physicians from identifying the pesticide as a potential cause earlier.

Contact a Chlorpyrifos Lawyer

Chlorpyrifos lawyers are providing free consultations and claim evaluations for individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease after qualifying direct, residential, occupational or Gulf War pesticide exposure.

Attorneys handle chlorpyrifos Parkinson’s disease lawsuits on a contingency fee basis, which means there are no fees or expenses paid unless a settlement or lawsuit payout is received.

How to File a Chlorpyrifos Lawsuit

To determine whether you or a loved one may be eligible for a chlorpyrifos settlement, submit information about the Parkinson’s disease diagnosis and pesticide exposure for review by a lawyer.

The attorney will evaluate the circumstances of the potential claim, including the type and frequency of exposure, the products involved when known, and the available medical, employment, residential or military records.

There are no fees or expenses unless compensation is obtained in your case.