Congress Urges EPA To Ban Paraquat Over Parkinson’s Disease Side Effects, Impact on Environment

Paraquat has already been banned in the EU, Canada, Brazil, China and dozens of other countries, the lawmakers noted.

A group of 47 members of Congress has sent a letter to federal environmental regulators this week, calling for a ban of the weed killer Paraquat due to side effects it has on human health and the environment.

The letter (PDF) was sent to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael S. Regan on October 8, noting that the herbicide has already been banned in dozens of other countries.

Paraquat was originally developed in the 1950s by Imperial Chemical Industries, PLC, which is a legacy company of Syngenta. The weed killer was first marketed under the brand name Gramoxone in the 1960s, and has been sold under a variety of brand names over the last several decades after Syngenta sold the Paraquat formulation.

Despite decades of widespread use and stringent restrictions in the United States due to its toxicity if even a small amount of the herbicide is ingested, recent research has linked Paraquat to an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease among individuals who mix, spray or even handle the weedkiller during normal use.

As a result of the manufacturers’ failure to warn consumers about these risks, thousands of Paraquat Parkinson’s disease lawsuits are now being pursued throughout the federal court system, each raising similar allegations that Syngenta and Chevron have withheld critical safety information about the herbicide for decades.

In response to growing concerns about the safety of Paraquat, a coalition of U.S. House of Representatives members signed onto the recent letter, led by Rep. Greg Casar of Texas. The request has also been endorsed by a number of environmental and consumer protection organizations, including the Center for Biological Diversity, the Center for Food Safety, Friends of the Earth, Earthjustice, and the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, among others.

“Paraquat is dangerous through any route of exposure. If it touches the skin, this herbicide can cause severe rashes, scabbing, and lesions. Inhalation of Paraquat can cause coughing, chest tightness, and lung scarring,” the letter states. “Additionally, numerous studies have found that Paraquat causes serious health risks for workers who use the substance as well as the surrounding communities. These health risks include a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease, with some studies finding a 64% increase in the likelihood of developing Parkinson’s, non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, thyroid cancer, and other thyroid issues.”

The letter also notes that Paraquat is linked to negative environmental impacts, noting that Paraquat residue is increasingly detected in soil and water, leading to harmful chemical accumulation in humans and animals.

The lawmakers urge the EPA to ban Paraquat in the U.S., which has already been done in about 70 other countries, including the European Union, Canada, Brazil and China.

October 2024 Paraquat Lawsuit Updates

Since June 2021, all federal Paraquat lawsuits have been centralized before U.S. District Judge Nancy J. Rosenstengel in the Southern District of Illinois, for coordinated discovery and pretrial proceedings as part of a federal MDL, or multidistrict litigation.

Last month, the Judge identified 10 Paraquat lawsuits to undergo bellwether trial discovery, after a previous batch of potential claims were thrown out when the court rejected key expert witness testimony. This latest group of test cases involve the use of different expert witnesses that link the weed killer to health problems alleged by plaintiffs.

While the outcome of those early trials will not be binding on other plaintiffs, they will be closely watched to gauge the average Paraquat lawsuit payout awarded by juries. Following bellwether trials before Judge Rosenstengel, if the manufacturers fail to negotiate Paraquat settlements or otherwise resolve the litigation, hundreds of individuals’ claims may be remanded to U.S. District Courts nationwide for individual trial dates in the future.