Parkinson's Disease Activists Think That There Is A Link Between Paraquat And The Neurological Disorder

Studies coming out between now and the first paraquat Parkinson's disease trial may prove the EPA got it wrong

Friday, November 19, 2021 - The Michael J. Fox Foundation funds studies into the causes of Parkinson's disease, the neurological disorder the former TV and movie stars suffers from. The foundation initiated the funding of four separate studies in 2021, that are looking into the possible environmental and occupational causes for Parkinson's disease, according to Parkinson's News Today (PNT). The studies will examine herbicide and pesticide environmental contamination focusing on paraquat dangers, and the daily exposure of people living near farms that spray paraquat. Studies will also focus on military personnel's exposure and air pollution. In many ways, paraquat is the worse form of air pollution for millions of people that live, work, and play near farms that use paraquat on their soy and cotton crops. Residents of communities near paraquat farms say the unmistakable smell of paraquat is always hanging in the air. Paraquat is used to kill weeds but is also used excessively to dry out a crop just before harvest to maximize the yield per pound. Experts think that the EPA should have banned paraquat when their license came up for renewal in June of 2021. Instead, the EPA, which was assumed to be more pro-environment under the Biden Administration, decided to extent paraquat's license for another 15-years. At the very least the highly toxic herbicide should be banned for use on crops for dissection before harvest.

Environmental groups have filed paraquat Parkinson's lawsuits alleging negligence on the part of EPA for failing to follow the lead of more than 30 other countries including China and Switzerland where Syngenta was founded and currently is owned respectively. PNT disagrees with the EPA's opinion that there is no relation between inhaling paraquat fumes and developing Parkinson's disease. "Pesticide exposure is one of Parkinson's best-known and most-reported environmental risk factors. While certain pesticides like rotenone and paraquat are thought to associate with the disorder," they write. Although the EPA refused to acknowledge paraquat's link to Parkinson's disease, the agency did add more restrictions on its use by farmers. Two years ago the EPA banned the use of paraquat on golf courses over fears of sickening the millions of golfers that play each year and also those that live in homes on and around the golf course. The new restrictions on paraquat use include establishing a buffer zone around farms that spray paraquat plus, "prohibiting the use of pressurized spray guns, backpack sprayers, and human flaggers on the ground to guide airplanes spraying paraquat. The agency also is requiring enclosed vehicle cabs or use of respirators for ground applications, and is increasing the number of time workers must wait before entering treated areas," according to Chemical and Engineering News. The MJFF and other organizations are trying to find the cause of the exponential growth in the number of cases of Parkinson's disease and have linked the increases in agricultural pesticides and herbicides with deadly neurological disorders. It will be up to jurors to decide on the science and then agree with plaintiffs in court trying to hold Syngenta responsible for failing to warn consumers.

Lawyers for Paraquat Lawsuits

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