State Is First to Ban Weed Killer Possibly Tied to Parkinson's

Vermont has become the first US state to ban paraquat, one of the most commonly used herbicides, with lawmakers citing a possible link between the weed killer and Parkinson's disease. The ban has been widely celebrated by advocates who hope Vermont's move will prompt similar action in other states to prevent the neurological disease that robs people of control over their movements and affects about 1 million Americans, per the AP. "Vermont took the step to be the leader in this, and that's significant because it shifts the conversation," says Dan Feehan of the Michael J. Fox Foundation, the world's largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson's research. "Now, 'will your state be the last to ban it?' becomes the question."

For some farmers, however, the ban could potentially threaten their already-slim profit margins. Attempts to prohibit paraquat's use in other states where the chemical is more heavily used have repeatedly stalled. The Environmental Protection Agency is currently reviewing the safety of paraquat after saying there's no clear link between the herbicide and Parkinson's. Syngenta, a Swiss chemicals firm that has made paraquat for years, announced earlier this year it would stop global manufacturing or selling of the chemical, but it also defended the herbicide's safety. Other companies continue to sell it.

"Despite decades of investigation and more than 1,200 epidemiological and laboratory studies of paraquat, no scientist or doctor has ever concluded in a peer-reviewed scientific analysis that paraquat causes Parkinson's disease," the company said. First introduced in the US in 1964, paraquat became a popular weed killer for farmers. It's known as an extremely toxic chemical that's fatal if ingested and can cause chronic health problems on contact. Farmworkers are at particular risk, which has led the EPA to require special training for certified applicators of paraquat.

The herbicide is commonly used for protecting soybean, cotton, and corn crops, but also for apples and grapes, per the US Geological Survey. As of 2018, the USGS reported more than 10 million pounds of paraquat was used in the US, largely concentrated in the South, Midwest, and California. Despite its popularity, dozens of countries have banned the substance. The European Union and the UK banned paraquat in 2007. China banned domestic use of paraquat in 2017, along with Vietnam and Malaysia. Thailand issued a similar ban in 2019. More here.