Environmentalist's Seeks To Overturn The EPA's Financial Decision to Extend Paraquat’s License For 15 More Yearw

The EPA has extended paraquat's license for 15 more years but banned using the herbicide on golf courses

Tuesday, February 8, 2022 - Controlling unwanted weeds may be the most important element in the global economy as food consumption is an element of life that can not be avoided. Farmer's advocacy associations lobby their state's federal representatives continuously to make sure that the farm industry's ability to use effective herbicides on their crops is not deterred. In the United States, farm associations have successfully lobbied the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to extend the license to use paraquat the most deadly defoliant available, for the next 15 years. The extension comes among protests from environmental protection groups and several Parkinson's disease advocacy groups. Parkinson's disease is a deadly neurological disorder linked by scientific studies to inhaling paraquat and other agricultural pesticides and herbicides. Scientists believe that inhaling low doses of paraquat mist in the air for prolonged times can cause neurological problems like Parkinson's disease. Airborn paraquat is believed to be a hazard to farmworkers and also to people who live, work, and play in the communities surrounding paraquat-spraying farms. People with Parkinsons disease have spoken with Paraquat lawyers and filed lawsuits. Paraquat was banned two years ago out of concern for the millions of people that use US golf courses regularly, and also over concern for those that live on or near the golf course.

Lawsuits against the EPA have been filed for extending paraquat's license. The lawsuits claim that the EPA is neglecting the health of children and putting farm profits ahead of human health. The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) reports that "Farmworker groups, environmentalists and health organizations represented by Earthjustice sued the Environmental Protection Agency today for approving the continued use of the deadly pesticide paraquat, which has been linked to Parkinson's disease." Jonathan Kalmuss-Katz, a senior attorney at Earthjustice told EJ. "With dozens of countries banning paraquat because of its severe health effects, there is no excuse for leaving farmworkers and agricultural communities exposed to extreme risks."

Hundreds of Paraquat lawsuits on behalf of individuals blame their Parkinson's disease on paraquat exposure. The cases are grouped into multidistrict litigation with bellwether trials to begin in 2023. Sixteen bellwether paraquat Parkinson's disease trials are slated to take place between November 15, 2022, and September 18, 2023. The purpose of the trials is to ascertain the jury's reaction to hearing the scientific evidence that links paraquat to Parkinson's disease, a connection that the EPA refutes. The EPA refused requests to ban paraquat citing a lack of an adequate connection between the two after reviewing what they said was all of the scientific data. Hundreds of farmworkers and farmworker community residents think otherwise. The farmworker's cases should get a boost by the fact that it may be reasonable to assume that inhaling paraquat could contribute to developing the neurological disorder given that 33 countries have banned using paraquat because it is too lethal to human beings. Countries in the European Union, Switzerland, where Syngenta, the maker of paraquat is headquartered, and China, not exactly the beacon of caring for workers' well-being, have all banned using paraquat.

Lawyers for Paraquat Lawsuits

Attorneys handling Paraquat Lawsuits for leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and multiple myeloma offer free, no-obligation case review for individuals and families who believe they may have grounds to file a paraquat Parkinson's lawsuit. Working on a contingency basis, these attorneys are committed to never charging legal fees unless they win compensation in your paraquat Parkinson's lawsuit. The product liability litigators handling Roundup claims at the Onder Law Firm have a strong track record of success in representing families harmed by dangerous drugs and consumer products.