Paraquat Parkinsons Disease Claims Another Life According To Court Papers

Another farmer has died from the degenerative effects of Parkinson's disease after working with paraquat for decades

Tuesday, April 26, 2022 - Another lawsuit has been filed against Syngenta and Chevron alleging that long-term, low-dose exposure to the herbicide paraquat has caused a farmworker to develop Parkinson's disease, a deadly neurological condition that renders the mind and body useless over time. The wrongful death lawsuit has been initiated by Janet Puzey, the surviving spouse of and on behalf of the estate of Ralph Puzey who died last year as a result of complications from Parkinson's disease. Syngenta and Chevron are the current manufacturers and successors in a line of companies that have manufactured and/or licensed paraquat in the past. The plaintiff is alleged to have been exposed to paraquat regularly as part of his farm work in and around farms in Illinois from 1977 to about 1990 according to the lawsuit. According to AboutLawsuits.com, the lawsuit accuses Syngenta of either knowing or having an obligation to know about the dangers of developing Parkinson's disease from working with paraquat and kept this information from farmers for decades. The lawsuit states that the husband and wife were unaware of the dangers of working with paraquat. Farmworkers are most at risk of developing Paraquat since they were not advised in the past decades to wear and use protective equipment like waterproof clothing and respiration devices. Some farmworkers that have filed paraquat Parkinson's disease lawsuits claim they frequently came home drenched in the defoliant.

Hundreds of paraquat lawsuits have been organized into multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the Southern District of Illinois with the honorable Judge Nancy J. Rosenstengel presiding. Cases with similar complaints, and involving complex scientific facts are better served by MDL. If no settlement can be reached, each case will be returned to the district where it was filed for individual trials. The cases are similar to the extent that each plaintiff alleges to be suffering from or to have died from Parkinson's disease as a result of either working with or around, or living near a farm that uses paraquat. Bellwether paraquat trials are scheduled for later this year or next and the court is studying the scientific data linking Parkinson's disease and deaths to inhaling or otherwise coming into contact with paraquat repeatedly and regularly.

Paraquat is a deadly weed killer, banned in more than 30 countries. China, Switzerland, and the EU allow its manufacture but do not allow its use on their soil. Thousands of deaths occur each year from drinking the herbicide, accidentally or intentionally. Paraquat is classified as a restricted-use agricultural chemical by the Environmental Protection Agency. The (EPA) has ordered that anyone who buys or uses it must have taken instructions and earned a license. The EPA is concerned with educating paraquat users to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) when mixing, transferring, or applying paraquat. They also insist that the mixture not be stored in any container except the original one. Accidental deaths have occurred when farmers store it in containers that could be mistaken for a soft drink and accidentally ingested. Others have used paraquat in liquid form to commit suicide.

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.