The EPA's Farm Flagger Ban Came Decades Too Late for Thousands of Farm Workers Who Now Have Parkinson's disease

Farmworkers who are on the ground when paraquat is sprayed may have the highest likelihood of developing paraquat Parkinson's disease

Tuesday, October 12, 2021 - A retired farmworker living in West Palm Beach, Florida, claims that he developed Parkinson's disease from being exposed to paraquat, a deadly weed killer that is highly toxic to human beings. Paraquat Parkinson's could take ten or more years before symptoms appear as was the case of Walter Parker after retiring from working on a farm that sprayed paraquat in 2001. Mr. Parker was a flagger, the person on the ground who signals a crop duster airplane where to spray their weedkiller. Parker claims that his diagnosis was as a result of often becoming drenched in paraquat during the normal course of doing his job. Parker's job of flagger is so hazardous that it has been banned by the EPA, as has spraying paraquat on golf courses. The EPA has issued a new set of restrictions governing the handling and use of paraquat. One such restriction prohibits the use of farm flaggers, the exact job Mr. Parker performed for decades according to his attorney and reported by WPTV Palm Beach. The EPA's banning of farm flaggers may be too little, too late for thousands of farmworkers. Paraquat is so toxic to human beings that only a single sip can cause instant death. Farmers are in awe of how fast paraquat kills weed, literally before their eyes. Paraquat is so toxic that people drink it deliberately to commit suicide. Thousands of others have died accidentally from drinking paraquat stored in soda bottles and mistaken for a soft drink. Paraquat lawyers continue to take Parkinson's disease cases on contingency.

Mr. Parker explained his physical condition to WPTV. Been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and that was determined by a scan on my brain," said Parker. "My gate is messed up. I don't have very good balancing. I'm in a wheelchair." Parker said he believes his declining health is due to exposure to the herbicide paraquat. "When you flag the planes to line them up in the fields, sometimes they don't cut off the spray when they reach the end of the field," he said. And some would drip on me and I would be sitting in my truck, could feel it on my arms." Paraquat exposure can be a result of directly ingesting it, inhaling it, or being absorbed into the bloodstream through the skin. Millions of people live on our near farms, golf courses, or parks that have been spraying paraquat for decades. Plaintiffs suing Syngenta and Chevron, the makers of paraquat, allege that paraquat drifts onto their communities so heavily that they can constantly smell it. Scientific studies have concluded that repeatedly inhaling low dosages of paraquat may lead to developing symptoms consistent with Parkinson's disease. Lawyers for Mr. Parker told WPTV that all of his paraquat Parkinson's disease clients applied paraquat decades before the EPA published the new safety regulations. Lawyers also say that the language barrier for farmworkers made understanding any Paraquat warning impossible.

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.