The New EPA Warnings On Who Can Use Paraquat Should Make Farmers Sit Up And Take Notice

The new paraquat warning label restricts the use of paraquat to only by a licensed applicator and use by an unlicensed worker is not allowed, even if supervised

Monday, July 18, 2022 - An interesting description of paraquat has been made by Christopher Sutherland, a pesticide compliance investigator with the Washington State Department of Agriculture, during a talk given at a state wine grape industry conference. Sutherland described in common sense terms that the weedkiller paraquat, manufactured by Syngenta and Chevron is so toxic that to make just one little mistake in its handling would likely result in death, a shocking statement that can not be made for any other agricultural chemical. Sutherland told grape farmers to read the warning label closely and to adhere to the new, strict regulations the EPA has placed on mixing, using, and storing the herbicide. "It's the only herbicide that I'm aware of that kills you the first time if you misuse it," Sutherland warned grape growers. Paraquat is so deadly that only one small sip will kill a human being. GoodFruit.com reports that the new EPA paraquat warning label restrictions are a response to 17 deaths including three children from accidentally drinking paraquat stored in soft drink containers, since 2000. The EPA definition of using paraquat includes drinking paraquat, inhaling paraquat, and coming into direct skin contact with paraquat or inhaling the vapors at any time from opening the packaging and mixin it, to applying it, to cleaning the equipment used to spray the chemical and other ways that one can come into contact with paraquat.

One overlooked way of coming into contact with paraquat is to the person who launders the work clothing of farmers who have sprayed paraquat. Many have reported coming home drenched in the defoliant and throwing their contaminated clothing directly into the family wash contaminating everyone in the family. Repeatedly coming into contact with paraquat by spraying, inhaling, or doing the laundry for paraquat-contaminated clothing may be the cause of developing Parkinson's disease, a deadly neurological disorder. Hundreds of farmers have filed paraquat lawsuits against Syngenta and Chevron for failing to warn them for decades of paraquat's deadly effects on the brain and neurological functions. Thousands of paraquat Parkinson's disease lawsuits brought by farmers that have contracted the relatively rare condition have been consolidated into multidistrict litigation under the supervision of Judge Robin Rosenstengal. The first bellwether trials were scheduled for November of 2022 but have now been postponed until 2023 as there has been an influx of new plaintiffs, according to NY Legal Examiner. Daubert hearings are currently underway and Judge Rosenstengal is interviewing the scientific experts that both sides intend to call. The judge will select two or three experts for each side that she thinks are the most credible and best reflect scientific fact. It will be up to each jury in the six 2023-bellwether trials to decide on the facts whether or not paraquat is responsible for causing their deadly disease and if Syngenta and Chevron should be held liable for failing to warn consumers.

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.