What Is Paraquat?
Paraquat is an herbicide—and a toxic chemical—that is primarily used for weed and grass control in liquid form. Though it was first approved for use in 1961, it became popularized in the mid-1990s and is now used on over 100 types of crops. It’s one of just two pesticides still being used in the U.S. that is banned in other countries, including China, Brazil, and the European Union.
Paraquat is sold under a variety of brand names by different manufacturers, though Gramoxone is one of the most popular brands manufactured by Syngenta. The herbicide is so poisonous that it’s required to use a blue dye, sharp odor, and an agent to induce vomiting if consumed, all to prevent individuals from confusing it with beverages.
Multiple studies have been conducted to explore the links between Paraquat and Parkinson’s disease, a nervous system disorder that affects an individual’s movement and causes tremors.
After a popular 2011 study by the National Institute of Health (NIH), a Swiss herbicide manufacturer known as Syngenta claimed the data showed that farmers who use the herbicide are less likely to develop Parkinson’s than the generational population. The study’s authors responded by affirming the opposite—the data shows that individuals are two and a half times more likely to develop Parkinson’s after Paraquat exposure.
In 2016, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it’d be re-evaluating the health risks associated with Paraquat. In August 2020, Congressional Democrats introduced the Protect America’s Children from Toxic Pesticides Act, which would immediately ban multiple chemical classes of pesticides and follow European and Canadian standards. The bill, if passed, would immediately ban Paraquat.
