In August 2021, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released new safety information about the pesticide known as paraquat. While other countries, including Brazil, China, the European Union, and the United Kingdom, have banned paraquat use, the EPA decided to continue to allow paraquat use in the United States.
EPA Introduces New Paraquat Safety Measures
The EPA’s August 2021 interim decision seeks to decrease paraquat exposure by:
- Limiting aerial applications
- Requiring certain distances between paraquat applications and residences
- Prohibiting application by pressurized handgun or backpack sprayer
- Requiring that enclosed cabs or respirators be used for ground boom application
- Increasing the Restricted Entry Interval for some crops
According to the EPA, these changes were made to reduce health risks.
However, the EPA specifically states that it “…has not found a clear link between paraquat exposure from labeled uses and adverse health outcomes such as Parkinson’s disease and cancer.”
Is There a Link Between Paraquat and Parkinson’s?
While the EPA maintains that there is not a clear link between paraquat exposure and Parkinson’s disease, a National Institutes of Health study found a potential link more than a decade ago. Since then, numerous studies in well-respected medical journals have also found a possible link between paraquat exposure and Parkinson’s disease. These journals include The American Journal of Epidemiology, JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) Neurology, and The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
Contact a Paraquat Attorney After a Parkinson’s Diagnosis
If you’ve been exposed to paraquat and you’ve been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, then you deserve to learn more about your legal rights and potential recovery. You may be able to recover damages from paraquat manufacturers, marketers, and distributors even though the EPA is unwilling to recognize that paraquat may cause Parkinson’s disease.
Our New England mass tort lawyers are here to make sure that you are treated fairly. We encourage you to contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation in our conveniently located Natick law office or by phone.
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