May 14, 2021 — Lawsuits are being filed by farm-workers who developed Parkinson’s disease after being exposed to Paraquat weed-killer chemicals.
Over 60 lawsuits have been filed against the manufacturers of Paraquat — Syngenta, Chevron USA, Growmark, and others. These companies are accused of failing to warn that Parkinson’s disease may be a side effect of Paraquat exposure.
Lawsuits claim these companies knew (or should have known) that Paraquat can cause Parkinson’s disease, based on studies showing that farm-workers who used Paraquat were 250% more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than non-users.
Here are a few examples of studies linking Paraquat and Parkinson’s:
- American Journal of Epidemiology — “Parkinson’s disease and residential exposure to maneb and paraquat from agricultural applications in the central valley of California” (April 2009)
- Journal of the American Medical Association — “Occupation and Risk of Parkinsonism: A Multicenter Case-Control Study” (September 2009)
- National Institutes of Health — “NIH study finds two pesticides associated with Parkinson’s disease” (February 2011)
All of the lawsuits involve agricultural workers who are seeking financial compensation to pay for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and long-term care in the later stages of this devastating illness.
Paraquat is banned in more than 30 countries around the world because it is so toxic that a single sip can cause death. However, in the U.S., Paraquat is still legal — and its use actually doubled from 2006 through 2016, according to the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project — due to weeds evolving resistance to other herbicides, such as Roundup (glyphosate).
Unfortunately, the rising use of Paraquat in the U.S. has led to more agricultural workers being exposed to this toxic weed-killer on the job.
Paraquat has long been known to pose an extreme risk of poisoning, with no antidote that can prevent death. In recent years, several studies also found that Paraquat may lead to Parkinson’s disease.
After these studies were published, the first Paraquat lawsuit was filed by a farmer in Illinois in October 2017. Since then, dozens of farm-workers in other states — including California and West Virginia — have filed federal lawsuits against the makers of Paraquat, according to a report by Bloomberg Law.
In the U.S., a variety of weed-killers contain Paraquat. One of the most popular products is Gramoxone, which is manufactured by Syngenta. Some of the other weed-killers containing Paraquat include:
- Para-SHOT
- Helmquat
- Parazone
- Firestorm
- Ortho-Paraquat
- Quick-Quat
- Devour
- Blanco
Do I have a Paraquat Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Paraquat induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Toxic Chemical Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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