Parkinson’s disease (PD) groups around the country are urging the EPA to ban paraquat, a commonly used herbicide linked to the production of PD, and have led to nationwide paraquat lawsuits.

The EPA conducts a 15-year study of all herbicides to ensure they meet federal safety requirements. The Unified Parkinson’s Advocacy Council (UPAC), a coalition of local, regional, and national Parkinson’s disease advocacy organizations, asked the EPA on July 24, 2017, to “deny the reregistration of this herbicide based on clear evidence of paraquat’s harm to human health.”

After reviewing research on the herbicide’s connection to Parkinson’s disease, the UPAC agreed to call for a ban on paraquat. According to one group of researchers, “When combined with previous studies, our findings indicate that paraquat use plays a role in human Parkinson’s disease. Since paraquat is still one of the most commonly used herbicides in the world, this discovery has the potential to have significant public health implications.” Another research discovered that people exposed to paraquat at a younger age – in their adolescent or young adult years – had a 200 to 600 percent increased risk of Parkinson’s disease, depending on the total number of years of exposure. Furthermore, the herbicide is officially prohibited in 32 countries.

Members of the Parkinson’s group are urged to join the UPAC’s anti-paraquat efforts. Sign an online petition requesting that the EPA reject the reregistration of paraquat.