The Link Between Paraquat and Parkinson’s: What to Do If You’ve Been Diagnosed

What if you developed Parkinson’s disease (PD) from simply doing your job?

This nightmare is becoming a reality for many licensed herbicide applicators, farmers, growers, pickers and other agricultural workers. Hundreds of these individuals have been exposed to paraquat, a toxic chemical that’s widely used in the U.S. to kill weeds and grass — and they’re now being diagnosed with PD.

Brands of herbicide containing paraquat include:

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In 2017, the Unified Parkinson’s Advocacy Council sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asking the agency to “deny the registration of this herbicide based on strong evidence of paraquat’s harm to human health” and the herbicide’s relationship to PD. Case in point — a study from the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Southern California found people exposed to paraquat in their teen or early adult years were 200% to 600% more likely to develop PD, depending on the overall years of exposure.

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And what did the EPA do? In 2019, the agency issued a memorandum after reviewing relevant studies concluding “the weight of evidence was insufficient to link paraquat exposure from pesticidal use of U.S. registered products to Parkinson’s disease in humans.” In July 2021, the EPA went even further and introduced an interim reapproval for paraquat. This is despite the fact that paraquat is currently banned in 32 countries, including the European Union, and it’s routinely used in laboratory studies to induce the pathological effects of PD in animal subjects.

Now, nearly 300 paraquat lawsuits are pending — and the team at Johnson & Biscone is joining the fight. We’re standing up with hundreds of others to hold companies accountable and demand compensation for innocent workers who have been diagnosed with PD.

What to Do If You’ve Been Exposed to Paraquat and Diagnosed with PD

If you have been exposed to paraquat and diagnosed with PD, then you are likely eligible to pursue compensation in a claim handled by our experienced product liability attorneys. It’s very important to contact us as soon as possible — statues of limitations apply, meaning if you wait too long to file a lawsuit, you could risk losing your chance for compensation.

Compensation could include:

  • Past and future medical expenses resulting from paraquat exposure injury
  • Past and future lost wages and earning capacity resulting from paraquat exposure injury
  • Past and future pain and suffering resulting from paraquat exposure injury
  • Past and future loss of enjoyment of life
  • Punitive damages

For a free case review, give Johnson & Biscone a call at 405-232-6490.

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