According to the lawsuits, the manufacturer omitted to mention to its customers the risk of Parkinson’s disease caused by exposure to Paraquat despite knowing about it. Syngeta was aware that exposure to its weed-killer Paraquat increased the likelihood of getting Parkinson’s disease by two to five times but concealed it to its customers according to the lawsuits.
All plaintiffs contracted Parkinson’s disease after being exposed to Paraquat
Among the plaintiffs are:
- the family of a a farmworker who was exposed to the herbicide in Long Beach California and who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease
- a crop duster in Illinois who contracted the same disease in 2019 after being exposed to Paraquat
- 12 couples in Illinois who suffered neurological damages and were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease after being exposed to the dangerous herbicide
- The family of an Illinois resident who filed a lawsuit against Syngenta in 2018 for not providing adequate direction and failing to provide warnings when using Paraquat
- a farmer who was exposed to the herbicide between 1983 and 2002 who alleges that the company concealed information about the health risks of the product
- two farmers who contracted Parkinson’s disease despite preparing and applying the herbicide following the manufacturer’s instructions. They allege that Syngenta concealed the health risks of their herbicide and did not provide adequate packaging and proper warning
Despite the many lawsuits that have been recently filed, Syngenta continues to sell its products to the American farming industry, putting workers at risk of Parkinson’s disease.
While Paraquat use has been banned in more than 30 countries, a report posted by the US Environmental Protection Agency in 2019 found that evidence supporting links between Parkinson disease and Paraquat were not strong enough. Andrew Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist, was leading the EPA in 2019. Similarly to his predecessor Scott Pruitt, he was in favor of rolling back environmental regulations. Both were nominated by Donald Trump. Michael S. Reagan who was nominated by Joe Biden has bee leading the Agency since March 10, 2021.
Read more in The Legal Examiner
Picture source: Wikipedia