Vermont Becomes First US State to Ban Paraquat Over Parkinson’s Risk

Governor Phil Scott signed the legislation on Tuesday, and the new law will take effect on November 1. However, the law includes a special permit allowing the use of Paraquat on fruit-producing tree orchards, berries and other “small fruit” crops until December 31, 2030.

The legislation also mandates annual reporting on the use of the pesticide in the state and calls for a state-funded study on alternative weed-control methods that farmers can use. Despite opposition from manufacturers and concerns over farming competitiveness, lawmakers argued that the risks posed by the weedkiller are too severe to ignore.

Vermont’s decision was heavily influenced by research conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which suggests that exposure to Paraquat increases the likelihood of developing Parkinson’s disease and may also be linked to childhood leukaemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. State Representative Michelle Bos-Lun argued that the correlation between the weedkiller and these diseases makes the ban a responsible step to protect both the farming community and the general public.

Neurologist Ray Dorsey welcomed the move, calling it an important step in preventing a man-made disease. He noted that a similar ban in the United States is long overdue, especially since many other countries have already prohibited the chemical’s use.

Since its introduction in 1964, Paraquat has become one of the most widely used herbicides in the US, applied to crops such as corn, soybeans, fruits and nuts. The chemical is highly lethal even when small amounts are swallowed, and its long-term connection to Parkinson’s disease remains a subject of intense debate.

Syngenta, the pesticide’s primary manufacturer for decades, maintains that there is no proven connection between Paraquat and Parkinson’s disease. However, the company is currently facing more than 8,000 lawsuits related to the allegations and has settled several cases before trial without admitting liability. In April, Syngenta announced that it would stop producing and selling Paraquat in the US, leaving only generic versions of the chemical on the market.

The urgency of the issue has been underscored by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which reports that Parkinson’s disease cases have more than doubled worldwide over the past 25 years. Reports have also revealed that Syngenta and its predecessor companies had long expressed concerns about the herbicide’s potential health risks.

Investigations by The Guardian in 2022 and 2023 uncovered internal Syngenta documents suggesting that the company used clandestine methods to downplay research linking Paraquat to Parkinson’s disease and attempted to influence regulatory agencies.

Advocacy groups such as the Michael J. Fox Foundation argue that the evidence against the pesticide is now undeniable. Chief Policy Officer Dan Feehan stated that the federal government has an obligation to impose a nationwide ban to protect public health.