Hey everyone,
Most of you know that a one of the major reasons for developing Parkinson disease is the long-term exposure to chemicals (pesticides specifically). In today's post, I'd like to share with you some updates related to PARAQUAT, also known as Gramoxone).
According to DrugWatch website, Paraquat, is one of the most commonly used herbicides in the world. Commercial farmers use it to kill weeds and grasses. Because Paraquat is highly toxic and can lead to fatal poisoning, only licensed professionals can apply it.
Because of its toxicity, the EPA limits the herbicide’s use to licensed applicators for commercial use. There are no paraquat products licensed for use by homeowners.
Exposure to Paraquat
People who are licensed paraquat applicators are at the greatest risk for exposure, but anyone who works in places where paraquat is used may be exposed. This includes groundskeepers, farmers, growers, pickers and other agricultural workers.
“Paraquat is highly toxic to humans; one small accidental sip can be fatal and there is no antidote.”
Symptoms and Side Effects of Exposure
Symptoms of paraquat exposure vary depending on the amount of exposure and how someone was exposed. You can check the list of long-term and short term side effects on Drugwatch link here. But one of the main long-term side effects of being exposed to Paraquat over time is developping Parkinson disease.
Paraquat and Parkinson’s Disease
According to Drugwatch, several studies link long-term Paraquat exposure to developing Parkinson’s disease. These studies propose that paraquat increases Parkinson’s disease risk by creating oxidative stress that damages and kills neurons that produce dopamine.
The scientific link to Parkinson’s disease has led several people to file paraquat lawsuits against herbicide manufacturers, including Syngenta.
Lawsuits claim Paraquat is defective and led farmers to develop Parkinson’s disease. Plaintiffs say that manufacturers failed to warn the public about the risk.
Sampling of Studies
Many studies have been put in place in the US to examine the health of farmers over several years. The results showed that Paraquat use increased the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. People exposed during their teen or young adult years had an increased Parkinson’s disease risk of 200 to 600 percent, according to studies quoted by The Unified Parkinson’s Advocacy Council.
Lawsuit Information
People who developed Parkinson's disease after long-term exposure to paraquat are filing lawsuits. You can check Drugwatch's specific page about this topic here. Plaintiffs diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease say manufacturers failed to warn about the risk. Farmers, agricultural workers and others are suing manufacturers for compensation.
Visit Drugwatch's page in this link for all needed and updated information about this active lawsuit:
Reasons to seek a paraquat lawyer and file a paraquat lawsuit
Paraquat updates and court proceedings
Who can file a Paraquat lawsuit?
Paraquat Lawsuit Examples
Paraquat Lawsuit Settlements
Please read and share this article to raise awareness about this topic and reduce any future impact on the health of people exposed to Paraquat.
