All articles tagged with #paraquat
Alabama farmer Mac Barlow, who used the weed killer paraquat for decades, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and is now part of a lawsuit against the manufacturer, Syngenta, alleging the chemical caused his condition. Despite claims from the company denying a link, evidence suggests paraquat is associated with neurological harm, and Barlow's case highlights concerns over pesticide safety and regulation.
Ohio vineyard owner Dave Jilbert, diagnosed with Parkinson's disease after using the toxic pesticide paraquat, is suing the manufacturer and advocating for a ban on the chemical, which has been linked to neurological harm and banned in many countries but remains in use in the U.S.
The U.S. EPA has faced criticism for reaffirming its approval of paraquat-based herbicides for agricultural use, despite concerns from public health advocates and scientific evidence linking paraquat to Parkinson's disease. The agency's decision has been challenged in court, with plaintiffs arguing that it disregards the best available science and prioritizes industry interests over public health. Paraquat, banned in many countries, poses risks to agricultural workers and nearby communities due to pesticide drift. The EPA has defended its decision but will review more evidence before issuing a final report next year.
A Texas A&M researcher and her team are working to determine the cause of a fatal kidney disease epidemic affecting mostly young men working in agriculture in Central American countries. The disease, called Mesoamerica nephropathy, is the leading cause of death in the region. Researchers have investigated the role of paraquat, a toxic chemical used as an herbicide, as well as other agriculture chemicals, and established biological plausibility that paraquat plays a part in kidney disease pathology. The team is currently tracking the external environment of the workers susceptible to developing the disease to determine the root cause.
A study published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology links a common agricultural chemical called paraquat to the rise of kidney disease cases in young Mesoamericans. The disease, known as Mesoamerican nephropathy, affects primarily young men and women in agricultural communities in Pacific coastal regions of Mexico and Central America. The study found evidence pointing to paraquat being responsible for Mesoamerican nephropathy as well as a possible way it causes kidney damage. The research also points to ROS generation as a likely mechanism for kidney damage in these cases as well as the role changes in expression of genes like OCT2 and MATE1 may play.