"US regulators will hold a forum this summer to explore safety concerns surrounding paraquat weed killer, a pesticide used for decades in farm fields that has been linked to health risks that include Parkinson’s disease.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Tuesday that it will host a roundtable to hear from scientists, farmworkers, community advocates, and others to discuss the “documented safety challenges associated with the chemical,” and explore “potential solutions and alternatives.”
The agency did not specify a date or location, but said details would be announced later. An EPA spokesperson said the agency could not yet say if the event will be open to the public.
The use of paraquat in agriculture and elsewhere has been under scrutiny for the last few years, largely due to mounting scientific research connecting chronic exposure to harm to the brain. As well, litigation brought by Parkinson’s sufferers uncovered internal corporate records showing paraquat maker Syngenta and former paraquat distributor Chevron had concerns about chronic health harms that began decades ago, but the companies never warned users and instead worked to hide the risks."
