"On the eve of the opening of what would have been a bellwether US trial over allegations that a widely used weed killer causes Parkinson’s disease, paraquat-maker Syngenta reached a settlement with the retired landscaper who blamed the company for his diagnosis with the incurable brain disease.
The trial, which was set to open Wednesday in Philadelphia, was to be the first public examination of evidence that Syngenta’s paraquat weed killing products can cause Parkinson’s. Syngenta’s paraquat-based Gramoxone herbicide brand is popular with US farmers.
The case was expected to spotlight decades of scientific research and a cache of internal corporate files related to the safety of paraquat and specifically the impacts exposure to the chemical can have on the brain. It was expected to be closely watch as US regulators are in the middle of a years-long review of paraquat and there are growing calls for a US ban on paraquat because of health concerns. New legislation seeking bans on paraquat were introduced this month in Pennsylvania, Missouri and Vermont."
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