Title: Forty seven members of Congress ask the US EPA to ban the use of deadly herbicide paraquat
[LINCOLN, Neb. (DTN)] -- Although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it has yet to find a scientific link between the use of the herbicide paraquat and Parkinson's disease, 47 Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday asked the head of the agency to ban the chemical.
At the end of January 2024, EPA released a report on the ongoing review of paraquat. That ongoing review is being conducted in response to a lawsuit filed by Earthjustice on behalf of farmworkers, public health and environmental groups.
"Due to the significant human health and environmental concerns associated with paraquat, roughly 70 countries have banned or discontinued the use of paraquat, including China, Brazil, the European Union and Canada," the lawmakers said in a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan.
"We urge the EPA to change course and deliver critical protections for farmworkers, agricultural communities and the environment by banning paraquat.
*EPA said in January 2024 that it plans to implement additional information on the disease as well as other information in a new review document slated for completion by Jan. 17, 2025. In its report earlier this year the agency stopped short of implementing new mitigation measures on paraquat applications.
The lawmakers led by Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, told Regan the chemical is particularly dangerous for farmworkers. The letter is signed by lawmakers mostly from California and joined by others from New York, Michigan, Florida, Texas, Illinois and other states. Read the full story here
