Pesticide linked to Parkinson's still used in U.S.

Dear friend,

New reporting out of Wayne County, Miss., is raising serious alarms: A rural community, home to the nation’s largest emitter of the toxic weedkiller paraquat, has unusually high rates of deaths from Parkinson’s disease.

The cause? Researchers point to the potential risks of long-term exposure, underscoring the real-world consequences for people living nearby.

And this isn’t just about direct contact. 

Paraquat is an herbicide sprayed on crops. It’s also imported to U.S. facilities – including one in Wayne County – where it’s mixed and repackaged for sale. These industrial facilities emit paraquat into the surrounding community.

Even when applied to crops, paraquat can travel beyond farm fields and into nearby communities, where families live, work and raise children.

And yet this toxic chemical is still widely used across the United States.

Here’s what we know:

Despite growing evidence and real-world cases like those reported in Mississippi, the EPA still allows commercial use of paraquat in the U.S., putting corporate profits ahead of the health of farmworkers, families and nearby communities.

Our system for approving pesticides is clearly broken. EWG wants to hear from you about what should happen next. 

Can we count on you to complete our quick survey on toxic pesticides by midnight tonight?

Thanks for adding your voice.

– EWG