#Farmers allege link between popular #herbicide and #Parkinsons disease
November 29, 2023
"It is against the law to use #paraquat in China, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and dozens of other countries. Many countries have banned the herbicide due to its extreme #toxicity, while others have expressed concerns over the possible risk for Parkinson's disease.
"Yet the herbicide, manufactured by a #Swiss company that is owned by the #Chinese state, is still widely used throughout the #UnitedStates in part because it is a highly effective way to kill weeds.
"The company, Syngenta, says that paraquat, which it produces under the name Gramoxone, 'is safe for its intended and labelled use.'
"Clayton Tucholke, who used Gramoxone for years on his farm in LaBolt, #SouthDakota, and has since been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, says otherwise.
"'It should have been pulled, I think, you know, so it didn't happen to somebody else,' Tucholke told ABC News.
"A 76-year-old father and grandfather, Tucholke lived on his farm with his wife Denise, but as the symptoms of #Parkinson's have worsened, he says he was forced to give up his career in #agriculture and had to move to the nearby town of Milbank to be closer to medical professionals.
"Daily tasks have become arduous for Tucholke, who now has to travel to physical therapy three times a week to slow the progression of his symptoms.
"'This man was so independent,' Denise Tucholke said. 'And his independence has been taken from him, which is unfair.'
"The Tucholkes are among the more than 4,000 Americans who have filed lawsuits as part of a multi-district litigation against #Syngenta, which currently manufactures #Gramoxone, and #Chevron, which distributed it in the U.S. from 1966 until 1986.
"Although Syngenta and Chevron told ABC News that there is no scientific evidence that supports a causal link between #paraquat and #Parkinsonsdisease, the Tucholkes and other plaintiffs allege that such a link exists, arguing that Syngenta and Chevron knew or should have known that the #herbicide could 'cause severe #neurological injuries.'
"'Our daughter and son-in-law are still #farming. I think any time [a] chemical is applied to the fields that they have to use, they should know what's going to happen,' Denise Tucholke said.
"'All the generations that are coming up afterwards need to know,' she said."
Read more:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/farmers-allege-link-between-popular-herbicide-and-parkinson-s-disease/ar-AA1kG0mK?rc=1&ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=023a0b3dc83c49e3943ad9df4c7fd305&ei=12
