Multiple states are now considering legislation to ban the herbicide
Written by Doc Irish | June 2, 2026
There are moments when a disease stops being only a medical story and becomes a public trust story. A prevention story. A question of whether the people who know enough to act will do so in time. I think Parkinson’s disease is having one of those moments now.
For years, many of us living with Parkinson’s have been told some version of the same unsatisfying sentence: We do not know what caused it. Parkinson’s is complicated. Genes, aging, and biology matter. No one should pretend that one chemical explains every diagnosis. But uncertainty is not ignorance. And it is certainly not an excuse for paralysis.
The Parkinson’s Foundation says genetics contribute to about 10% to 15% of Parkinson’s cases, while environmental factors, including pesticide exposure, can influence risk. That leaves millions of us living in the gray zone between “we do not know” and “we should have known enough to do more.”
Paraquat sits squarely in that gray zone. This highly toxic herbicide has been linked in multiple studies and advocacy campaigns to increased Parkinson’s risk. Its use is already banned in more than 70 countries, including China, where it is still manufactured and exported, yet remains legal in the United States. Advocates, scientists, patients, and families have warned about it. Still, the chemical remains in use.
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