Exposure to the herbicide Paraquat has been linked to a considerable increase in risk for the development of Parkinson’s Disease. Paraquat, also known by its trade name Gramoxone, is a particularly dangerous chemical herbicide used in agriculture across the United States despite the fact it is banned in over 50 countries.
Thousands of people harmed by Paraquat’s propensity to cause Parkinson’s have filed product liability lawsuits against some of the makers of the herbicide such as Chevron Chemical Corporation and Syngenta. Those that have developed Parkinson’s disease after regularly using Paraquat or other products containing this chemical may be entitled to seek compensation for the damages they have suffered by filing a Paraquat lawsuit.
Why Choose Dolman Law Group for your Paraquat Parkinson’s Lawsuit?
The product liability lawyers of Dolman Law Group are currently representing plaintiffs suffering from Parkinson’s disease because of Paraquat exposure and can help you hold those liable for your damages responsible. Dolman Law Group is a personal injury law firm that services clients across the United States and has attained a reputation as one of the preeminent litigators of defective products like Paraquat.
Choosing the right personal injury attorney for your case can seem like a daunting prospect. There is so much on the line and your choice can significantly affect the outcome of your case. Dolman Law Group has an exemplary track record of success with product liability cases and even have direct experience with herbicides thanks to our efforts assisting clients harmed by Roundup weedkiller.
Dolman Law Group is a firm that prioritizes a close working relationship with clients and obstinance in our pursuit of fair compensation for our clients. While we are a large firm with the resources to match, we offer our client’s a small firm experience where they can get in easy contact with their Paraquat lawyer who will work with them through every step of the process.
What is Paraquat?
Paraquat (N,N′-dimethyl-4,4′-bipyridinium dichloride) is an organic compound widely used as an herbicide since it has the ability to kill plant tissue on contact. Paraquat has technically existed for over a century since it was first synthesized in 1882 but was not widely utilized as an herbicide until the 1960s after Imperial Chemical Industries marketed it under the name Gramoxone. Paraquat can also be found in the following products.
- Gramoxone
- Parazone
- Quick-Quat
- Para-Shot 3.0
- Helmquat 3SL
- Cyclone SL 2.0
- Firestorm
- Crisquat
- Dexuron
- Para-col
- Devour
- Bonedry
- Blanco
- Dexuron
- Esgram
- Ortho Paraquat CL
- Tota-col
- PP148
- Garmixel
- Pillarxone
- AH 501
- Bai Cao Ku
Paraquat is currently the third most widely used herbicide today due to its effectiveness in killing weeds. Many glyphosate-containing weedkiller alternatives such as Roundup have had reduced effectiveness over the years as more weeds have grown more resistant while glyphosate has remained potent.
Paraquat is classified for “restricted use” meaning that only those with the correct certification can purchase or utilize the product since it is so dangerous. While this measure does limit the ubiquity of Paraquat in the United States, it is far from the necessary ban that other countries have enacted.
Worldwide Pressure to Ban Paraquat
Many countries do not consider this efficacy worth the danger that Paraquat poses and have banned the chemical from use. Despite the fact that Paraquat was first created in Europe the European Union has banned the substance. In fact, of the four largest agricultural nations in the world, the United States is the only one to not have banned Parquat while the EU, Brazil, and even China have banned the substance. To put things into perspective, China has only banned two substances that the United States has not and one of them is Paraquat.
Ironically, Syngenta, a major manufacturer of Paraquat is a Chinese-owned company based in Switzerland that makes Paraquat in the UK and sells the product to developing nations that have little qualms about the health risk Paraquat poses. So far the following countries have banned Paraquat.
- Brazil
- Syria
- Kuwait
- Malaysia
- Cambodia
- Ivory Coast
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
- European Union (27 countries)
- United Arab Emirates
Paraquat’s Connection to Parkinson’s Disease
Those that have used or still use Paraquat are under no illusion when it comes to the chemical’s lethality. A minuscule ingested amount either orally or via inhalation is extremely likely to kill with even physical exposure to skin being considered toxic. It is clearly a toxic chemical and labeled as such but the extent of the danger was not understood until a few years ago. Suspicions of Paraquat’s dangerous effects outside of its immediately obvious toxicity have been suspected for some time but the research to back up these suspicions has only come out recently.
Parkinson’s Disease has plagued agriculture workers that experienced regular exposure to Paraquat for some time although the connection between the two has been repeatedly denied. It was not until 2009 when a study by the American Journal of Epidemiology found disturbing connections between Paraquat exposure based on proximity to farms that used the substance was connected with an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease.
Some disregarded this evidence and claimed that the correlation was a stretch and that the study had flaws. Another study in 2011 by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences went on to show more connections between Gramoxone and Parkinson’s Disease risk. By 2014 the Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology would, after several of their own published studies, conclude that Paraquat was indeed a danger to people because of its Parkinson's disease risk.
The Paraquat Papers Highlight the Negligence of Paraquat Manufacturers
In 2021 Greenpeace would publish an exposé titled The Paraquat Papers that revealed the extent Paraquat manufacturers went to in order to obfuscate the truth about their product in order to keep it on the market despite knowing the danger it posed. Paraquat manufacturers attempted to rectify the problem of people dying via Paraquat ingestion by adding an emetic to the chemical in order to make people vomit and avoid a lethal dose. This came after pressure from several sources to ban the chemical because of the high number of poisonings that it was responsible for.
Syngenta added the emetic but knew that the amount was not enough to effectively prevent poisoning yet they continued its sale regardless. Syngenta covered this up in order to keep Paraquat on the market despite knowing that doing so was misleading and would result in deaths. Syngenta is not alone when it comes to liability for the harm that Paraquat has caused. Other manufacturers of Paraquat that may be considered liable for Parkinson’s Disease caused by Paraquat include the following.
- Chevron Chemical Company
- Syngenta
- Drexel Chemical Company
- Adama Group
- Altitude Crop Innovations
- United Phosphorus
- Helm Agro
- Sinon USA
- Innvictis Crop Care
What is Parkinson’s Disease?
At the core of this controversy is Parkinson’s Disease which is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects the nervous system. The disease is characterized by a significant reduction in someone’s motor control, tremors, and the deterioration of a person’s control of their own body. These symptoms occur because Parkinson’s disease involves the deterioration of certain neurons in the brain.
Parkinson’s Disease is a particularly frustrating disease because its cause is still unknown and as a result, there is no cure although treatments and medications exist to improve symptoms. All we know is that people with Parkinson’s Disease suffer degradation of neurons that produce dopamine, an important chemical in the brain that functions as a neurotransmitter.
Parkinson’s Disease Symptoms
The following are some of the common symptoms associated with Parkinson’s Disease. These symptoms occur because the breakdown of neurons inhibits the mind’s control over certain functions.
- Tremors
- Bradykinesia (slowed movement)
- Rigid muscles and stiffness
- Slurred speech
- Imbalance
- Loss of unconscious movements (blinking, arm sway while walking, smiling)
- Writing impairment
- Impaired posture
Parkinson’s Disease Treatment
There is no cure for Parkinson’s but that does not mean that there is no hope. People that have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease have options for treatment that can help reduce the severity of some symptoms. Medications can achieve this as well as surgeries, and therapy.
Parkinson’s Disease Complications
Parkinson’s Disease should not be left untreated and unobserved since there is a risk of complications occurring such as:
- Difficulty swallowing
- Breathing problems
- Cognitive issues
- Depression
- Constipation
- Bladder Problems
- Sleep issues
The Damages Inflicted by Paraquat
The debilitating symptoms caused by Parkinson’s Disease lead to significant damages that affect almost every aspect of a person’s life. Paraquat exposure can lead to significant financial burdens as well as emotional adversity as one grapples with the consequences of their illness. Filing a lawsuit against the makers of Paraquat because of Parkinson’s Disease can get you the necessary compensation to cover your damages.
These damages make up the foundation of these lawsuits and will usually fall into one of wo categories. On one hand, there are economic damages that consist of losses of a financial nature tied to a tangible dollar value. The most prominent example of an economic damage would be medical bills.
There are also non-economic damages that are intangible and not as clearly tied to a direct fiscal value but are very real losses. The pain and emotional anguish that those diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease experience is a legitimate damage that can be compensated through a successful Paraquat lawsuit.
Paraquat Lawsuits Filed Over Parkinson’s Disease
Paraquat manufacturers have known of the risk Paraquat posed in terms of its propensity to cause Parkinson’s for years yet they never took proper action and actively obscured the truth from consumers. It is because of this that many are filing lawsuits against Paraquat manufacturers such as Chevron and Syngenta.
The basis for these lawsuits is not the fact that Paraquat is toxic. That has never been disputed. However, Paraquat products were not labeled in a way that properly warned consumers of the risk of Parkinson’s Disease the herbicide caused. This failure to properly label Paraquat products in order to adequately warn consumers of risk is the real basis of these Paraquat lawsuits.
The Ongoing Paraquat Litigation
There have already been several lawsuits filed against Paraquat manufacturers over Paraquat-related Parkinson’s Disease. The first was filed in 2017 in Missouri against Syngenta and since then, a slew of additional claims have been filed across a number of states. A large number of lawsuits across different states by plaintiffs suffering from similar injuries has necessitated the establishment of a Paraquat multidistrict litigation (MDL) overseen by Chief U.S. District Judge Nancy Rosenstengel.
This MDL functions to consolidate the many Paraquat lawsuits under a single mass tort that alleviates the burden put on the courts and streamlines the process. The paraquat MDL gives the many Paraquat lawsuits the opportunity to work together in pretrial proceedings yet they are all still considered individual lawsuits.
The Paraquat MDL is scheduled to have bellwether trials begin in July of 2023. These bellwether trials function to test the waters of this litigation by having example trials undertaken to give an idea of how the many lawsuits will go.
Why Hire a Paraquat Lawsuit Attorney?
Hiring an experienced Paraquat lawyer can mean the difference between a paltry settlement and fair compensation for the damages you have suffered. The corporations responsible for so many cases of Parkinson’s because of Paraquat exposure have bottomless resources they can draw on to make taking legal action against them as difficult as possible. With a personal injury lawyer experienced with product liability cases, you even the playing field and give your case a significantly higher chance of success.
Paraquat lawsuits have an immense amount on the line and Paraquat manufacturers know this. They are pulling all the stops when it comes to Paraquat lawsuits so why shouldn’t you? For many, financial security, health, and entire ways of life are at stake. Hiring the best product liability lawyer possible is within your best interest to give your case the best chance possible at securing a fair settlement or success in court.
An experienced Paraquat lawyer will be able to offer you an array of legal services to help you get compensation for Parkinson’s caused by Paraquat. A good product liability attorney can offer more than just legal insight and representation in court. By speaking to a Paraquat lawyer you can determine damages and liable parties that may not have occurred to you. Personal injury law firms can provide investigative resources, connections with experts, analysis of your case, and legal knowledge that are essential to a Paraquat lawsuit.
Contact Our Firm for Help With Your Paraquat Weedkiller Lawsuit
Our personal injury firm provides legal representation to those injured across the country. We have experience in handling lawsuits involving not just defective products but weedkillers such as Roundup that exposure to has caused plaintiffs illness.
Our firm is now taking clients that have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s after exposure to Paraquat. T contact us about a consultation you can either call our office at 727-451-6900 or fill out a contact form on our website.