The Common Herbicide Paraquat Is Now At The Core of Lawsuits

• Author: Jeffrey Simmons
• Posted: 2025-08-10

Toxic chemicals are in the news again with the herbicide most commonly known as "paraquat" being the recent subject of class action lawsuits. Despite being in use for decades, paraquat has recently been tied to severe health problems in people who have been chronically exposed to it.

What Exactly Is Paraquat?

Paraquat is an herbicide that targets certain types of grasses and weeds. It is manufactured by a Swiss company called Syngenta and goes by several other names, such as Parazone and Gramaxone.

Paraquat is a product considered to be under "restricted use" by the EPA and has officially been banned by the European Union (EU).

What Makes Paraquat Potentially Hazardous?

As an herbicide, paraquat is designed to harm organic material. While ostensibly it's safe for humans to be exposed to it under certain circumstances, it still has potential for causing harm.

When improperly handled, it's possible for paraquat poisoning to occur. In the vast majority of instances in which paraquat poisoning occurs, it is fatal, with an almost 75% mortality rate. Paraquat poisoning is also fairly common when compared to other herbicides as it's involved in most herbicide-related mortalities.

Paraquat tends to be dangerous in humans as it increases the rate at which damaging oxygen molecules are produced, which act similar to free radicals. These oxygen molecules end up causing harm to what would normally be healthy cells, ultimately causing either immediate or long-term harm, depending on the amount and length of exposure.

Paraquat exposure can also be a somewhat complicated process as it can occur under a wide variety of conditions. Although it mostly affects people who directly apply it without following proper procedures, it can also affect people who adhere to safety standards or residents of rural environments where the herbicide is likely to be applied.

Why Is There A Class Action Lawsuit Against Syngenta?

Although the generally hazardous nature of paraquat has been understood for a while, it's still legal to use it so long as EPA regulations are adhered to.

The issue with paraquat is that many people who have been exposed to it ended up developing Parkinson's disease. As this was not revealed as a possible side-effect to applicators, people could not be forewarned of the danger and thus are potentially eligible for financial compensation.

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), people who have been exposed to paraquat develop Parkinson's at at rate 2.5 times higher than the general population. This has prompted many institutions and organizations to call for the EPA to completely ban its use, with the most notable advocate for this policy being the Parkinson's Foundation.

Paraquat litigation has largely been spearheaded by two individuals: Paul Rakoczy and Charles Adams. Both were in contact with a substantial amount of paraquat over the course of several years and ended up developing Parkinson's disease.

Since their initial litigation efforts, dozens of other people have come forward stating that they have been exposed to paraquat and subsequently experienced serious health problems.

What Does This Class Action Suit Potentially Mean for You?

Despite the hazards paraquat posed to users, many people were not properly warned about the effects of exposure. Not only does paraquat potentially cause Parkinson's disease, but it can result in a large number of other serious health problems, such as organ failure.

If you or someone you know has potentially been exposed to paraquat and has experienced any adverse health effects, especially Parkinson's disease, then financial compensation might be a possibility.

It should be noted that to participate in litigation, it's not necessary for someone to have directly been in contact with Paraquat. If you have ever lived or frequented an area where herbicides were routinely used or you have been exposed to herbicides in general, it's entirely possible that you've experienced negative long-term effects of Paraquat exposure. This is even more likely to be the case if you resided in a open, rural area where residual paraquat is likely to have spread across wide distances.

Paraquat has the potential to cause serious harm to people and the many potential hazards of using it were not properly disclosed. If you think there's a possibility paraquat has caused serious health problems for you or someone else, then don't hesitate to reach out to an attorney.