By Carey Gillam and Shannon Kelleher
Decades of secret Syngenta documents revealed by The New Lede were the focus of an ABC News Nightline segment this week, highlighting how the company has worked to hide the risks of its paraquat herbicide.
By Carey Gillam
Syngenta is another step closer to potentially putting an end to thousands of lawsuits brought by people blaming the company’s paraquat weed killer for causing Parkinson’s disease.
Five years ago the once seemingly invincible Monsanto Co. was dealt its first searing courtroom loss over allegations that its glyphosate weed killer causes cancer and Monsanto worked to hide the risks.
By Carey Gillam
When US regulators issued a 2019 assessment of the widely used farm chemical paraquat, they determined that even though multiple scientific studies linked the chemical to Parkinson’s disease, that work was outweighed by other studies that did not find such links. Overall, the weight of scientific evidence was “insufficient” to prove paraquat causes the brain disease, officials with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) declared.
New data is adding to regulatory concerns about the potential human health impacts of the weed killer paraquat, leading the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to seek more information from manufacturers of the pesticide.
By Carey Gillam and Aliya Uteuova
When Illinois farmer Ron Niebruegge was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 55, he was certain it must be a mistake. Niebruegge had always been healthy and active, someone who loved horseback riding and taking his wife dancing on weekend nights.
Paraquat is one of the most widely used weed killing chemicals in the world, competing with herbicides such as glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup brand, for use in agriculture. But mounting research has linked the pesticide to the incurable brain ailment known as Parkinson’s disease.
Thousands of people with Parkinson’s are now suing Swiss agrochemical company Syngenta AG and Chevron USA. A predecessor company to Syngenta introduced paraquat to the market in the 1960s, and Syngenta remains the key maker of the pesticide. Chevron is the successor to a company that distributed paraquat in the US until 1986.
Paraquat is one of the most widely used weed killing chemicals in the world, competing with herbicides such as glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup brand, for use in agriculture. But mounting research has linked the pesticide to the incurable brain ailment known as Parkinson’s disease.
![High_res_image-Syngenta_Group_-_HQ_-_Basel_-_Switzerland[1]](https://www.thenewlede.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/High_res_image-Syngenta_Group_-_HQ_-_Basel_-_Switzerland1-1024x682-360x205.png "High_res_image-Syngenta_Group_-_HQ_-_Basel_-_Switzerland[1]")
By Carey Gillam
Global chemical giant Syngenta has sought to secretly influence scientific research regarding links between its top-selling weed killer and Parkinson’s, internal corporate documents show.
By Shannon Kelleher
Advocates are cheering US Senator Cory Booker’s recent move to reintroduce a bill that would strengthen legal protections against dangerous pesticides used in agriculture. However, the bill may face a steep uphill journey towards being signed into law.