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Groups sue EPA over paraquat

Several groups are suing the EPA over its approval of the continued use of the herbicide paraquat.

The Center for Biological Diversity calls paraquat a deadly pesticide that has been linked to Parkinson’s disease. An attorney with Earthjustice says dozens of countries have banned paraquat because of its severe health effects and that EPA is on the “wrong side of science, history and the law.”

But, EPA says it has not found a clear link between paraquat exposure from labeled uses and adverse health outcomes such as Parkinson’s disease and cancer.

The EPA calls paraquat “an important tool for the control of weeds” in many agricultural and non-ag settings and is also used for desiccation of crops, like cotton, before harvest.