Headline : Paraquat, the Deadliest Chemical in US Agriculture, Goes on Trial

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News and commentary about the American food system.

Amid lawsuits filed by thousands of farmers linking the herbicide to Parkinson’s disease, the EPA is reconsidering its analysis of paraquat’s risks.

A combine on the Cox ranch in Washington state. Jon Cox is one of thousands of farmers with Parkinson’s disease suing Chevron and Syngenta. (Photo courtesy of Shirley Cox)

The herbicide paraquat was sold to farmers as revolutionary. Its introduction into the marketplace in 1962 coincided with a growing awareness of overplowing soil, year after year, until it degrades. Looking to avoid another Dust Bowl, farmers were eager for ways to keep their soil intact. Chevron, a distributor of paraquat at the time, jumped on this opportunity, claiming the chemical was necessary for “no-till” farming. The idea, as Chevron branded it, was relatively simple: You don’t need a plow when there’s a toxicant that can kill any weed, disrupting the very process of photosynthesis, prepping a field without moving the soil.

Read more from the original article on here at civileats.com.

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