John,
Paraquat is one of the deadliest pesticides in existence.
In people, exposure can damage the kidneys and lungs and cause chemical burns so severe they require skin grafts. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency even has a webpage titled “Paraquat Dichloride: One Sip Can Kill.”
Paraquat is likewise toxic to other mammals, fish, amphibians, birds and invertebrates. That’s according to data from the EPA itself, which has also suggested that environmental concentrations of the pesticide are probably over the “level of concern” for endangered species. Even when species don’t directly encounter paraquat, it can harm them through their habitat or food. This farm herbicide threatens a long list of federally protected species, including — in the U.S. Southeast alone — Indiana bats, critically endangered red wolves, whooping cranes, Neuse River waterdogs, and pallid sturgeon.
Thankfully, right now the EPA is reconsidering its approval of paraquat, assessing the dangers of this poison to people and wildlife — and it wants your input.
One of the more insidious aspects of paraquat’s human health effects is its link to Parkinson’s disease, a devastating progressive disorder for which there is no cure. Hundreds of studies have connected the neurotoxic pesticide to the onset of this disease. Especially hard hit are farmworkers in the fields where paraquat is used, as well as nearby communities.
That’s why paraquat is banned in 58 countries across the globe. But in the United States, more than 10 million pounds are used each year.
Tell the EPA: The United States needs to get its act together and ban paraquat now.
