EPA To Review Safety of Paraquat as Parkinson’s Lawsuits Mount
Following years of controversy and thousands of lawsuits, the Environmental Protection Agency is set to once again review the safety of the popular herbicide paraquat.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the decision in a post on X on Friday.
“EPA is requiring paraquat manufacturers to thoroughly prove that current uses are safe in real-world conditions,” he said in the post. “If they cannot meet that standard, decisive action will certainly follow.”
Paraquat, which is highly toxic, is one of the most widely used herbicides in the United States. According to the EPA, a single sip of it can be fatal. It has been outlawed in dozens of countries, including China, Canada and throughout the European Union.
Political pressure has mounted in recent years for the U.S. to pass a similar restriction. In 2024, nearly 50 members of Congress signed a letter calling for a paraquat ban.
In addition to its toxicity, emerging evidence has also connected paraquat to a potential increased risk of Parkinson’s disease, particularly among agricultural workers who are frequently exposed to the herbicide.
Thousands of paraquat lawsuits have been filed over these claims. In 2021, paraquat maker Syngenta agreed to pay roughly $187 million to settle a case involving people who had filed Parkinson’s lawsuits.
New Settlement Could Soon Be Approved for Paraquat Lawsuits
The EPA’s decision comes as Syngenta works to move past ongoing paraquat lawsuits. At the start of 2026, around 6,400 lawsuits were pending in federal court, with more cases active in state courts.
In April 2025, newly filed court documents showed that a settlement agreement had been tentatively reached to resolve many of those cases. The judge overseeing these lawsuits paused work on the litigation to permit both sides to finalize the agreement.
But, nine months later, a formal deal has still not been announced, and deadlines have been continuously delayed.
The judge once again extended the pause last month — this time into March — to “allow the settlement process to unfold.”
“The EPA’s announcement that it will require Paraquat manufacturers to prove its safety could pressure the parties to finalize the mass settlement they have worked toward for nearly a year and give Plaintiffs an advantage in negotiations,” said Whitney Ray Di Bona, attorney and consumer safety advocate at Drugwatch.
If a final agreement is reached, it could potentially resolve the thousands of cases involving agricultural workers who say they developed Parkinson’s after paraquat exposure.
