Amid Paraquat Lawsuit Settlement Talks, Syngenta To Stop Making Highly Toxic Herbicide
One of the most widely used herbicides in the United States will soon be off the market. Global agricultural company Syngenta announced on Tuesday that it will stop producing paraquat this year.
The highly toxic herbicide has already been banned in the United Kingdom, European Union, China and dozens of other countries, but has continued to be used in the United States.
Thousands of paraquat lawsuits have been filed over claims that it could be tied to the development of Parkinson’s disease.
Syngenta did not reference the lawsuits in its announcement. The company attributed its decision to “significant competition from generic producers around the world, which has eroded Syngenta’s competitiveness in the production of this herbicide.”
Debate around paraquat’s safety has intensified in recent years. It is known to be toxic — one small sip could be fatal — but emerging research also suggests a link could exist between exposure to paraquat and Parkinson’s.
In 2024, nearly 50 members of Congress signed a letter calling for paraquat to be banned in the U.S., citing a Parkinson’s risk among other health concerns.
“Unfortunately, companies that make dangerous products usually do not make them safer or take them off the market unless they face lawsuits or public outcry,” said Whitney Ray Di Bona, attorney and consumer safety advocate at Drugwatch. “While Syngenta did not say the lawsuits were the reason for its decision to stop making Paraquat, they undoubtedly played a big role in the decision.”
Judge Cancels Paraquat Trial With Settlement Pending
Syngenta’s move to discontinue paraquat comes as resolution could be nearing for thousands of lawsuits. At the start of March, there were more than 6,500 active lawsuits in federal court claiming that the herbicide is tied to Parkinson’s disease.
Work on those lawsuits has remained largely paused for nearly a year as both sides have been hammering out a paraquat settlement to resolve these cases. Finalization of that agreement appears closer than ever.
On Tuesday, the judge overseeing the lawsuits canceled an upcoming trial date in April “in light of the pending settlement.”
Exact terms of the settlement, including how much will be paid out and how many lawsuits will be covered, have not yet been released.
