In the US, a 17-year-long study found Paraquat contributed to Parkinson’s onset and progression. And research by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences – part of the US Department of Health – found people who used Paraquat developed Parkinson’s two-and-a-half times more often than non-users.
But the US regulator, the Environmental Protection Agency, says an updated study couldn’t replicate those results and no clear link was found.
But there are scientists who believe Syngenta is putting profit before product safety and public health.
Prof Heylings has a Syngenta regulatory strategy document from 2003 written while Paraquat was still being used by UK farmers. Its author acknowledges a growing number of studies “citing a correlation between incidence of Parkinson’s Disease and herbicide use, including Paraquat”.
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