MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) 鈥� Vermont has become the first U.S. state to ban paraquat, one of the most commonly used herbicides, with lawmakers citing a possible link between the weed killer and .
The ban has been widely celebrated by advocates who hope Vermont鈥檚 move will prompt similar action in other states to prevent the neurologic disease that robs people of control over their movements and affects about 1 million Americans.
鈥淰ermont took the step to be the leader in this, and that鈥檚 significant because it shifts the conversation,鈥� said Dan Feehan, with The Michael J. Fox Foundation, the world鈥檚 largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson鈥檚 research. 鈥淣ow, 鈥榳ill your state be the last to ban it?鈥� becomes the question.鈥�
However, for some farmers, the ban could potentially threaten their already slim profit margins. Attempts to prohibit paraquat鈥檚 use in other states where the chemical is more heavily used have repeatedly stalled.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is currently reviewing the safety of paraquat after saying there鈥檚 no clear link between the herbicide and Parkinson鈥檚.
Syngenta, a Swiss chemicals company that has made paraquat for years, announced earlier this year that it would stop global manufacturing or selling of the chemical, but also defended the herbicide鈥檚 safety. Other companies continue to sell it.
鈥淒espite decades of investigation and more than 1,200 epidemiological and laboratory studies of paraquat, no scientist or doctor has ever concluded in a peer-reviewed scientific analysis that paraquat causes Parkinson鈥檚 disease,鈥� the company said.
Paraquat is used widely in the US but banned in China and Europe
First introduced in the U.S. in 1964, paraquat became a popular weed killer for farmers.
It鈥檚 known as an extremely toxic chemical that is fatal if ingested and can cause chronic health problems on contact. Farmworkers are at particular risk, which has led the EPA to require special training for certified applicators of paraquat. The roughly hourlong training requires applicators to pass a 15-question quiz, and must be completed every three years.
It鈥檚 commonly used for protecting soybean, cotton and corn crops, but also for apples and grapes, according to the United States Geological Survey. As of 2018, the USGS reported more than 10 million pounds (4.5 million kilograms) of paraquat was used in the U.S., largely concentrated in the South, Midwest and California.
Despite its popularity, dozens of countries have banned the substance. The European Union and the UK banned paraquat in 2007. China banned domestic use of paraquat in 2017, along with Vietnam and Malaysia. issued a similar ban in 2019.
Health risks and links to Parkinson’s
Defenders of using paraquat say the chemical is quickly absorbed by weeds, meaning that if rain falls 鈥� even after 30 minutes of application 鈥� it won’t wash off into the soil. Companies like Syngenta say paraquat becomes immobilized once it touches soil. Yet there’s disagreement over its harmful effects, with the Parkinson’s community warning that people living near where paraquat is applied have increased risk of getting the disease.
Whether it causes Parkinson鈥檚 disease has been heavily debated and studied for years.
Dr. Philip Landrigan, an epidemiologist who directs a global health program at Boston College and has campaigned against human exposure to toxic chemicals, said multiple studies have shown that environmental factors, including exposure to pesticides like paraquat, can increase the risk for Parkinson’s disease.
The Parkinson鈥檚 community considers the Vermont ban a significant victory.
鈥淣o matter how you slice and dice it, there鈥檚 no safe way to use paraquat,鈥� said Ron McConnell, a Vermonter who was diagnosed with Parkinson鈥檚 after getting exposed to a different toxic substance at his work in 2017. 鈥淭his law that Vermont just passed really is protecting the farmers that use it and the farmworkers that use it.鈥�
The ban goes into effect Nov. 1, but the statute gives farmers using paraquat on fruit-producing orchards, berries and small fruit crops until 2030 to transition away from using the herbicide.
Vermont farmers are bracing for changes
Greg Burtt, owner of a family apple orchard and Republican Vermont lawmaker, considers paraquat a 鈥渃ritical tool鈥� in his operation.
He says he believes the ban will place farmers like him at a competitive disadvantage to growers in other states who can continue using the more budget-friendly paraquat. There are alternative herbicides, but some farmers warn that those could involve chemicals that risk killing the plant if not applied carefully. Mechanical tilling, crop rotation and hand weeding are also options, but come with separate downsides, notably increased labor costs.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a reason why it鈥檚 an industry standard,鈥� said Burtt, who’s used paraquat for 20 years.
He’s not worried about getting Parkinson’s because he interpreted the research on the herbicide to be inconclusive.
鈥淚 wanna be the first person to make sure that it鈥檚 safe because I don鈥檛 wanna die young over farming,鈥� Burtt said. 鈥淎nd so if anybody鈥檚 had to wrestle with these questions, it鈥檚 me.鈥�
___
Kruesi reported from Providence, Rhode Island.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
