How are herbicides regulated in the US?

Herbicides fall under the umbrella term of pesticides, along with other substances intended for pest-control or the elimination of potential threats to humans or crops, including insecticides, fungicides, rodenticides, and repellents.

In the US these substances are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), empowered by the US Congress through The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) of 1947.

Due to the EPA’s notable discretion and authority to ban particular substances, the measures and process of direct and non-voluntary cancellations are not considered efficient. This in turn produces an environment that primarily depends on voluntary industry-led initiatives to ban or phase out chemicals that are deemed unsafe or potentially threatening.

The result of this approach, however, is that pesticides that have been outright banned or are in the process of being phased out in other countries can still be used in the US under a set of regulatory provisions. Such is the case with herbicides like paraquat which has been linked with the development of Parkinson’s disease.

Even though the EPA publicly states that any connection between paraquat and the incidence of Parkinson’s requires further substantiation, the manufacturers of the product who also hold similar views have come under scrutiny and increased legal actions from affected individuals.

For example, Syngenta which manufactures paraquat has disclosed in its 2021 financial statement that it has settled a number of claims involving the substance with a value of $187.5 million. Since then more than 400 paraquat claims have been filed at a federal level, with legal experts estimating that the number of cases in litigation may potentially rise to the tens of thousands.

File a paraquat claim with the help of our team of experts

For more than 35 years the legal experts at Atraxia Law have been successfully representing our clients’ interests, leveraging our experience and knowledge to provide them with the financial compensation that they are entitled to.

Our area of expertise includes toxic exposure claims, product liability claims, and personal injury claims. We are here to help you navigate the complex legal process.

We intend to involve you as little as possible since we are well aware of the difficulties that individuals have to struggle with in their daily lives.

Providing us with evidence of exposure to paraquat and a diagnosis of Parkinson’s is the first step towards determining the eligibility of your claim. The faster you reach us, the higher your success potential.

For any further questions, clarifications, or details regarding how we can better be of service to you in your specific situation, please do not hesitate to contact us.