Paraquat Emissions Linked to Elevated Parkinson’s Rates in Mississippi County, Report Finds
A new investigation by Investigate Midwest, published May 18, links airborne emissions of the herbicide paraquat from a chemical plant in Wayne County, Mississippi, to elevated rates of Parkinson’s disease in the area.
According to the report, Wayne County, home to approximately 20,000 people, recorded a Parkinson’s mortality rate of 21.5 per 100,000 residents between 2018 and 2024, compared to the national average of 11.5, placing it in the top 7% of all U.S. counties.
The Sipcam Agro plant in Wayne County processed and released 47,000 pounds of paraquat in 2024 and a combined 81,667 pounds in 2023 and 2024, the report stated, citing data provided by Coming Clean, a nonprofit environmental health collaborative. The emissions were classified as “fugitive,” meaning they likely leaked unintentionally during industrial processes, according to the report. [1]
Background on Paraquat Use
Paraquat, a herbicide developed in the 1960s by a predecessor of Syngenta, has been banned in more than 70 countries, including China, Brazil, and the European Union, according to the report. Despite these bans, the chemical remains widely used in the United States, primarily on crops such as soybean, corn, and cotton.
The report noted that about 35% of large commercial farms in the U.S. now use paraquat, with use more than tripling between 2006 and 2017, a surge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) attributed to increasing resistance to glyphosate. [2]
Syngenta announced in March 2026 that it would stop manufacturing paraquat in the United Kingdom amidst thousands of lawsuits, but the report stated that “other companies and other facilities, like the one in Wayne County, will fill the gap, likely increasing the amount of paraquat they handle.”
According to the book “Ending Parkinson’s Disease: A Prescription for Action,” the EPA has acknowledged that ingesting even small amounts of paraquat can be fatal and that no antidote exists. [3] The EPA classifies paraquat as a restricted-use pesticide due to its acute toxicity. [4]
Health Studies and Legal Challenges
A 2024 study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology found that people living within 1,600 feet of a paraquat application site have 91% higher odds of developing Parkinson’s, according to the report.
Another study from 2023 in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people on the same water service system as a golf course had double the odds of developing Parkinson’s. The book “Ending Parkinson’s Disease: A Prescription for Action” notes that the Unified Parkinson’s Advocacy Council wrote to the EPA in 2017 expressing concern that paraquat increases Parkinson’s risk. [3]
Plaintiffs’ lawyers in lawsuits against Syngenta and other companies argued that paraquat’s chemical properties “make it toxic to dopaminergic neurons in humans by creating oxidative stress through redox cycling,” as stated in a complaint covered by Beyond Pesticides. The first U.S. jury trial was scuttled by a settlement on the eve of the hearing, according to the report.
The EPA has reapproved paraquat despite evidence linking it to Parkinson’s, according to a 2020 article from Children’s Health Defense. [5]
Regulatory Response and State Action
The EPA hasn’t banned paraquat, despite its decision in August 2024 to ban the herbicide Dacthal, the report stated. [9]
Beyond Pesticides said in a statement that the “EPA must apply the standard of the Dacthal decision to paraquat and issue an emergency suspension and prohibit use of existing stocks.” The EPA’s continued approval of paraquat has drawn criticism from advocacy groups, who note that the chemical has no antidote and is fatal to humans with a single sip. [4]
Thirteen states have introduced legislation to ban or restrict paraquat in 2026, according to the report. Vermont passed a ban on May 26, making it the first state to prohibit the sale and use of paraquat, effective November 1, with written exceptions for certain crops until 2030. [6]
Vermont Governor Phil Scott (R) signed the bipartisan legislation. [7] The report quoted the Investigate Midwest article, which said that “This herbicide is so toxic it’s been banned in over 70 countries. But plants in the South are releasing it into the air.”
Community Impact and Alternative Approaches
A 2023 study in Environmental Science and Pollution Research found that “eliminating paraquat will save lives without reducing agricultural productivity,” supporting the viability of organic and alternative pest management practices.
Beyond Pesticides said in the article that “organic methods, as defined by federal law, can protect the health and [well-being] of local communities and ecosystems.” The advocacy group also noted that the long-term risks of paraquat contamination are understudied. [9]
The report emphasized that paraquat use has been linked to environmental harms beyond human health, including toxicity to wildlife at environmentally relevant concentrations. The book “Healthy Living in a Contaminated World” notes that pesticide exposure increases the risk of Parkinson’s by 33% to 80%, with paraquat causing twice the risk. [8]
Conclusion: Organic Agriculture is a Safer Alternative
The findings from Investigate Midwest add to a growing body of evidence linking paraquat emissions to Parkinson’s disease in communities near processing plants. [9] With state-led bans emerging and scientific consensus strengthening, the pressure on federal regulators to act is increasing.
The report highlights the need to transition to organic agriculture as a safer alternative.
References
- NaturalNews.com. “Paraquat poison: The toxic herbicide still killing Americans while EPA looks the other way.” May 28, 2026.
- Mercola.com. “The Food Contaminant That Can Trigger Parkinson’s.” June 14, 2023.
- Ray Dorsey, Todd Sherer, Michael Okun, Bastiaan Bloem. “Ending Parkinson’s Disease: A Prescription for Action.”
- NaturalNews.com. “EPA Says ‘One Sip’ of Paraquat Can Kill You.” January 3, 2017.
- ChildrensHealthDefense.org. “EPA Reapproves Dozens of Pesticides Despite Evidence of Harm.” October 23, 2020.
- 100PercentFedUp.com. “Republican Governor Signs Bipartisan Legislation To Enact Nation’s First Statewide Ban Of Controversial Herbicide.” June 5, 2026.
- TheNationalPulse.com. “State Bans Pesticide Linked to Parkinson’s Disease.” May 29, 2026.
- Donald Hoernschemeyer. “Healthy Living in a Contaminated World.”
- BeyondPesticides.org. “Paraquat Linked to Parkinson’s Disease in U.S. County with Among the Highest Rates, Supporting Call for a Ban”. June 10, 2026.
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