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The paraquat settlement amounts is a legal term that refers to the amount of money that an individual or company might be awarded in a lawsuit. In this case, a Parkinson’s disease and kidney failure lawsuit claim review.
What Is Paraquat and How Does It Work?
Though it has been around for well over a century, the herbicide paraquat only became widely used in the middle of the twentieth century.
The herbicide paraquat was first marketed in the United States in the early 1960s, and in the 1970s, it was employed to combat Mexican marijuana and poppy crops. The herbicide was selected for the later application because it is a “non-selective” agent, which means it would kill virtually any leafy green plant on contact.
It acquired popularity among agricultural workers as a result of its efficacy, and it has been widely employed to eliminate crop weeds over vast swaths of fields ever since.
The active component, sold under the trade names Gramoxone, Firestorm, Parazone, and Helmquat, is a product of the Swiss agricultural firm Syngenta and is one of the most widely used weed-killing chemicals in the world. Farmers have mainly employed it to eliminate weeds in commercial crops.
However, over 30 nations, as well as the European Union, have prohibited its usage owing to concerns about possibly harmful health consequences on people who use the product and those who are exposed to it via accidental environmental exposure.
According to The New York Times, even China, which is not known for being especially environmentally concerned, decided in 2012 to begin phasing out the usage of paraquat as a means to “safeguard people’s lives.” The herbicide’s production in China is still legal, as long as it’s exclusively for export.
Although the EPA classified paraquat as a Restricted Handle Pesticide (RUP) in 2016, the pesticide may only be used in agricultural and commercial settings by people who have been properly trained to use it.
An RUP, such as paraquat, is not accessible for purchase or use by the general public, according to the EPA, because of the potential of harmful effects on the environment, people who apply the product, and bystanders.
As a result, the product may only be used by or under the direct supervision of a licensed applicator who has been educated in particular safe handling and application methods.
What Is Paraquat and Why Is It Used?
Despite the apparent concerns regarding paraquat’s toxicity, it remains a popular product owing to its efficacy in controlling agricultural weeds and its low cost. Many in the agriculture sector have noticed it as a result of weed resistance to other commonly used chemical agents.
Pesticides used in crop cultivation are frequently completely safe for use on plants since they are intended to stop physiological reactions in pests that do not have a human equivalent.
Herbicides like paraquat, on the other hand, work in a different way. It is very hazardous when breathed or eaten directly, which may happen even when agricultural workers who are well educated in its usage apply it to crops.
Paraquat is often employed on more than 100 different crop types in farm and agricultural production settings, with many of them produced for human consumption, such as coffee beans, oranges, orchard fruits, and nuts.
What Causes Paraquat Exposure?
Humans may be exposed to paraquat in a variety of ways, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including:
- Long-term skin exposure that includes a highly concentrated version of paraquat or happens via wounds or sores on the skin’s surface;
- Ingestion or swallowing directly;
- Inhalation
- Contamination of food or drinks by accident
People who apply paraquat directly to crops are at the highest risk of hazardous exposure and consequent damage, but those who live in rural regions near extensive usage of the herbicide may also suffer severe consequences.
Is there a link between paraquat and Parkinson’s disease?
Concerns regarding the relationship between paraquat exposure and Parkinson’s disease grew in 2011 when the National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched a research called Farming and Movement Evaluation (FAME) to look into the possibility. According to the research, those who were exposed to paraquat were 2.5 times more likely to acquire Parkinson’s disease than those who were not.
According to a 2012 research from the Parkinson’s Institute, those with a certain gene mutation had an eleven-fold increased risk of getting Parkinson’s disease after being exposed to paraquat.
According to research released in 2018 by a Canadian institution, even low-level paraquat exposure may disrupt cells in a way that is comparable to the disruption observed in Parkinson’s patients’ cells.
The New York Times investigated the allegations concerning paraquat and a possible connection to Parkinson’s disease, finding that scientific studies on the subject have gained traction in recent years, with an increasing number of experts voicing genuine worry.
When it comes to a link between paraquat usage and Parkinson’s disease, “the evidence is overwhelming,” according to Dr. Samuel Goldman, an epidemiologist with the San Francisco Veterans Affairs health system.
The current level of study on the dangers of paraquat, according to a researcher affiliated with the National Institutes of Health, is “about as convincing as these things can go.”
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Parkinson’s?
Parkinson’s disease is a severe and degenerative neurological illness that occurs when the body’s dopamine-producing neurons begin to degenerate and die.
Parkinson’s disease may go undiagnosed in its early stages, but it nearly always progresses to a point when it affects the whole body in extremely severe ways.
The following are some of the most common Parkinson’s disease symptoms:
- Hand tremors, finger tremors, and limb tremors
- Rigidity of muscles
- Bradykinesia is a condition in which a person’s body (slow movement, including impaired gait)
- Slurring, hesitancy, and reduced loudness are all symptoms of speech difficulty.
- Deficiency in balance
- Unconscious actions such as smiling are hampered.
Depression, anxiety, visual problems, cognitive impairment, gastrointestinal issues, sexual dysfunction, and trouble sleeping are all possible symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative illness, and although therapy may assist at certain phases of the disease, patients’ health will ultimately deteriorate with time. Parkinson’s patients are often bedridden or wheelchair-bound in the latter stages of the disease and need continuous care.
Have Parkinson’s Disease Advocacy Organizations Taken Action on Paraquat?
Not only regulatory agencies across the world have raised concerns about the connection between paraquat exposure and Parkinson’s disease.
The Unified Parkinson’s Advisory Council (UPAC), one of the country’s most powerful Parkinson’s advocacy groups, and other groups asked the EPA to prohibit the use of paraquat in the United States.
The following are some of the notable organizations that have signed on to the UPAC’s recommendation to the EPA:
- The Michael J. Fox Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by Michael J. Fox
- Parkinson’s Disease Foundation
- The American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA) is a non-profit organization dedicated
- The Parkinson’s Voice Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to
The group cited two studies performed in California’s Central Valley that showed that long-term exposure to paraquat and the fungicide maneb increased the incidence of Parkinson’s disease. They highlighted research showing that individuals who were exposed at an earlier age had a risk increase of up to 600%.
Residents in rural regions near fields where the chemical mixture was employed between 1974 and 1999 had a greater prevalence of Parkinson’s disease than those in the region who did not live near application locations, according to another Central Valley research cited by the organization.
This organization of Parkinson’s disease supporters used data to back their proposal for paraquat, citing the very high expenses, both financial and emotional, that people afflicted by the illness endure for the rest of their lives.
The organization referenced a research in their letter to the EPA that said that a person with Parkinson’s disease must spend an average of $26,400 per year on their treatment, and that the condition has a total economic impact of more than $26 billion on the American economy.
What Kinds of Compensation Could Paraquat Victims Get?
Chemical herbicide producers, such as Paraquat, are required to bring to market goods that do not represent an excessive risk to consumers and are free of flaws.
When a product contains dangers that the manufacturer is aware of, appropriate warnings must be given to prospective buyers and users, and when this does not happen, companies must be held completely responsible for the real-world repercussions that result.
As a consequence, if you have been harmed as a result of paraquat exposure, you may be entitled for significant monetary compensation, which may include:
- Medical expenditures from the past, present, and future
- Wages that have been lost
- Payment for physical hardship and anguish
- Compensation for mental anguish and diminished quality of life
- Funeral costs for individuals who died as a consequence of their exposure
Have Paraquat Parkinson’s Disease Lawsuits Been Filed by Victims?
While the debate over paraquat is less well-known than the one over Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, lawsuits have started to be brought by individuals who have been harmed by it, especially those who link their Parkinson’s diagnosis to the chemical agent.
The first such lawsuit was filed in Illinois in September 2017 by a guy who was exposed to paraquat as a kid while growing up on a farm and subsequently developed Parkinson’s disease.
Another paraquat complaint was brought in the same Illinois circuit court in 2018, claiming that a man’s Parkinson’s disease diagnosis was caused by his exposure to the herbicide and that Syngenta’s refusal to warn of the herbicide’s known dangers contributed to his condition.
The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation decided in 2021 to combine at least 14 cases into a single MDL based in Illinois. The MDL may possibly encompass 70 additional similar cases.
Additional cases are being filed, and lawyers are looking at claims from people who believe that exposure to paraquat caused their verified diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease or their first symptoms of the illness.
Are You Eligible to File a Lawsuit for Parkinson’s Disease Caused by Paraquat?
If you were exposed to the herbicide paraquat while working as a farmer or an agricultural worker, or if you lived in a rural region where it was used on crops and were later diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, you may be entitled to bring a case for financial compensation.
The paraquat and parkinson’s disease is a legal claim review that discusses the connection between Parkinson’s Disease and Paraquat.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a paraquat settlement form?
Paraquat is a herbicide used to kill broadleaf and grassy weeds. It is typically applied by spraying, dipping, or broadcasting with a backpack sprayer.
Is there a paraquat lawsuit?
There is a paraquat lawsuit.
How many paraquat lawsuits have been filed?
There have been over 11,000 lawsuits filed against paraquat since its approval in the US.
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