US EPA will reassess safety of herbicide paraquat, says its chief

Jan 9 (Reuters) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will reevaluate the safety of the herbicide paraquat, its administrator Lee Zeldin said on Friday, adding that the agency requires manufacturers to thoroughly prove that current uses are safe under real-world conditions.

Syngenta, which markets paraquat under the brand Gramoxone, is among the main sellers of this herbicide.

The Switzerland-based agricultural chemical company faces several lawsuits in the United States, where plaintiffs allege that exposure to paraquat caused them to develop Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative brain disease that causes loss of muscle coordination.

He has previously said there is “no credible evidence” that paraquat causes Parkinson’s disease.

In agriculture, paraquat is primarily applied to soybean, corn and cotton fields to control invasive weeds and grasses, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

(Reporting by Costas ‌Pitas and Pooja Menon; editing ‌by Alan Barona)