Syngenta says it will stop making pesticide linked to Parkinson’s disease

Syngenta says it will stop making pesticide linked to Parkinson’s disease Company will halt production of controversial paraquat weed killer by end of June as it faces thousands of lawsuits Syngenta, maker of a controversial pesticide linked to Parkinson’s disease, said on Tuesday that it will stop making its paraquat weed killer by the end of June. The announcement comes as the company is facing several thousand lawsuits brought by people in the US who allege they developed Parkinson’s disease due to their exposure to Syngenta’s paraquat products. The company did not mention the litigation in making the announcement, and did not respond to a request for comment. The company’s announcement cites “significant competition” from generic producers of paraquat and a “less than 1 percent” contribution to the company’s global sales as reasons for exiting the paraquat business. “This decision is about focusing our resources where they deliver the greatest value for our business and our customers,” Mike Hollands, president of Syngenta UK and head of Syngenta’s global production and supply, said in a statement. The company said it “affirms that paraquat is safe when used in line with registered label instructions”, and that paraquat remains “highly effective in controlling weeds”. Michael Okun, chair of neurology at the University of Florida, who has called for a ban on paraquat, called the news a “public health milestone”. “For decades we have warned that certain pesticides increase the risk of Parkinson’s and other serious diseases. This moment proves that advocacy, data and courage can change the trajectory of disease,” Okun said. Paraquat has been used in the US since 1964 as a tool to kill broadleaf weeds and grasses. Though banned in several countries, including throughout Europe, Syngenta’s paraquat-based Gramoxone herbicide brand has remained popular with US farmers for use in growing soybeans, cotton and corn as well as in growing grapes, pistachios, peanuts and many...