Media Statement | Paraquat in the media
Syngenta is aware of various media reports recently in Australia, some of which contained erroneous references to the herbicide paraquat.
As one of over 100 registrants of paraquat in Australia, Syngenta affirms that the herbicide is safe when used as directed, and that the scientific evidence simply does not support a causal link between paraquat herbicide and Parkinson’s disease.
The hypothesis that paraquat causes Parkinson’s is not accepted in the medical community or peer-reviewed science, nor has it been accepted at any time in the past. In fact, according to the peer reviewed literature: there is a “consensus in the scientific community that the available evidence does not warrant a claim that paraquat causes Parkinson’s disease.” (Weed 2021).
Syngenta cares deeply about the health and well-being of farmers and agricultural workers. We are dedicated to providing them safe and effective products. We have great sympathy for those with health issues from the debilitating effects of Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease was first identified in 1817, more than 100 years before paraquat was first commercialised and sold. Today, Parkinson’s affects millions of people around the world who have never used or come into contact with paraquat herbicide.
We note:
There is no peer-reviewed scientific analysis that paraquat causes Parkinson's.
The hypothesis that paraquat causes Parkinson’s is not accepted in the medical community or peer-reviewed science, nor has it been accepted at any time in the past. In fact, according to the peer reviewed literature: there is a “consensus in the scientific community that the available evidence does not warrant a claim that paraquat causes Parkinson’s disease.” (Weed 2021). In an update (published in September 2024) taking into account studies since 2019, he further concluded “The basic hypothesis – does paraquat cause Parkinson’s disease – has been tested and found wanting,” and that “the best explanation of the evidence available today is that a causal association has not been established, a conclusion the US Environmental Protection Agency agrees with.”
The most recent publication from the independent Agricultural Health Study finds no causal link.
The US Agricultural Health Study (“AHS”), which is sponsored by the National Institute of Health and several independent public health institutions, including the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, has followed more than 66,000 chemical applicators and their spouses since 1993. In 2020, using data from the AHS study, Drs. Srishti Shrestha and Dale P. Sandler, both with the National Institute of Environmental Health Science’s Epidemiology Branch, published their 25-year update, focusing specifically on a potential link between the use of pesticides and herbicides (including paraquat) and Parkinson’s. (Shrestha 2020). That study found no statistically significant link between paraquat and Parkinson’s, and in fact, did not find any increased risk of Parkinson’s with the increased use of paraquat.
Independent, science-based regulatory authorities around the world – including two in 2024 – continue to reaffirm the use of paraquat in their countries, even after extensively analysing the potential link between paraquat and Parkinson’s disease and finding insufficient evidence of causality.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reaffirmed in January 2024 an earlier decision to re-authorize paraquat use, concluding after an extensive analysis that “Parkinson’s Disease is not an expected health outcome of pesticidal use of paraquat, based on the Agency’s analysis of the materials it has reviewed to date”.
On July 30, 2024, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Agency (APVMA) published its proposal to reaffirm paraquat for use in the country, and stated that products containing paraquat:
- would not be an undue health hazard to the safety of people exposed to it during its handling or people using anything containing its residues.
- would not be likely to have an effect that is harmful to human beings when used in line with provided conditions of registration and labelled instructions.
The safety and health of farmers and the environment is a priority for Syngenta. Our products are safe when used in accordance with label instructions – this includes products containing paraquat.
