Vermont is the first state to ban paraquat, a weed killer linked to
Parkinson's disease
[June 25, 2026]
By AMANDA SWINHART and KIMBERLEE KRUESI
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Vermont has become the first U.S. state to ban
paraquat, one of the most commonly used herbicides, with lawmakers
citing a possible link between the weed killer and Parkinson’s disease.
The ban has been widely celebrated by advocates who hope Vermont’s move
will prompt similar action in other states to prevent the neurologic
disease that robs people of control over their movements and affects
about 1 million Americans.
“Vermont took the step to be the leader in this, and that’s significant
because it shifts the conversation,” said Dan Feehan, with The Michael
J. Fox Foundation, the world’s largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson’s
research. “Now, ‘will your state be the last to ban it?’ becomes the
question.”
However, for some farmers, the ban could potentially threaten their
already slim profit margins. Attempts to prohibit paraquat’s use in
other states where the chemical is more heavily used have repeatedly
stalled.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is currently reviewing the
safety of paraquat after saying there’s no clear link between the
herbicide and Parkinson’s.
Syngenta, a Swiss chemicals company that has made paraquat for years,
announced earlier this year that it would stop global manufacturing or
selling of the chemical, but also defended the herbicide’s safety. Other
companies continue to sell it.
“Despite decades of investigation and more than 1,200 epidemiological
and laboratory studies of paraquat, no scientist or doctor has ever
concluded in a peer-reviewed scientific analysis that paraquat causes
Parkinson’s disease,” the company said.
Paraquat is used widely in the US but banned in China and Europe
First introduced in the U.S. in 1964, paraquat became a popular weed
killer for farmers.
It’s known as an extremely toxic chemical that is fatal if ingested and
can cause chronic health problems on contact. Farmworkers are at
particular risk, which has led the EPA to require special training for
certified applicators of paraquat. The roughly hourlong training
requires applicators to pass a 15-question quiz, and must be completed
every three years.
It’s commonly used for protecting soybean, cotton and corn crops, but
also for apples and grapes, according to the United States Geological
Survey. As of 2018, the USGS reported more than 10 million pounds (4.5
million kilograms) of paraquat was used in the U.S., largely
concentrated in the South, Midwest and California.
Despite its popularity, dozens of countries have banned the substance.
The European Union and the UK banned paraquat in 2007. China banned
domestic use of paraquat in 2017, along with Vietnam and Malaysia.
Thailand issued a similar ban in 2019.
Health risks and links to Parkinson's
Defenders of using paraquat say the chemical is quickly absorbed by
weeds, meaning that if rain falls — even after 30 minutes of application
— it won't wash off into the soil. Companies like Syngenta say paraquat
becomes immobilized once it touches soil. Yet there's disagreement over
its harmful effects, with the Parkinson's community warning that people
living near where paraquat is applied have increased risk of getting the
disease.
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Greg Burtt, owner of Burtt's Apple Orchard, ties tubing around an
apple tree to stabilize it Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in Cabot, Vt.
(AP Photo/Amanda Swinhart)
 Whether it causes Parkinson’s
disease has been heavily debated and studied for years.
Dr. Philip Landrigan, an epidemiologist who directs a global health
program at Boston College and has campaigned against human exposure
to toxic chemicals, said multiple studies have shown that
environmental factors, including exposure to pesticides like
paraquat, can increase the risk for Parkinson's disease.
The Parkinson’s community considers the Vermont ban a significant
victory.
“No matter how you slice and dice it, there’s no safe way to use
paraquat,” said Ron McConnell, a Vermonter who was diagnosed with
Parkinson’s after getting exposed to a different toxic substance at
his work in 2017. “This law that Vermont just passed really is
protecting the farmers that use it and the farmworkers that use it.”
The ban goes into effect Nov. 1, but the statute gives farmers using
paraquat on fruit-producing orchards, berries and small fruit crops
until 2030 to transition away from using the herbicide.
Vermont farmers are bracing for changes
Greg Burtt, owner of a family apple orchard and Republican Vermont
lawmaker, considers paraquat a “critical tool” in his operation.
He says he believes the ban will place farmers like him at a
competitive disadvantage to growers in other states who can continue
using the more budget-friendly paraquat. There are alternative
herbicides, but some farmers warn that those could involve chemicals
that risk killing the plant if not applied carefully. Mechanical
tilling, crop rotation and hand weeding are also options, but come
with separate downsides, notably increased labor costs.
“There’s a reason why it’s an industry standard,” said Burtt, who's
used paraquat for 20 years.
He's not worried about getting Parkinson's because he interpreted
the research on the herbicide to be inconclusive.
“I wanna be the first person to make sure that it’s safe because I
don’t wanna die young over farming,” Burtt said. “And so if
anybody’s had to wrestle with these questions, it’s me.”
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Kruesi reported from Providence, Rhode Island.
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