New York farm town demands ban on paraquat amid Parkinson’s cluster
By Amudalat Ajasa, New York Focus
Residents of Hebron, New York — a rural community some now call “Parkinson’s Valley” — are demanding a ban on paraquat after dozens of local farmers and family members developed Parkinson’s disease. The herbicide was sprayed for years on local corn, cattle and fruit farms, often near homes and workers.
Research has found that farmers who used paraquat were significantly more likely to develop Parkinson’s, while people living or working near sprayed fields may face twice the risk. Paraquat is banned in more than 70 countries but remains legal in the United States.
New York lawmakers introduced legislation to ban the chemical, but the bill failed to receive a vote before the legislative session ended. Syngenta, a major paraquat manufacturer, denies that the product causes Parkinson’s, although it set aside $792 million in 2025 to address litigation and has since stopped producing the chemical. Generic manufacturers can continue selling it, however, leaving residents and advocates warning that only an outright ban will prevent further exposure.
Read more:
https://nysfocus.com/2026/07/20/paraquat-parkinsons-new-york-pesticide
