\u201cAmbient paraquat exposure assessed at both residence and workplace was associated with [Parkinson\u2019s], based on several different exposure measures,\u201d the study\u2019s results showed. \u201cThe [Parkinson\u2019s] patients both lived and worked near agricultural facilities, applying greater amounts of the herbicide than community controls.\u201d<\/p>\n
Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal (D-Upper West Side) introduced A.1007A<\/a> in the State Legislature on Jan. 30, a bill that would prohibit the distribution, sale and use of pesticides<\/a> containing paraquat. She said the May 13 rally was organized as the bill continues to build momentum among her colleagues.<\/p>\n \u201cIt came out of committee last week, and it\u2019s on the floor. It\u2019s moving, and we\u2019re going to try our best to get it going here,\u201d Rosenthal said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The assembly member explained that paraquat is primarily used by fruit growers to prevent weed growth, adding that many other countries have already banned the chemical.\n<\/p>\n \u201cMore than 70 countries, including the countries where paraquat is manufactured, ban its use,\u201d she said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n China has banned paraquat for use in its country, yet it is a prime manufacturer of the restricted-use chemical.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n In 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decided to keep allowing paraquat in the U.S. despite public concern and studies linking it to health risks. A lawsuit challenged the decision, and in 2025, a court paused the case so that the agency could reconsider the risks, according to lawmakers.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jessica Hernandez, legislative director of the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit that aims to protect environmental health, told amNewYork that time is of the essence to ban the chemical.<\/p>\n \u201cNew York should not have to wait for federal action when the science is clear, and the risks are real,\u201d she said. \u201cA paraquat ban is the only way to protect those who grow our food and the communities who live near farm fields.\u201d<\/p>\n How does one get exposed to paraquat?<\/p>\n Paraquat lingers in dirt for years. It can drift through the air as a gas to communities miles away from where it was originally used, according to EWG.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce it\u2019s been sprayed on crops, paraquat builds up in the environment and takes years to break down in soil,\u201d a recent EWG press release said. \u201cHaving settled in the soil, it then drifts as contaminated dust, putting neighbors at risk, even those who don\u2019t work in agriculture.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Herandez said that Rosenthal\u2019s bill, along with a similar one in the State Senate, is important because it protects communities from the dangerous chemical.<\/p>\n \u201cParaquat is so dangerous that it is banned in the countries where it is manufactured and owned \u2013 yet it is still used in New York,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u201cThis bill is about protecting farmers, farmworkers and those families who live in rural communities from a chemical that should never have been allowed to remain on the market.\u201d<\/p>\n Representatives from the Parkinson\u2019s Foundation, who helped organize the rally, said they are fully supportive of Rosenthal\u2019s bill.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThe Parkinson\u2019s Foundation urgently calls on the New York State Legislature to protect New Yorkers by banning paraquat,\u201d Deborah Swerdlow, associate vice president of advocacy and state policy for the Parkinson\u2019s Foundation, said. \u201cResearch has shown a strong link between exposure to paraquat and an increased risk of developing Parkinson\u2019s disease. By passing this bill, New York lawmakers can help lead the way in moving us closer to a future where fewer people develop Parkinson\u2019s disease in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia are among nearby states considering a ban or restrictions on the use of paraquat.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New Yorkers and health advocates rallied at the State Capitol on Wednesday, calling for the passage of legislation…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":230492,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[45679,9,11,10,49,51,50,90508,90509,173,90510],"class_list":["post-230491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-assembly-member-linda-rosenthal","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-new-york-state","tag-new-york-state-headlines","tag-new-york-state-news","tag-nys-legislature","tag-paraquat","tag-parkinsons-disease","tag-restrictive-use-pesticides"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=230491"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230491\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/230492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=230491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=230491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=230491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"geese](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/geese-on-water-in-delaware.jpeg\" "\\"Toxic")
Two geese enjoy a swim in water lined by weeds and plants.<\/p>\n