Parkinson's Claims

Parkinson's Claims video

Paraquat is a highly toxic herbicide that has been used throughout the United States since 1962. It is employed for weed and grass control on more than 100 crops. However, exposure to paraquat has a strong causal relation with Parkinson’s disease, as people who are in frequent or prolonged contact with this herbicide have a significantly higher risk of developing it. If you came to struggle with Parkinson’s disease as a consequence of paraquat exposure, and you can clearly identify the brands you worked with you are eligible for compensation from the liable manufacturers. Our attorneys, who specialize in toxic exposure, will help you file a claim to obtain the money you deserve for your suffering.

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Updates & timeline

The link between paraquat exposure and Parkinson’s disease

Overall, the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease as a result of frequent exposure to paraquat is 250% higher in people who regularly use it than in the general population.

A medical study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology in 2009 revealed that any exposure to paraquat within 1,600 feet of a home increases the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease by 75%.

Furthermore, another study conducted on individuals exposed to paraquat at a young age found that the risk of the participants coming to struggle with Parkinson’s disease increased by 200% to 600%.

Lastly, in a more recent study from 2021, prolonged, low-level inhalation of paraquat entailed a considerable risk of Parkinson’s disease in mice. In the summer of 2019, Representative Nydia Velasquez introduced the Protect Against Paraquat Act, whose purpose was to forbid the use of this herbicide in the country. The Environmental Protection Agency has recently begun reviewing the dangers of paraquat exposure and is to make a decision at the end of 2022. When other risk factors are present in people who use paraquat on a regular basis, such as genetic predisposition and exposure to the fungicide maneb and the insecticide rotenone, the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease is even higher. According to a 2011 study conducted by the National Institute of Health, there was a 2.5-fold increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease as a consequence of paraquat exposure.

It is important to know that if you were exposed to paraquat and subsequently developed Parkinson’s disease, and you can clearly name the brands you used you are eligible for compensation, which our skillful attorneys can help you recover. With over 30 years of experience in helping people whose health was affected by toxic exposure, our legal team has the necessary resources and knowledge to obtain the most favorable outcome possible for your case.

Who is at the highest risk of developing Parkinson’s disease as a result of paraquat exposure?

Everyone who worked with paraquat is at risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, as this herbicide is very toxic. The majority of people who use paraquat are agricultural workers. However, there are some categories of people who have the highest risk of developing Parkinson’s disease as a consequence of prolonged exposure to paraquat, which refers to the following:

Consequently, agricultural workers are not the only category of people who are at risk of developing Parkinson’s disease following paraquat exposure. If you notice the symptoms of this condition in a family member with a history of paraquat exposure, we strongly advise you to encourage them to seek medical attention. Because Parkinson’s disease is often misdiagnosed, your family member may need to look for a second and even a third opinion from medical specialists if they do not receive a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease after their initial appointment. It is important to keep in mind that only individuals who struggle with Parkinson’s disease are eligible for compensation if they were exposed to paraquat, and if they can clearly identify the paraquat brand to which they were exposed.

We provide quality legal assistance to people injured by paraquat exposure

With over 30 years of experience in providing quality legal assistance to people injured by toxic exposure, our attorneys are ready to help you recover the compensation you deserve if you used paraquat on a regular basis and subsequently received a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis. There are no homeowner uses and no products registered for application in residential areas because paraquat formulations are classified as restricted use by the U.S. EPA due to their acute toxicity. Consequently, only those directly exposed to paraquat in their workplace and families living around farming communities are eligible for compensation from the liable companies. Although the legal process is complex and tedious, your involvement will be minimal, as we are aware that most of our clients are in great physical and emotional suffering. Thereby, you will only need to send our legal experts evidence of your paraquat use, as well as your medical records as proof of related diagnosis. Within several months to one year following claim submission, you will receive the maximum compensation you are entitled to from all the liable companies who manufactured the herbicide you were exposed to. For more information, please feel free to contact our law firm and we will answer your questions.

Studies linking paraquat with Parkinson’s disease date back years, however, manufacturers failed to warn

Businesses that make or sell products, including manufacturers of pesticides such as paraquat, are obligated to bring products to market that do not pose an unreasonable danger to users and are free from defects. When a product is characterized by risks known to its manufacturer, adequate warnings must be provided to potential purchasers and users, and when that does not happen, it is important that corporations be held fully accountable for the health consequences that follow. The high toxicity of paraquat to living cells of all types creates a substantial risk of harm to persons exposed to it, which the companies that manufactured the herbicide should have known in the duty to exercise care.

Parkinson's disease is often misdiagnosed

Regardless of the cause, Parkinson’s disease is often misdiagnosed, as the symptoms of this brain disorder mimic those of other similar conditions.

According to surveys, up to 30% of people who struggle with Parkinson’s disease initially receive a wrong diagnosis. In other words, 1 in 4 individuals with this brain disorder are misdiagnosed.

For this reason, seeking a second and even a third opinion from different medical specialists is crucial if you have a history of paraquat exposure, as Parkinson’s disease is the only diagnosis for which you can file a paraquat claim.

Nevertheless, because people with this condition are usually unaware of their symptoms, their family members need to keep a close eye on their health and look out for the symptoms of this brain disorder. The conditions Parkinson’s disease is most frequently mistaken for are the following:

  • essential tremor
  • normal pressure hydrocephalus
  • dementia with Lewy bodies
  • multiple system atrophy
  • corticobasal syndrome
  • progressive supranuclear palsy

Updates & timeline for paraquat link to Parkinson's disease

Over the past 20 years, the scientific community has stepped up its examination of the health effects of long-term exposure to paraquat, and specifically the risk of Parkinson’s disease. According to a June 2019 article in Environmental Health, paraquat is banned across much of the world due to the unreasonable risk of Parkinson’s disease but still used widely and in growing amounts in the United States. This timeline of notable events paints a revealing picture.