Published June 26, 2026 · Parkinson's Lawsuit Help
On June 19, 2026, U.S. Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) and Chellie Pingree (D-ME) introduced a bipartisan bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would cancel every registered use of paraquat dichloride and block the herbicide from any future U.S. use. The bill — first reported by PennLive / MLive — arrives as paraquat remains legal in the United States despite being banned in more than 70 countries because of its link to Parkinson's disease.
What the bill does
The Luna–Pingree legislation directs EPA to cancel all existing paraquat registrations under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and prohibits the agency from issuing new registrations going forward. In Rep. Luna's words, "The United States has no business allowing a chemical linked to Parkinson's disease to keep being sprayed on American farmland, and this bill ends that." If enacted, the ban would align U.S. policy with the European Union, Switzerland, China (for domestic use), Brazil, and the more than 70 other jurisdictions that have already banned or phased out paraquat.
Why it matters now
Paraquat has been the subject of escalating scientific and regulatory scrutiny for two decades. The Agricultural Health Study and a series of Tanner case-control studies have reported elevated Parkinson's incidence among applicators with documented paraquat exposure. EPA's 2021 Interim Registration Review Decision kept paraquat on the U.S. market under Restricted Use rules but added new label warnings about Parkinson's risk and tightened applicator training requirements. The Luna–Pingree bill is the first serious bipartisan attempt to move past warnings and end U.S. use outright.
What the bill does NOT do
Federal legislation to cancel paraquat registrations would be forward-looking. It would not extinguish liability for past exposures, it would not bar existing lawsuits, and it would not refund claimants who have already developed Parkinson's disease. Federal paraquat Parkinson's cases are consolidated in Multidistrict Litigation No. 3004, In re: Paraquat Products Liability Litigation, before Chief Judge Nancy J. Rosenstengel in the Southern District of Illinois. Thousands of cases are pending. A parallel mass tort program operates in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas before Judge Joshua Roberts, currently hosting approximately 1,799 active paraquat cases. In April 2025 Syngenta announced a settlement framework covering a substantial portion of the U.S. inventory; in January 2026 the first Philadelphia bellwether case settled confidentially on the courthouse steps. In March 2026 Syngenta announced it would discontinue U.S. production of paraquat.
Impact on pending paraquat Parkinson's lawsuits
If anything, congressional action of this kind tends to strengthen the negotiating posture of plaintiffs in mass tort litigation. A bipartisan finding that paraquat is too dangerous to keep on U.S. farms is the kind of legislative fact that jurors hear about, that plaintiffs' counsel cite in opening statements, and that defense counsel must address in their risk models. Pennsylvania state court claimants are widely expected to recover more, on average, than federal MDL claimants. Three reasons: (1) Pennsylvania's consent-by-registration jurisdiction law — upheld after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Syngenta's challenge in October 2025 — permits suits in Pennsylvania even against foreign defendants who registered to do business in the state; (2) Philadelphia juries have a long track record of higher verdicts in pharmaceutical and toxic tort cases than typical federal MDL bellwethers; and (3) the Philadelphia Complex Litigation Center moves cases on a faster trial schedule than the MDL, which gives plaintiffs leverage in settlement negotiations.
Syngenta already discontinuing U.S. production
In March 2026 Syngenta announced it would discontinue U.S. production of paraquat. Existing stocks continue to be sold under EPA Restricted Use rules, and the discontinuation does not affect liability for past exposures. The Luna–Pingree bill would close the remaining window by cancelling the registrations themselves.
What to do if you or a family member has Parkinson's after paraquat exposure
Statutes of limitations continue to run regardless of what Congress does. A free case review takes 15 to 30 minutes by phone, costs nothing, and locks in your place in the litigation while settlement options remain open. See Do I Qualify for the eligibility checklist, Paraquat & Parkinson's Disease for the underlying science, and the Paraquat Lawsuit Timeline for the full chronology of regulation and litigation.
Sources and further reading
Original reporting: PennLive / MLive — "Deadly weed killer banned in 70 countries is still used on US farms. Lawmakers want it gone.". Related background: Thousands of U.S. farmers have Parkinson's. They blame a deadly pesticide. (MLive, December 2025).
Get a free case review
If you or a family member were exposed to paraquat and have been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, request a free case review. It takes 15 to 30 minutes by phone, costs nothing, and locks in your place while settlement options remain open. Check eligibility or call (717) 724-7503.