Congressman Greg Casar Leads 46 Members of Congress to Demand EPA Bans Use of Paraquat to Protect Public Health
(See also Season 6 of On Time: A Parkinson’s Podcast A four-part series on the environmental toxins linked to Parkinson’s disease.)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 8, 2024
Contact: Tara Pohlmeyer, Communications Director, [email protected]
Congressman Greg Casar Leads 46 Members of Congress to Demand EPA Bans Use of Paraquat to Protect Public Health
Herbicide linked to serious, long term health risks including Parkinson’s disease
Golfers are already protected, farmworkers and rural Americans should be too
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Greg Casar (D-Texas) and 46 other Members of Congress are calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to ban the use of an herbicide, Paraquat, in the U.S. to protect public health. Paraquat is already banned in over 70 countries.
The Members of Congress released a letter today urging EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan to protect farm workers, rural Americans, and the environment from the harmful effects of Paraquat and ban the use of the herbicide in the U.S. Exposure to the herbicide is linked to life threatening diseases like Parkinson’s disease and thyroid cancer, and linked to an increase in soil and water pollution.
“Paraquat is a toxic substance linked to life threatening diseases and grave impacts on the environment — it has been banned in dozens of countries and should be banned in the United States,” the members wrote. “We urge the EPA to change course and deliver critical protections for farmworkers, agricultural communities, and the environment by banning Paraquat.”
The EPA has already banned Paraquat for areas such as golf courses and recreational areas. If Paraquat is too dangerous for golfers, it is too dangerous for farm workers and rural Americans. Nearly 70 countries have banned or discontinued the use of Paraquat, including China, Brazil, the European Union, and Canada.
The letter is led by U.S. Representative Greg Casar (TX-35), and signed by U.S. Representatives Alma Adams (NC-12), Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Cori Bush (MO-01), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Judy Chu (CA-28), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Dwight Evans (PA-03), Jesús G. “Chuy” García (IL-04), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Al Green (TX-09), Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson (GA-04), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Barbara Lee (CA-12), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Katie Porter (CA-47), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Deborah Ross (NC-02), Raul Ruiz (CA-25), C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (MD-02), Linda T. Sánchez (CA-38), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Mark Takano (CA-39), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Bennie Thompson (MS-02), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Nydia Velázquez (NY-07), Maxine Waters (CA-43), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Jennifer Wexton (VA-10), and Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24).
It is endorsed by the Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, American Sustainable Business Network, Beyond Pesticides, the Brian Grant Foundation, Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Food Safety, the Davis Phinney Foundation, Earthjustice, Ecological Landscape Alliance, Environmental Working Group, Friends of the Earth, Green New Deal Network, HEAL (Health, Environment, Agriculture, Labor) Food Alliance, GreenLatinos, Laborers’ Health & Safety Fund of North America, Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA!), League of Conservation Voters, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Parkinson Association of Alabama, Parkinson Association of Northern California, PD Avengers (Global Alliance to End Parkinson’s Disease Assn.), Pesticide Action and Agroecology Network (PAN), Pesticide Action Network, Power for Parkinson’s, Power Over Parkinson’s, the Rachel Carson Council, Re:wild Your Campus, Rural Coalition, United Farm Workers (UFW), and the United Farm Workers Foundation (UFWF).
“The people who feed us should not face twice the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease,” said Geoff Horsfield, policy director for the Environmental Working Group (EWG). “President Biden’s EPA should put the people who feed us ahead of the profits of a pesticide company that hid the risks of paraquat for decades. Seventy countries have banned paraquat, so we know that farmers have plenty of safer options. We are grateful to Rep. Casar for his leadership in protecting farmers and farmworkers.”
“More than 1 million people in the U.S. live with Parkinson’s disease, the second most common and fastest growing neurodegenerative disease in the world,” said Ted Thompson, senior vice president of public policy at The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. “With only about 30 percent of Parkinson’s risk explained by genetics, we know that other factors — including environmental risks like exposure to toxic chemicals — can play a role in the development of the disease. We appreciate Representative Casar’s efforts to ensure that the Environmental Protection Agency is doing all it can to protect Americans from the harms associated with exposure to these toxins.”
“Every day across America, farm workers, as well as their families and communities, are exposed to Paraquat – a dangerous chemical known to cause severe health impacts,” said Teresa Romero, president of UFW. “We commend Congressman Casar for fighting to ensure that every worker is safe on the job and we call on the EPA to listen to the concerns of the people who put food on all of our tables.”
“The UFW Foundation supports the banning of Paraquat, a chemical whose exposure puts the lives of hundreds of thousands of farm workers at risk,” said Erica Lomeli, interim chief executive officer of the UFW Foundation. “Farm workers deserve a safe environment free from harmful substances that can impact not only their health but also the well-being of their families. Not only is Paraquat dangerous for farm workers, but it also poses significant risks to consumers who may ingest produce treated with this pesticide.”
“We thank Rep. Casar and his colleagues for their leadership in urging the EPA to finally remove this dangerous chemical from the market,” said Lorette Picciano, executive director of the Rural Coalition. “We have heard from far too many farmers, ranchers and workers in communities we serve who have developed Parkinsons and other diseases. The devastating cost to their lives and health, families and communities far outweigh any possible benefit of Paraquat’s continued use.”
The full letter can be viewed here.
Learn more at banparaquat.org
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Congressman Greg Casar represents Texas’s 35th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, which runs down I-35 from East Austin to Hays County to the West Side of San Antonio. A labor organizer and son of Mexican immigrants, Casar serves as the Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus for the 118th Congress. He also serves on the Committee on Oversight and Accountability and the Committee on Agriculture.
