Syngenta allegedly withheld paraquat safety data from the EPA

Internal records from Syngenta, revealed through litigation, suggest the company withheld certain data from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding the health effects of its paraquat pesticide. While many countries, including Sweden and China, have banned the chemical due to its association with Parkinson’s disease, the United States remains one of the largest markets for its use.

Despite scientific research linking paraquat to incurable brain diseases and calls from federal lawmakers for a nationwide ban, the EPA has continued to permit its use on millions of acres. Internal documents indicate that as global markets for paraquat declined due to safety concerns, Syngenta worked to maintain its hold on the US market, where usage nearly tripled between 2000 and 2018.