U.S. Senators Urge EPA to Ban Pesticide Linked to Parkinsons [Video]

In an open letter, seven United States senators are asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to do what dozens of countries have already done and ban the toxic weedkiller paraquat, which has been associated with Parkinson’s disease and other serious health risks.

The October 31 letter addressed to EPA Administrator Michael Regan followed similar correspondence sent to the EPA by 47 Members of Congress earlier in the month, also calling for a ban on the controversial herbicide.

“Paraquat is a highly toxic pesticide whose continued use cannot be justified given its harms to farmworkers and rural communities. We write to urge the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ban the use of paraquat in the United States,” the senators wrote in the letter.

In their letter, the lawmakers said some studies had found paraquat use to be associated with a 64 percent higher likelihood of developing Parkinson’s, thyroid cancer, non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and other thyroid problems, reported The Guardian.

“I hope the …