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Expert warns EPA models underestimated paraquat volatility, flags Parkinson’s risk and alternatives
Summary
An invited expert told the Agriculture, Food Resiliency & Forestry committee that recent data and an October 2025 EPA update show paraquat volatility was vastly underestimated, that epidemiological studies show elevated Parkinson’s risk for exposed populations, and that countries that banned paraquat use practical alternatives.
An invited expert, identified at the hearing as Dr. Mertensen, told the Agriculture, Food Resiliency & Forestry committee on Feb. 18 that recent data reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency show prior volatility estimates for the herbicide paraquat were ‘‘4,000 times’’ too low and that the revised modeling raises exposure concerns beyond adjacent fields.
The expert summarized decades of field work and toxicology data, saying ‘‘The LD50 for paraquat is 150 milligrams per kilogram’’ and that paraquat’s acute toxicity is many orders of magnitude greater than most herbicides in current use. He told the committee that applicators often cannot comply with label protective-equipment requirements in hot field…
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