BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – A dangerous herbicide could be on its way out in Vermont.
Paraquat is an herbicide used on a wide variety of agricultural crops. It’s banned in over 70 countries because of its links to human and environmental harm, but it’s still legal across the United States.
Vermont could be one of the first states to ban it.
The US Environmental Protection Agency is currently reviewing paraquat’s potential risks. However, many states don’t want to wait around for action.
11 states have bans on the table this session, including Vermont’s Senate Bill 176. It cites paraquat’s ties to non-Hodgkin lymphoma, childhood leukemia, and Parkinson’s disease.
University of Vermont Medical Center neurologist Lisa Deuel Baker, who specializes in the disease, explains that direct and indirect paraquat exposure poses a risk.
“There’s a lot of data coming out that proximity to people using the chemicals, to orchards, to farms, also increases your risk, whether that’s through a water supply or if it’s airborne. We know these chemicals can really travel a considerable distance,” said Deuel Baker.
“I treat hundreds of patients with Parkinson’s disease, and if I were to give them the opportunity to go back in time and avoid an exposure, I think they would all do it in a heartbeat,” said Deuel Baker.
Scientists are still studying exactly how much paraquat puts you at risk.
In Vermont, paraquat is used pretty sparingly. We’re talking a dozen or so pounds a year compared to tens of thousands of pounds of other pesticides. Still, in 2022, someone used 750 pounds of it.
Through a record request to the Agency of Agriculture, WCAX learned that the massive jump stemmed from Van de Weert Agricultural Services in Addison County.
The business owner told me they used paraquat because other pesticides weren’t available due to COVID restrictions, but they don’t use it anymore.
Senate Bill 176 sponsors hope to take paraquat off the table altogether. The bill was referred to the committee on agriculture in January.
