"More than 12 million people now have Parkinson’s Disease, nearly double the number from just six years ago. From kids who pedaled behind mosquito trucks in the 1950s and ‘60s to veterans exposed to Agent Orange to landscapers and farmers who attribute their Parkinson’s to pesticides, a generation of elders–and increasing numbers of young-onset patients–now suffer from what we didn’t know about chemicals in the 20th Century. "
"Paraquat, banned in 74 countries and counting, remains legal and widely used on U.S. farms despite its strong link to Parkinson’s – and promises by Trump Administration officials to MAHA voters to ban it. Ag giant Syngenta’s recent announcement that it will stop manufacturing paraquat is not expected to slow growing global use. Hundreds of companies around the world manufacture the generic compound. China bans the herbicide to protect its citizens, but exports more than 100 million pounds into the United States each year. Under pressure from the chemical industry, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also has delayed its ban on the Parkinson’s-linked solvent trichloroethylene, or TCE, which has been shown to greatly increase people’s chances of developing Parkinson’s. "
WUFT (North Central Florida Public Media) had the story April 29, 2026, reported by students from the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida. This series was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center.
SEE ALSO:
"A Pandemic of Parkinson’s" (Kairi Lowery, WUFT)
"Crops and Consequences" (Katie Shealy, WUFT)
"The Global Paraquat Trail" (Alanna F. Robbert, WUFT)
"Air, Water and Food " (Nicole Borman, WUFT)
"The Silence and “the Shakes” (Lee Ann Anderson, WUFT)
