September 22, 2026

@michaelokun

What resonates most with me about Carey Gillam’s deeply reported piece is not simply the continuing concern about paraquat and Parkinson’s disease, but the question of whether our regulatory system has been working with the full deck of cards. Newly released internal records described by Gillam indicate that Syngenta possessed information on worker exposure, skin and clothing penetration, surfactants, and potential effects on the brain that was not provided to the EPA; Syngenta disputes that it withheld information it was required to disclose and continues to dispute a causal link between paraquat and Parkinson’s. As a Parkinson’s neurologist, this is what keeps me up at night: if a chemical may contribute to a disease that is largely incurable, progressive and increasingly common, shouldn't we demand complete transparency and independent science before exposing another generation? More than 70 countries have banned paraquat, while it remains available for restricted use in the United States. Prevent the preventable. We need the data, we need transparency, and we need to put people and brain health first. https://www.thenewlede.org/2026/09/syngentas-secrets-paraquat-pesticide/