Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) is introducing a bipartisan bill to ban the herbicide paraquat due to its increasingly widespread toxic effects.
What is Paraquat, Exactly, and Why is It Dangerous?
Paraquat, also known as Gramoxone, is short for paraquat dichloride, and it is the most commonly used weed killer in the United States. While it is classified as a Restricted Use Pesticide (RUP) and thus can only be used by trained, certified applicators, even the smallest amount of the substance is fatal if ingested, and exposure is linked to Parkinson's Disease.
As a result, paraquat is already banned in over 70 countries and the state of Vermont in May.
What Lawmakers Are Saying
"Paraquat has been banned in over 70 countries, including every nation in the European Union, because the science is clear about the devastating neurological risks associated with exposure," said Rep. Luna in her press release, adding, "The United States has no business allowing a chemical linked to Parkinson's disease to keep being sprayed on American farmland, and this bill ends that."
In addition to banning paraquat, Rep. Luna's bill directs the Environmental Protection Agency to cancel all existing paraquat registrations, revoke any tolerances that permit paraquat residue in food, and, upon enactment, ban the sale and use of existing stocks.
Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME), the bill's cosponsor, said, "Vermont just proved a paraquat ban is possible. Now Congress must make it national. This pesticide is already banned in more than 70 countries and linked to Parkinson's disease, yet EPA has been reviewing its safety since 2022 without finishing the job."
"I'm proud to introduce this bill with Congresswoman Luna, because all Americans deserve the same protection from this poison," Rep. Pingree continued. "Our bill cancels paraquat's registration outright. No more reviews, no more waiting, no more excuses."
Luna's Previous Health-Related Ban Bill
In February, Luna introduced the Kids Off Social Media Act, which seeks to protect the mental health of America's kids by banning the allowance of social media accounts for users under the age of 13.
