Tell Congress to protect our environment from poisonous pesticides!

Beyond its direct poisoning of people, paraquat also lingers in the environment. It has a detrimental impact on soil, water, and wildlife. Studies show that large fish, amphibians, and rabbits have even died after exposure to paraquat.

We need bold, direct legislation like the Protect Against Paraquat Act to protect people and the environment from this poisonous pesticide. Your help is essential to passing this bill!

Dear Representative,

Just one sip of Paraquat is deadly. As your constituent, I urge you to co-sponsor the Protect Against Paraquat Act of 2019, introduced by Representative Velazquez, to help protect public health, including farmworkers and children, our environment and our food supply. This bill would ban all uses of this pesticide, which is known to significantly increase risk of Parkinson’s disease. And it is linked to kidney, organ and heart failure, eye damage, and cancer. It is also extremely toxic for our soil, water, and wildlife.

Paraquat is the most acutely toxic herbicide in the U.S. The EPA concluded that, “one small sip can be fatal and there is no antidote.” Paraquat is already banned for household use in the U.S. and it's banned in 32 countries. But it's still used in agriculture in the U.S. to grow our food. In fact, paraquat use has increased by 84 percent in the past 10 years due to mismanagement of herbicide-resistant weeds. This is particularly concerning for farmworkers who may be exposed to this toxic chemical on a daily basis.

When a toxic dose of just 10-15 mL is ingested, paraquat has life-threatening effects on the gastrointestinal tract, kidney, liver, heart and other organs. Death from damage to the lungs most commonly occurs 7-14 days after ingestion, though higher doses will cause circulatory failure and death within 48 hours. It has been shown that farmworkers exposed to paraquat were twice as likely to develop Parkinson’s disease. In a study conducted in Taiwan, where paraquat is commonly used on rice fields, the odds ratio for Parkinson’s Disease was as high as 6.4 among those exposed for more than 20 years. In the United States, the EPA identified 27 paraquat fatality reports in its Incident Data System.

The European Union formally banned paraquat in July 2007, citing failure to meet strict EU health standards. In the United States, all paraquat products are registered as Restricted Use Pesticides, meaning they must be applied by licensed applicators. This does not do enough to protect public health or our ecosystems from this dangerous chemical.

It is vitally important that you co-sponsor the Protect Against Paraquat Act of 2019 and advocate for its passage this year. The reasonable steps in this bill will help protect the health of farmworkers, children, and the planet.

Sincerely,
{user_data~First name} {user_data~Last name}
{user_data~State} {user_data~Postcode}

First name

Last name

Email address

Address line 1

City

State

Zip Code

What is your cell phone number?

Alerts about ways you can take action

Friends of the Earth Action Activists

By submitting this form, you are signing up to receive updates and alerts from Friends of the Earth and Friends of the Earth Action. You may unsubscribe at any time.

By providing your mobile number and submitting this form, you are signing up to receive periodic SMS messages from Friends of the Earth and Friends of the Earth Action. Msg & data rates may apply. Text STOP to 91990 to stop receiving messages. Text HELP to 91990 for more information. Terms & conditions.