TMP Master Class - Personal Injury Litigation
A large number of farm workers using or exposed to paraquat have been disproportionately diagnosed with Parkinson’s. This has led to a ban of paraquat in many countries. Although the United States still allows its use, there are now hundreds of ongoing paraquat lawsuits pursuing justice for the victims. Turnbull, Moak & Pendergrass has extensive experience in mass tort litigation and ultimately taking individual cases to trial with successful outcomes. Contact us now for a free consultation and evaluation of your case.
Paraquat is an herbicide widely used and marketed in many products, that became used worldwide as an agricultural product. Paraquat was first discovered in 1882 by two Austrian chemists, however, it wasn’t until 1955 when scientists working for the British Chemical Company Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) discovered its herbicidal properties. Several multinational chemical companies began making, marketing and selling paraquat in 1962 and reaching a global agricultural marketplace.
Parkinson’s Disease is a nervous system condition which is usually diagnosed by a neurologist by reviewing symptoms along with a neurological and physical examination. There is no specific test to diagnose a patient. The most common visible manifestation of the disease are tremors, as well as stiffness and/or slowing of movement. Parkinson’s disease often causes a person’s face to show little or no expression. It can also cause a person to have soft or slurred speech. The symptoms worsen as the condition progresses over time. Though there is no cure for Parkinson’s disease, there are many medications available that help limits its symptoms by regulating certain areas of the brain. Some people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease can live for a long period of time. However, the care of a person who develops this disease is very extensive because it requires extensive medical treatment, medication, physical therapy, and even treatment for mental well-being as a person struggles with the progression of the disease. It is not uncommon for a person battling Parkinson’s disease to ultimately have medical expenses well into millions of dollars.
People who have either had an accidental exposure to paraquat or are agricultural workers who have had repeated low dose exposure to paraquat are those who are most likely to develop Parkinson’s Disease. Even agricultural workers such as those doing the harvesting or other farm jobs who did not have direct contact with the spraying of fields, but worked on those same fields where paraquat was used are at a very high risk for developing Parkinson’s Disease. Also, people who lived, worked or spent significant time near fields where paraquat was sprayed have had a risk of exposure due to overspray, as well as via non-direct application methods of the poison, such as aerial dusting.
The expenses to families and patients related to those suffering from Parkinson’s disease, collectively, cost billions of dollars each year. Victims not only have to deal with the burden of an extremely high cost of treatment, but also lost wages, as well as physical and emotional anguish that also can affect their loved ones. The dangers of paraquat and its link to Parkinson’s Disease has been examined by several independent organizations, which have produced a wealth of studies and information showing paraquat’s causal relationship with Parkinson’s. Many affected people in the United States have initiated paraquat lawsuits and litigation, and many have filed suit against Syngenta, the world’s largest manufacturer of the poison. Currently, more than 150 paraquat cases have been consolidated in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois in a “multi-district litigation.”
