In May 2026, Vermont became the first U.S. state to ban paraquat. The U.S. still lags behind at least 74 other countries that have already stopped using the herbicide.
"We're the first in the nation, but the last in the world, so it's kind of a mixed feeling," said Vermont State Representative Esme Cole, who sponsored the bill.
Paraquat is the deadliest chemical in U.S. agriculture. The EPA's own warning is "one sip can kill," and the agency has documented deaths from accidental ingestion of tiny amounts. It has even deemed paraquat too toxic for golf courses, while continuing to allow it on the food we eat.
Farmers and farmworkers face the heaviest exposure. From 2013 to 2017, paraquat use doubled and Parkinson's diagnoses increased by 107%. Lawyers for paraquat-exposed victims say manufacturers Syngenta and Chevron knew for decades that paraquat destroyed the brain cells whose death causes Parkinson's.
Paraquat's damage reaches further than Parkinson's. It is linked to childhood acute myeloid leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, thyroid cancer, and birth defects. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in children ages 1 to 14. Paraquat is linked to at least one form of it. 74 countries banned it. Vermont just made it 49 states to go.
LEARN MORE: Paraquat Health Risks and Hot-Spots: California, Mississippi, and Louisiana
TAKE ACTION: Tell Your State Legislators to Follow Vermont’s Lead and Ban Paraquat!