The Deadliest Chemical in US Agriculture Goes on Trial, by Dr. Joseph Mercola

All of the desiccants commonly used by farmers are toxic. From Dr. Joseph Mercola at theburningplatform.com:

paraquat and diquat to face trial

Story at-a-glance

  • Glyphosate — the active ingredient in the broad-spectrum herbicide RoundUp — is commonly used off-label as a desiccant and/or preharvest treatment to speed ripening. This is why even non-GMO foods often contain glyphosate
  • Paraquat and diquat are registered desiccants that have been used in U.S. agriculture since 1962, and as bad as glyphosate is, these “quats” may be even worse
  • More than 3,000 farmers with Parkinson’s disease are suing Syngenta, the lead manufacturer of paraquat, and Chevron, a key distributor, arguing the chemical caused their disease. The first federal trial is set for October 2023. More than 100 lawsuits have also been filed in California state courts, where trials are set to begin in June 2023
  • In 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reapproved paraquat for another 15 years. Earth Justice sued the EPA claiming the agency has “understated the extent of paraquat’s adverse effects.” The EPA is now re-reviewing its paraquat data and has until December 2023 to draft its reanalysis
  • Research suggests plant lectins are the key link between paraquat and the damage resulting in Parkinson’s disease. Lectins are proteins found in many grains, legumes, and beans — the very crops most-often treated with paraquat. Paraquat can trigger Parkinson’s disease when combined with plant lectins as the lectins transport the toxin straight into the brain

As previously reported in “Preharvest Use of Glyphosate Poisons Kids’ Food,” testing has revealed alarmingly high levels of glyphosate in the vast majority (43 out of 45) breakfast products and snacks made with oats.

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