Virginia legislature delays ban on paraquat pesticide linked to parkinson’s disease

Virginia lawmakers have postponed action on a bill that would have banned paraquat, a controversial pesticide linked to increased risk of Parkinson’s disease. The Virginia House of Delegates’ Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee voted unanimously 22-0 last week to delay consideration of the measure until next year, offering little public explanation for the decision.

The delay means Virginia will continue allowing the use of paraquat across more than 200,000 acres of farmland, where it’s applied to various crops including corn. This puts the state at odds with a growing international consensus against the chemical. The European Union, China, and dozens of other countries have already banned paraquat due to safety concerns, but no U.S. state has yet followed suit despite mounting scientific evidence.

Research studies have increasingly linked paraquat exposure to higher rates of Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurological disorder that affects movement and coordination. The pesticide is classified as “restricted use” by the EPA, meaning only certified applicators can handle it, but environmental and health advocates argue these precautions don’t go far enough to protect farmworkers and nearby communities.

The committee’s unanimous decision to postpone suggests lawmakers may be weighing economic concerns from agricultural interests against growing public health evidence. With Virginia’s substantial farming sector relying on the chemical for crop protection, the debate highlights the ongoing tension between agricultural productivity and environmental safety that plays out across rural America.