SACRAMENTO, California — Assemblymember Laura Friedman introduced a bill Wednesday to ban paraquat, a weedkiller banned by over 60 countries for its links to human health harms.
The bill, A.B. 1963, would ban the use of paraquat on orchards and fields in California by January 2026.
An increasing body of research has shown that exposure to paraquat can lead to an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease, a progressive brain disorder. Other health risks of ingesting, inhaling or exposing paraquat to the skin include cancer and failure of the heart, liver and kidneys.
An analysis of state data published last month by the Environmental Working Group, which is sponsoring Friedman’s bill, determined that Latino communities in Kern and Kings counties were hot spots for exposure to paraquat spraying.
