The Salinas paraquat lawyers at Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers are actively representing those who have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease after being exposed to the popular herbicide paraquat dichloride.
Paraquat exposure has been linked by many scientific studies and meta-analyses to an increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. Thousands of paraquat lawsuits have already been filed because of this.
If you or a loved one has developed Parkinson’s disease after being exposed to paraquat, you may qualify for financial compensation in a paraquat Parkinson’s disease lawsuit.
Our Salinas paraquat attorneys have been representing toxic chemical exposure victims since 1990, and have recovered over $750,000,000 for clients in that time. We are vastly experienced, meaning we know the ins and outs of proving that our clients were exposed to toxic chemicals, became sick because of that exposure, and that the exposure was the fault of the chemical’s manufacturer.
If you develop Parkinson’s disease after being exposed to paraquat, our Salinas paraquat law firm will represent you on a contingency fee basis. This means that we will not charge you a fee until and unless we obtain a financial recovery for you. The only fee we charge is a percentage of any financial compensation we recover for you. You will never owe us a penny out of your own pocket.
Call a Salinas paraquat lawyer at Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers today or text us from this page for a free consultation if you or a loved one developed Parkinson’s disease after being exposed to paraquat. You may qualify for financial compensation in a paraquat exposure lawsuit.
What Compensation Is Available In A Parkinson’s Disease Paraquat Lawsuit?
If you have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease after being exposed to paraquat, you may qualify for financial compensation, in the form of a paraquat lawsuit settlement or award, for many different types of damages, including:
- Medical bills: One of the health risks associated with paraquat is Parkinson’s disease, a progressive disease with no cure and no way to reverse, stop or slow its progression. This means that those who are exposed to paraquat and are subsequently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease will typically face a lifetime of medical bills related to the diagnosis. A paraquat settlement or award may compensate you for any medical bills related to your Parkinson’s disease, including any bills you have already incurred as well as any medical expenses you can be expected to incur in the future.
- Physical or occupational therapy: You may need physical or occupational therapy due to the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, and a Salinas paraquat attorney at Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers may be able to help you obtain financial compensation for any such therapy.
- Adaptive or mobility devices: Unfortunately, the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease can drastically impact your ability to walk. You may qualify for financial compensation for the costs of walkers, wheelchairs and more if we file a paraquat Parkinson’s lawsuit for you.
- Home renovations: The motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease can affect your mobility, and you may require renovations to your home to accommodate the effects of the disease. Paraquat lawsuit settlements or awards can help compensate you for any renovations to your home that are needed.
- Lost income: You may miss time from work due to your Parkinson’s disease, be unable to ever do the work you used to again, or be unable to ever work again, period. Paraquat litigation may help you obtain financial compensation for any lost wages or loss of earning capacity related to your Parkinson’s disease.
- Pain and suffering: Unfortunately, Parkinson’s disease may cause physical pain and mental suffering. Paraquat settlements and awards may help you obtain financial compensation for any pain and suffering related to your Parkinson’s disease.
- Loss of quality of life: Those with Parkinson’s disease often see their quality of life reduced. Paraquat Parkinson’s disease lawsuits may be able to help you obtain a financial recovery compensating you for your loss of quality of life.
- Wrongful death: If you have lost a loved one due to paraquat exposure, you deserve financial compensation and justice. While financial compensation can’t replace your loved one, your family doesn’t deserve to suffer from financial hardship. You may qualify for financial compensation for burial and funeral costs, the loss of your loved one’s love and companionship, any income your loved one would have contributed, the pain and suffering your loved one experienced, any wages you had to lose caring for your loved one, and any medical bills your loved one incurred.
Who Qualifies For Paraquat Parkinson’s Lawsuits?
You may qualify for a paraquat lawsuit if you possess medical records covering your diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, treatment, prognosis and symptoms, as well as if you possess proof that you were exposed to paraquat.
However, if you lack documentation that you were exposed to paraquat, our lawyers can help you with evidence collection.
Those who qualify for paraquat lawsuits include, but are not limited to:
- Agricultural workers
- Pickers
- Landscapers
- Growers
- Farmers
- Anyone who handles or bottles paraquat while it’s manufactured
- Licensed applicators
- Those who work around commercial weed killers and herbicides
If you want to find out whether you have a case against the manufacturers of paraquat, the best way to do so is to talk with our Salinas paraquat lawyers about your diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease and the circumstances under which you were exposed to paraquat. We offer free consultations which will let you learn about the legal process while we explain the options available to you and determine how strong your case is.
Paraquat Has Been Linked With Parkinson’s Disease
Science, for many years now, has found that paraquat is toxic and associated with an increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease:
- Scientists have known since the 1930s that paraquat possesses “redox properties”
- Scientists have known since the 1960s that these “redox properties” make paraquat toxic to humans
- A 1999 study found that paraquat exposure causes dopaminergic neurons to die. The loss of these neurons is responsible for Parkinson’s disease
- A 2004 study found that paraquat can induce oxidative stress and neuronal cell death, two known causes of Parkinson’s disease
- A 2009 study linked exposure to paraquat with double the risk of Parkinson’s disease diagnosis
- A 2011 study found that paraquat exposure is associated with a risk of developing Parkinson’s disease increased by 2.5 times
- A 2013 meta-analysis associated paraquat exposure with twice the risk of being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease
- A 2017 study found that those who are exposed to paraquat are 1.54 times more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease
- A 2018 study found that Parkinson’s disease can result from paraquat’s neurotoxic effects on brain neurons
- A 2019 meta-analysis found a “statistically significant association” between exposure to paraquat and being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease
Paraquat Manufacturers Apparently Knew Paraquat Was Dangerous, Failed To Warn About It
The reason why thousands of paraquat lawsuits have been filed is because it appears that paraquat manufacturers have known or should have known for years that paraquat may cause Parkinson’s disease, but failed to warn the public about this risk.
It appears that paraquat manufacturers:
- Failed to keep up with scientific knowledge linking paraquat to Parkinson’s disease
- Ignored scientific studies linking paraquat with Parkinson’s disease
- Failed to warn the public that scientific studies linked paraquat with Parkinson’s disease
- Failed to adequately test if paraquat caused Parkinson’s disease in people exposed to it
- Failed to adequately test how far the herbicide can drift from where it is sprayed and how easily absorbed the herbicide is
The Guardian published details in October 2022 regarding internal Syngenta documents. The details seemingly suggested that the manufacturers of paraquat knew that products containing paraquat might be extremely dangerous. The Guardian alleged that:
- Syngenta focused on influencing regulators, protecting paraquat’s sales and refuting external scientific research
- Syngenta tried to keep a scientist involved in trying to link paraquat with Parkinson’s disease off an Environmental Protection Agency advisory panel, and tried to prevent these efforts from being linked to them
- Scientists with Syngenta predecessor ICI, as well as Chevron scientists, knew as far back as the 1960s that paraquat could accumulate in the human brain
- Internal Syngenta research showed that paraquat adversely affected brain tissue, and this research was withheld from regulators by the company
- Scientists with Syngenta were aware of evidence that the central nervous system was impaired by paraquat, leading to Parkinson’s-like symptoms in test animals
- A 1975 Chevron communication mentioned that paraquat caused permanent central nervous system effects
- It was reported by ICI scientists in 1966 that animals who were exposed to paraquat developed Parkinson’s-like symptoms such as tremors and a stiff gait
- 1974 meeting notes involving Chevron included mention of “increasing numbers of reports of toxicological effects of paraquat to applicators,” and notes from a subsequent meeting mention that a Chevron lawyer said they knew about evidence that “industrial injury” could be caused by paraquat, and that the company may face millions of dollars worth of lawsuits over it
- Notes from a meeting involving Chevron and ICI in 1975 mention that an autopsy found motor neuron lesions in a paraquat poisoning victim
- An ICI scientist wrote a December 1975 letter to Chevron mentioning “possible chronic effects” which may cause “legal problems”
- A hallmark of Parkinson’s disease, degeneration of cells in the substantia nigra, a part of the brain, was discovered in a farmworker’s autopsy which was reviewed by ICI in 1976
- An internal memo which was provided to officials with Chevron in 1985 mentioned a study finding “an extraordinarily high correlation” between pesticides like paraquat and Parkinson’s disease, and mentioned that paraquat may develop into a huge legal liability like asbestos
- Syngenta responded to studies linking Parkinson’s disease with paraquat by conducting its own studies which intentionally avoided measurements of paraquat levels in the brain, noting the reason for this was that detection of paraquat in the brain “will not be perceived externally in a positive light”
- Syngenta publicized the results of a study it did which failed to find a statistically significant correlation between paraquat exposure and impact on the brains of mice, but failed to publicize the results of a subsequent study which repeated the previous study while using a more accurate technique
- A deposition which involved a scientist with Syngenta revealed that Syngenta’s website mentioned that paraquat can’t cross the blood-brain barrier and can’t reach the part of the brain it would need to in order to cause Parkinson’s disease, yet Syngenta knew these claims were false when making them
Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease for which there is no cure. There is no treatment which can slow, stop or reverse its progression. Existing treatments treat its symptoms, tend to stop working as well over time, and can cause unwanted side effects.
Symptoms Of Parkinson’s Disease
The primary motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are:
- Tremor
- Slow reflexes and movements
- Stiffness
- Balance issues
Secondary motor symptoms can be caused by the primary motor symptoms. These secondary motor symptoms can include:
- Freezing gait
- Shrinking handwriting
- Mask-like expression
- Monotonous, slurred, quiet voice
- Stooped posture
- Muscle spasms
- Excess saliva and drooling
- Impaired coordination
- Trouble swallowing
Non-motor symptoms can also be caused by Parkinson’s disease, such as:
- Depression
- Low blood pressure after standing up
- Disturbances of sleep
- Loss of smell
- Altered sense of smell
- Constipation
Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers
(831) 301-0707
Cause Of Parkinson’s Disease
The symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are the result of the death of dopaminergic neurons in the brain. These neurons produce dopamine, which our brains require for our motor control. These neurons don’t grow back after dying, so a reduction in dopamine production occurs when too many of them die, leading to Parkinson’s disease’s motor symptoms.
Oxidative stress is one known mechanism behind the death of dopaminergic neurons.
Paraquat And Parkinson’s Disease
Paraquat kills the weeds it is intended to by inducing oxidative stress in the weeds’ cells. Unfortunately, it appears that paraquat can also induce oxidative stress in dopaminergic neurons, killing them, leading to the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
In fact, it appears that once paraquat gets in the brains of those exposed to it, it starts a never-ending cycle of oxidative stress which only ends when the victim dies, killing dopaminergic neurons the entire time.
Paraquat is so good at killing dopaminergic neurons that scientists actually intentionally give it to test animals to give the test animals the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease so they can study the symptoms.
Salinas Paraquat Lawyers
If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease after being exposed to paraquat, you may be facing a lifetime of medical bills and disability. With the stakes this high, you can’t afford to get your choice of paraquat lawyers wrong.
You need lawyers on your side like Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers, who have been handling similar toxic chemical exposure cases for over three decades. It can be difficult to prove that a chemical manufacturer is responsible for your toxic exposure and illness, but we are experts at doing so because we’ve been doing it for so long.
Not only can you obtain our experienced representation without ever owing us any out of pocket money, but if you can’t afford medical treatment, we can get you to the best doctors in California who won’t charge you until your case is over.
Call us today for a free consultation if you or a loved one was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease after being exposed to paraquat. You may be entitled to financial compensation.
