In this quiet southeast corner of the state, home to roughly 20,000 people surrounded by forest and farmland, a deadly secret hangs in the air. The Sipcam Agro plant here processes the toxic herbicide paraquat, making it the largest single emitter of the chemical in the entire United States. And the residents are paying the price with their lives.
Wayne County’s Parkinson’s disease death rate ranks in the top 7% of all U.S. counties reporting such deaths between 2018 and 2024. This is no coincidence. The evidence linking paraquat to Parkinson’s — the world’s fastest-growing incurable neurodegenerative disease — has accumulated for decades, yet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency continues to allow this poison on American soil.
A history of corporate deception
The story of paraquat reads like a criminal conspiracy. Syngenta and its corporate predecessors knew about the dangers as early as the 1950s, when Imperial Chemical Industries researchers found that paraquat caused central nervous system damage in lab animals. Internal documents now emerging in court show company executives worried about long-term liability as early as the 1980s.
Chevron, which once partnered with Syngenta to sell paraquat, left the business in 1986. While the company claims market forces drove this decision, internal memos reveal top executives were terrified of the legal consequences. Canadian researchers had already found an “extraordinarily high correlation” between Parkinson’s disease and paraquat use.
The EPA’s capture by industry
The EPA’s track record with toxic chemicals speaks for itself. After previously seeking public comment on banning paraquat in 2019 and recommending restrictions on aerial applications, the agency reversed course in 2021, re-registering the poison for 15 more years. The decision was based largely on evidence provided by the Agricultural Handler Exposure Task Force — an industry advocacy group founded by none other than Syngenta.
This is the same pattern we’ve seen with glyphosate, PFAS and countless other hazardous chemicals. The revolving door between industry and regulatory agencies ensures that profits come before public health. Kelsey Barnes, now a senior adviser to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, was previously a manager of federal government relations for Syngenta.
Hellbound and Down 