Paraquat and Parkinson’s: A Scientific Breakthrough

Thousands of lawsuits have been filed against the manufacturers of a commercially available herbicide called Paraquat alleging that exposure to Paraquat causes Parkinson’s disease. Paraquat has been sold as a concentrate and under various brand names including Ortho-Paraquat, Gramoxone, Cyclone, and others. Paraquat has been scientifically linked to Parkinson’s disease, a neurological disorder that affects one’s movement, coordination and balance. Many farmers and farm workers who were exposed to Paraquat are suffering from symptoms of Parkinson’s disease but have not been diagnosed with the often debilitating condition.

Parkinson’s disease a difficult condition to diagnosis due to the lack of a specific test for the disease. However, a new scientific breakthrough is likely to change the way doctors diagnose Parkinson’s. A study published in The Lancet Medical Journal in May 2023, found that a specific diagnostic test, the α-synuclein seed amplification assay (SAA), is able to accurately diagnose Parkinson’s disease. Over a thousand people from different countries were included in the study who either had Parkinson’s disease, had symptoms that could indicate early Parkinson’s, carried genetic markers of Parkinson’s but had not yet displayed symptoms, or who were completely healthy.

The study indicated that the SAA test is the most efficient method of diagnosing Parkinson’s disease. This test proved to be 78-88% accurate in correctly identifying Parkinson’s disease and was 96% accurate in confirming that a healthy individual did not have Parkinson’s disease. In addition, this test had an 86% accuracy rate in identifying individuals with early-onset symptoms who may later develop Parkinson’s disease.

These breakthrough findings suggest that the SAA test may be a new frontier in clinically diagnosing Parkinson’s disease. For those individuals who were exposed to Paraquat and are suffering from movement disorder symptoms but who have not yet received a clinical diagnosis, this new test offers some hope in determining the cause of the symptoms. If you have been exposed to Paraquat-containing herbicides and are experiencing tremors, slowed movement, rigid muscles or other related symptoms, please contact our paraquat exposure lawyers today for guidance.