Farmers fear this weedkiller made them sick. Why hasn't Australia banned it?
6/18/202618 min
Parkinson’s is the fastest-growing neurological disorder in the world.
And in some Australian farming communities, doctors are questioning why so many seem to be getting it.
For years, some farmers and doctors have drawn a link to paraquat – a powerful weedkiller still used widely on Australian farms, despite being banned in more than 60 countries, including the UK, China and Brazil.
This month, Australia’s chemical regulator is expected to decide whether paraquat can keep being used here – after a review that’s been going on since 1997.
Professor Wesley Thevathasan is one of about 50 neurologists who made submissions to that review, calling for paraquat to be banned. But he says the regulator has ignored them – as well as some of the strongest evidence linking exposure to the chemical to Parkinson’s.
Today, Associate Professor Wesley Thevathasan, on the farmers who fear paraquat made them sick, and whether Australia’s regulator is listening.
Farmer audio courtesy of ABC rural.
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Guest: Parkinson’s disease specialist, Associate Professor Wesley Thevathasan
Photo: ABC / Jake Hamilton
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 1· Soundbite0:00
[gentle music] I, I was born and bred on this property. I'm 68 years old. I run sheep, and I was diagnosed with, uh, Parkinson's disease roughly three years ago.
Daniel James· Host0:13
Parkinson's is the fastest growing neurological disorder in the world. By the time patients come to Professor Wesley Thevathasan, a specialist in Parkinson's, many are already dealing with symptoms that have changed their lives.
Wesley Thevathasan· Guest0:26
They've got the classical movement problems, slowness, stiffness, tremor, gait problems, falls sometimes, um, cognitive issues as well.
Daniel James· Host0:37
But in some Australian farming communities, the question isn't just what Parkinson's does, it's why so many seem to be getting it.
Speaker 4· Soundbite0:46
There's four guys around here, and we've all got it and we all got it about the same time. I mean, what was it, sunspots on the sun or [laughs] There is a lot of Parkinson's in this family.
Speaker 5· Soundbite0:57
David's father and his uncle both had it. His brother-in-law has it.
Speaker 6· Soundbite1:02
Yes.
Speaker 5· Soundbite1:03
It's really very, very prevalent in this community.
Daniel James· Host1:07
For years now, some farmers have been drawing a link to paraquat, a powerful weed killer.
Speaker 4· Soundbite1:13
Um, as a teenager, I waved a flag for an airplane to, to spray pigs with paraquat, and I can recall people blowing out nozzles with their mouth. Wearing gloves was, was for pansies.
Speaker 1· Soundbite1:29
If you're blowing