US EPA will reassess safety of herbicide paraquat, says its chief

Jan 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will reassess the ​safety of herbicide paraquat, ‌its administrator Lee Zeldin said on Friday ‌on X, adding that the body is requiring manufacturers to thoroughly prove that current uses are safe ⁠in real-world conditions.

Syngenta, ‌which markets paraquat under the brand name Gramoxone, is ‍among the herbicide's major sellers.

The Swiss-based agricultural chemical company is facing several lawsuits ​in the U.S., where plaintiffs ‌allege exposure to paraquat caused them to develop Parkinson's, a degenerative brain disease that leads to loss of muscle coordination.

It has previously ⁠said there was "no credible ​evidence" that paraquat ​causes Parkinson's.

In agricultural settings, paraquat is mostly applied to soybean, ‍corn and ⁠cotton crop fields to control invasive weeds and grasses, according ⁠to the Environmental Protection Agency.

(Reporting by Costas ‌Pitas and Pooja Menon; Editing ‌by Alan Barona)