This commentary is by James Boyd, a neurologist, professor of Neurological Sciences, and director of the Binter Center for Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders at the University of Vermont Medical Center and the UVM Larner College of Medicine. The opinions expressed are Dr Boyd’s and should not be taken as a statement, opinion, position or endorsement by the University of Vermont or UVM Health.
Every week in my clinic, I sit across from Vermonters who have just heard the words “You have Parkinson’s disease.” They are farmers, teachers, small business owners — people who make Vermont the place we call home. Almost all ask the same questions: Why did this happen? Could I have done something differently?
Parkinson’s disease occurs when brain cells that make dopamine, a chemical that coordinates movement, gradually fail and die, causing people to experience tremor, slowness, stiffness and walking difficulty and imbalance. Parkinson’s is a progressive disease that slowly worsens over time. Despite our efforts, there is no cure.
Parkinson’s is a complex disease. Genetics matter, but they don’t tell the whole story. For decades, researchers have studied how environmental exposures may also contribute. One exposure has emerged repeatedly: paraquat, an herbicide with biological and epidemiological links to the hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease.
As both a clinician and a researcher, I believe Vermont has a clear moral and scientific obligation to ban paraquat. Doing so is an act of prevention, compassion and respect for the people who love Vermont and call this beautiful state their home.
Vermont lawmakers are actively considering legislation to ban the use and sale of paraquat statewide. The primary bill, H.739, unanimously passed the House on March 20, 2026, and is now under review in the Senate Committee on Agriculture. With this bill, Vermont joins a growing number of states considering state-level action in the absence of definitive federal regulation.
Paraquat is a fast-acting herbicide sprayed to kill weeds between orchard rows or before planting field crops. Most of the associated risk occurs during mixing and application, and safer mechanical and alternative herbicide weed-control methods are available.
Decades ago, scientists discovered that paraquat produces similar defining features of Parkinson’s pathology of oxidative stress, brain inflammation, mitochondrial damage, disrupted brain signaling and loss of dopamine-producing neurons critical for movement. Large epidemiologic studies also find higher Parkinson’s risk among people exposed to paraquat, including people living in agricultural communities near treated fields.
But data alone does not capture the human impact of Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s is not just tremor. It is slowness that makes getting off the couch difficult. It is a softening voice that strains to be heard. It is a difficulty swallowing, a fractured hip from a fall, depression and cognitive decline. According to the Vermont State Health Assessment, Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases are increasingly prevalent, straining an already overburdened health care system where neurological specialists are scarce and wait times are long.
These are not abstract trends — they are daily realities for Vermonters.
Eliminating exposure to a known neurotoxic chemical is a wise investment in prevention. Vermont has one of the oldest state populations per capita, and age is a significant and uncontrollable risk factor for Parkinson’s disease. From a public health perspective, prevention matters more here in Vermont than almost anywhere.
Once Parkinson’s begins, we can treat some symptoms, but we cannot yet stop or reverse the disease. Every avoided exposure could represent years of preserved independence and less caregiver and family strain. Beyond the physical, emotional and mental tolls, Parkinson’s also exerts a tremendous financial cost on families and our health care system. In Vermont, the annual economic burden to care for those living with Parkinson’s is estimated to be $140 million.
More than 70 countries have already banned paraquat. The European Union and Brazil have bans because of the science linking paraquat to Parkinson’s, while China banned the toxic chemical “to safeguard people’s life, safety and health.”
Vermont, a state that values clean water, healthy communities and looking out for one another, can lead on this issue by becoming the first state in the nation to ban the use of paraquat.
I would ask anyone who questions the wisdom of protecting people over keeping this chemical on the market to spend a morning in our movement disorders neurology clinic. Sit with the retired Vermonter who can no longer button a shirt. Talk to the spouse who hasn’t slept through the night since the diagnosis, fearing the risk of a stumble and fall on the way to the bathroom.
Banning paraquat will not cure Parkinson’s disease. But it does something powerful and humane: it acknowledges that when decades of credible evidence point to preventable harm, we should act. When patients ask me why they have Parkinson’s, I cannot always give them a simple answer. But when they ask whether we are doing everything we can to protect people, I want to be able to say yes — without hesitation.
