Class-action lawsuit over pesticide's ties to Parkinson's certified in Canadian court
A BC Supreme Court judge certified a class-action lawsuit this week that links a widely used gardening product ingredient to a serious neurodegenerative illness.
Individuals in Canada outside of Quebec who’ve been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease after using Gramoxone products anytime after July 1, 1963, can join the class action suit.
According to the law firm pursuing the class action, the dangerous ingredient is paraquat, which was commonly sold under the brand name Gramoxone. The firm says it’s following in the footsteps of other group lawsuits that have happened in the US over the widely used weed-killing agent.
The suit alleges the product is hazardous, and its manufacturers knew or ought to have known the risk that it could cause Parkinson’s disease and failed to adequately study the issue before marketing products.
One of the key plaintiffs in the lawsuit is the late Wayne Gionet. The BC resident lived in Saanich and used Gramoxone products containing paraquat for decades as part of his work for Agriculture Canada. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2015 and died in 2023. The lawsuit continues on behalf of his estate.
Parkinson’s is an incurable neurological disease that causes problems with movement as well as dementia. It’s characterized by the death of critical cells in the brain and the buildup of abnormal clumps of protein known as Lewy bodies.
According to Parkinson’s Canada, Paraquat is no longer available for sale in Canada after being voluntarily discontinued by Canadian manufacturer Syngenta. The substance is also banned in 30 countries worldwide, and in 2012, France recognized Parkinson’s as an occupational disease among farmers who had been exposed to pesticides for many years.
Parkinson’s Canada also pointed to one study out of the US suggesting those who used paraquat or rotenone in their work were 2.5 times more likely to have Parkinson’s than those who did not.
“There is growing awareness, research, and discussion regarding the relationship between pesticides and Parkinson’s. While it is extremely difficult to definitively establish a cause-and-effect relationship, many epidemiolocal studies and systemic reviews have found an association between exposure to certain pesticides and Parkinson’s,” Parkinson’s Canada says on its website.
Certification is one of the first steps in a class-action lawsuit’s journey. The BC judge evaluated the lawsuit’s arguments, determined there is a chance the plaintiffs may win, and allowed it to proceed.