Secret Push to Bury Paraquat’s Link to Parkinson’s Disease

It's designed to injure and kill plants, which is why farmers like to use it on certain crops.

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

• Paraquat is an herbicide and registered desiccant that has been used on American farms since 1964. A desiccant is a chemical that speeds up the ripening of the crop and dries it out, which facilitates harvesting and allows it to be harvested sooner than were the crop left to dry naturally

• Fifty countries have banned paraquat due to its e…