Chlorpyrifos and Parkinson’s Disease Lawsuits: What You Need to Know

Chlorpyrifos is a potent insecticide used to treat crops, protect livestock, and exterminate common household pests. Concerns over its safety led federal regulators to limit residential use in 2001, while New York state recently passed its own all-out ban on most chlorpyrifos-containing pesticides.

The dangers of chlorpyrifos, especially for children, are well-documented. However, scientists at the University of California recently shared the results of a study that reached an alarming conclusion. According to this report, chlorpyrifos does not just hurt kids; it can also increase adults’ long-term risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative condition with no known cure.

Chlorpyrifos and Parkinson’s Disease

More than one million Americans have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s is a complex condition that can be influenced by a combination of genetics, environmental factors, and past toxin exposures. Though it has many potential causes not all of which are understood researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles now believe that individual risk for this condition could be heavily influenced by exposure to chlorpyrifos.

“People with long-term residential chlorpyrifos exposure had more than 2.5 times the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease compared to those without such exposure,” UCLA Health said in a press release. “Mice exposed to the pesticide developed movement problems and lost dopamine-producing neurons, the same cells that die in Parkinson’s patients. The exposed mice also showed brain inflammation and abnormal accumulation of alpha-synuclein, a protein that clumps in Parkinson’s disease.”

The UCLA team also noted that the study “establishes chlorpyrifos as a specific environmental risk factor for Parkinson’s disease, not just pesticides as a general class.”

One of the most jarring takeaways from the report is that, in most cases, it takes decades for people with a history of exposure to develop early-stage Parkinson’s symptoms. In most cases, the strongest correlation between an initial exposure and a later diagnosis was for patients who had been exposed to chlorpyrifos at least 10 to 20 years before their diagnosis.

In other words, many people who are hurt by this pesticide would not know immediately and often not until so much time has passed that tracing their diagnosis back to chlorpyrifos is, if not impossible, extraordinarily difficult.

Who Is Liable for a Parkinson’s Disease Diagnosis?

The University of California’s report, coupled with past research on chlorpyrifos and Parkinson’s disease, could have immediate legal consequences.

The pesticide industry is regulated by rules at both the federal and state level. Manufacturers have a general duty to ensure that their products are safe for their intended use. Though pesticides carry an inherent risk, most people take common-sense precautions before using them. It is, however, incredibly difficult to avoid a particular source of danger if you have no reason to suspect its existence. If you are never warned, you cannot prepare, and if you cannot prepare, you could end up sick.

Depending on the circumstances of your exposure, you could be entitled to compensation if a pesticide manufacturer:

1. Failed to study the long-term effects of exposure;
2. Ignored evidence suggesting that chlorpyrifos could cause Parkinson’s disease;
3. Continued to sell dangerous pesticides even as scientists began sounding the alarm;
4. Never warned the public of the potential dangers associated with chlorpyrifos; and
5. In some cases, actively sought to suppress evidence showing that CPF was dangerous.

Companies that do not do their due diligence could be held liable for the costs of your treatment, along with other damages you have incurred as the direct result of a Parkinson’s diagnosis.

If you think your diagnosis could be traced back to a past pesticide exposure, the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. could help you obtain the evidence you need to start fighting back. Send us a message online today to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation or Just Call Jed 1-716-839-3939.