SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Legislation to ban the use of the highly toxic herbicide paraquat in California was approved today by a key state Assembly committee.
Assembly Bill 1963, authored by Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Burbank) and sponsored by the Environmental Working Group, passed out of the Committee on Environmental Safety & Toxic Materials and will now be considered by the Assembly’s Appropriations Committee.
If approved by the full legislature and signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom by the end of September, A.B. 1963 would ban the use of paraquat on California fields and orchards starting January 1, 2026.
“Paraquat’s dangers to health and the environment are undeniable,” Friedman said. “With many countries already banning it, California must act to safeguard its residents, particularly those in rural areas, from this toxic weedkiller. The mounting evidence linking paraquat to serious diseases like Parkinson’s, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and childhood leukemia cannot be ignored."
"Farmworkers, their families, and nearby communities in California face serious risks from toxic pesticides like paraquat," said Dolores Huerta, renowned labor leader and civil rights activist, at a press conference in support of AB 1963 alongside Friedman and EWG. "This dangerous weedkiller has been used since the 1960s, endangering millions of essential agricultural workers, their families and local residents. It's time for action. California must ban paraquat now to protect future generations from harm."
Paraquat exposure has been consistently associated with a higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, a progressive brain disorder characterized by involuntary movements like tremors, stiffness and impaired balance. Over time, these symptoms worsen, leading to permanent impairments in movement and speech. As recently as this year, researchers at UCLA reiterated the link between paraquat and Parkinson’s.
EWG Senior Toxicologist Alexis Temkin, Ph.D., testified before the environment Committee ahead of the vote to advance A.B. 1963. In her testimony, she underscored the strong scientific research on paraquat’s serious health harms.
“The herbicide has both acute and chronic toxicity, meaning it can harm people both when they’re exposed one time to a single dose, or over time to lower doses,” Temkin told the committee.
“Animals exposed to paraquat show changes in behavior and overall motor function; a reduction in the number of dopamine-producing neurons; and harmful malfunctions in the important brain protein alpha-synuclein. All of these are hallmarks of how Parkinson’s develops in humans,” Temkin said.
‘Vital public health measure’
“EWG commends the committee for moving forward with this vital public health measure,” said Bill Allayaud, EWG vice president of government affairs in California. “Our state’s farmworkers and their families play a crucial role in providing the food we all rely on daily. Their work shouldn’t jeopardize their health with risks like Parkinson's or cancer. California must act decisively to protect public health by passing legislation to permanently ban paraquat spraying on farms statewide.”
The bill allows for a safety reevaluation of paraquat, with the potential for future use in agriculture, pending completion of the review process. Until then, the ban on paraquat would remain in effect.
The swift transition from the time A.B. 1963 would be signed into law and the ban of paraquat in California is a departure from the usual lengthy process of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which often takes years to restrict or ban pesticides despite scientific evidence of their risks to human health.
Community health risks
An EWG analysis published on March 27 shows paraquat is disproportionately sprayed in areas of the state inhabited by Latino farmworkers and their families, exacerbating environmental health risks for these communities.
Over a decade ago, a study using data from the National Institutes of Health revealed that workers handling paraquat are over twice as likely to develop Parkinson’s disease compared to those using other pesticides. A comprehensive meta-analysis of 13 studies further confirmed this, showing a 64 percent increase in Parkinson’s risk associated with paraquat exposure.
Despite knowing about these health risks, the primary manufacturer of paraquat, Syngenta, chose to conceal this information from the public and the EPA for decades.
More than 60 countries have banned paraquat, but the EPA continues to permit its use on crop fields, disregarding mounting evidence of harm – even though the agency does not allow the pesticide to be used on golf courses due to risks to groundskeepers and the public.
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The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action.
