ALBANY, N.Y. – State lawmakers and public health advocates will hold a rally at the New York Capitol on Wednesday, May 13, from 1 to 2 p.m. EST, to urge passage of legislation to ban the use of the toxic herbicide paraquat, a chemical linked to Parkinson’s disease.
Momentum for the bill is building in the New York Legislature. The Assembly version of the paraquat ban bill, A.10074A, was reported to the floor calendar last week. The identical Senate version, S.9094A, is slated for consideration by the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee soon.
WHO
Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal (D/WF-Assembly District 67), bill sponsor
Sen. Pete Harckham (D/WF-40th Senate District), bill sponsor
Dr. Rebecca Gilbert, Ph.D., chief mission officer, American Parkinson Disease Association
Mike Mooney, former landscaper living with Parkinson’s disease
Wes Gillingham, organic farmer, Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York
Sarah Teale, an Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker and farm owner, who discovered that 36 of her neighbors and her husband, Gordon Chaplin, had Parkinson’s disease. They are all from a small farming community in Hebron, N.Y., where paraquat was widely used.
Jud Eson, an artist living with Parkinson’s disease and member of the Albany Parkinson’s disease community involved at the Capital District YMCA
Nancy Eson, wife and care partner of Jud Eson
Representatives from the Environmental Working Group, The Michael J. Fox Foundation and the Parkinson’s Foundation will emcee the event.
WHAT
Rally urging passage of legislation to ban paraquat in New York.
WHEN
Wednesday, May 13, from 1 to 2 p.m. EST
WHERE
3rd floor staircase, outside of the Assembly Lobby, inside New York State Capitol, Albany, N.Y.
WHY
Paraquat is one of the most toxic herbicides still in use in the U.S. and has been associated with a significantly increased risk of Parkinson’s disease.
The chemical has been banned in more than 70 countries over its outsize risks to human health, including in China, where most of it is produced. Advocates and lawmakers urge swift legislative action to protect public health, farmworkers and communities across New York.
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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.
