Paraquat: Parkinson's Disease

(asked on 14th April 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment the Government has made of the potential role played by paraquat in the cause of Parkinson’s Disease.


Answered by
Victoria Prentis Portrait
Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
This question was answered on 26th April 2022

The Government’s first priority with regard to pesticides is to ensure that they will not harm people or pose unacceptable risks to the environment. A pesticide may only be placed on the market in Great Britain if the product has been authorised by our expert regulator, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), following a thorough risk assessment


It has been illegal to sell or use paraquat in the UK since 2007. HSE has therefore not carried out a recent risk assessment.

HSE is aware that several studies have been undertaken investigating associations between exposure to paraquat and Parkinson’s disease. HSE is not aware that a causal link has been demonstrated.

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