November 18, 2025Report: Pesticide banned in 70+ countries widely used in NC

A new analysis showed the harmful life cycle from production to application of a widely used pesticide in North Carolina. The chemical paraquat is a quick-acting herbicide used for weed control. Long-term exposure to paraquat has been associated with thyroid cancer, impaired kidney function, childhood leukemia and Parkinson’s disease. The study "Designed to Kill: Who Profits From Paraquat?" looks at SinoChem Holdings, a Chinese-owned company selling tens of millions of dollars in paraquat to the U.S. each year. Kendall Wimberley, policy manager for the group Toxic Free NC, pointed out it is despite the fact China has banned the chemical. Wimberley argued we should not consider simply banning a pesticide like paraquat but look at the bigger picture."The need to get off of this pesticide treadmill, and we can't just ban one chemical at a time," Wimberley contended. "We need to be looking at these as classes of chemicals."