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Multinational agriculture technology company Syngenta announced earlier this month that it will cease global production of the herbicide paraquat by the end of June, including at its facility in Iberville Parish.
Banned in more than 70 countries, paraquat is repackaged and distributed in the U.S. from Syngenta’s manufacturing site in St. Gabriel.
Syngenta did not respond to questions about whether any workers will be laid off as a result of the decision or how operations may change at the St. Gabriel facility. In 2024, the facility employed 350 full-time staff and another 450 contractors, according to the company.
The decision comes as the company faces thousands of lawsuits for failing to inform users of paraquat’s many health risks. But a Syngenta representative said the move was made for “entirely a commercial reason,” citing high competition from other producers. Some local residents and environmental activists celebrated the move, calling it a step in the right direction to protect workers from the dangerous herbicide and possibly reduce air pollution in the community.
U.S. farmers commonly use the highly toxic paraquat for weed control. Much of the paraquat used by the farmers enters the country through New Orleans, according to a recent report by Coming Clean, Alianza Nacional de Campesinas and Pesticide Action and Agroecology Network. Along the way, workers at the ports and in the company’s facilities risk exposure to the chemical.
A 2017 Environmental Protection Agency memo noted that paraquat is so toxic that “one sip can kill,” and that even minimal contact can cause serious injury to the eyes and skin. Inhaling paraquat can also cause lung damage, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Exposure to the chemical is associated with Parkinson’s disease. A 2020 LSU study concluded there is a greater risk of the disease in areas where pesticides, including paraquat, are used.
