11/20/2024
From the article belowā¦
Bad news builds
As the companies fretted, the bad news continued to build: a 1976 autopsy of a farm worker reviewed by ICI showed ādegenerative changesā in the ācells of the substantia nigraā of the brain. Such changes are a hallmark of Parkinsonās, but the autopsy said they were probably because of lung damage. A Chevron memo that year noted āgaps in our knowledge of the chronic effects of paraquat exposureā.
By 1985 the science on paraquat health effects had become the subject of vigorous research by independent scientists, and the findings were ringing alarm bells within Chevronās highest ranks.
In October 1985, an internal memorandum circulated to Chevron officials noted that a study by a Canadian researcher had found āan extraordinarily high correlationā between Parkinsonās and the use of pesticides, including paraquat. The memo also noted that paraquat was āchemically very similarā to the byproduct of synthetic he**in called MTPT, āwhich produces almost instant Parkinsonās, by killing dopaminergic neurons in the brainā.
Cache of documents seen by Guardian detail effort to refute scientific research into paraquat and derail nomination of key EPA adviser
