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Syngenta, Chevron Could Face Billions in Claims Over Weed Killer

  • Paraquat is blamed for Parkinson’s disease in U.S. farmers
  • Companies pledge fight as Illinois judge set to oversee suits
Syngenta AG signage hangs inside the company's booth during the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois on Aug. 29, 2017. 

Syngenta AG signage hangs inside the company's booth during the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois on Aug. 29, 2017. 

Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg
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Yet another popular weed killer used by American farmers for decades is becoming a costly liability for the companies behind the chemical.

Over the past seven months, new lawsuits have been filed almost every day claiming farmers or field workers contracted Parkinson’s disease from their exposure to Paraquat, a highly toxic herbicide developed by Syngenta AG and sold in the U.S. by Chevron Corp.