Virginia House Delays Action on Bill Banning Paraquat

Inside Climate News · By Charles Paullin · last updated February 21, 2026 – 12:07 AM

The lethal pesticide is banned in Europe, China and many other countries. But not a single state in the U.S. has followed suit, despite research indicating that paraquat exposure increases the risks of Parkinson’s disease.

By Charles Paullin

RICHMOND, Va.—A bill banning the pesticide paraquat died last week in the Virginia House of Delegates after the chamber’s Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee voted 22-0, with little explanation, to carry the measure over to next year for consideration.

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