Art Staed first noticed trouble with his fine motor skills two years ago. He had difficulty using a keyboard and writing his name. People noticed his facial expressions had changed. His balance was off.
Staed, an Iowa state senator who has lived in Kansas and Missouri, announced last year he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, the fastest-growing neurodegenerative disease in the world. He is among more than a million Americans who live with it.
"The difficult thing is to know there's no cure," said Staed, who has been in physical and speech therapy. "The hard thing is knowing it's not getting better."
Staed wanted to use his position in the Statehouse to lower Iowans' risks of developing the progressive disease. During the 2026 legislative session, he introduced a bill that would have banned the use of paraquat dichloride, a highly toxic herbicide that researchers have linked to an increased risk of developing Parkinson's.
The Environmental Protection Agency warns paraquat can cause lasting health effects and should never be used near schools or playgrounds. It has killed people who have accidentally ingested it, including children. After banning paraquat's sale in 2012, South Korea saw an "immediate and clear decline" in suicides from poisoning by pesticides, an umbrella term for herbicides and insecticides, among other substances, according to the World Health Organization.
Staed wasn't alone in his attempt to get paraquat banned this year: Lawmakers in at least 10 states — including Missouri, Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan — proposed prohibiting paraquat's sale or use. Three other states floated outlawing its application near schools, according to The Council of State Governments. Despite growing concerns about the weed killer, only Vermont has successfully banned it.
"If it keeps one person safe," Staed recently told The Midwest Newsroom, "I think that's worth it."
More than 70 countries, including every nation in the European Union, ban paraquat. That includes China, which exports millions of pounds of it to the U.S.
Parkinson's disease can be caused by a combination of factors, like genetic predisposition and exposure to environmental factors. Staed, who was born in Joplin, Missouri, as one of 11 children, does not know what caused his Parkinson's. He did not live next to a farm.
Nebraska and Kansas have the highest rates of Parkinson's diagnoses in the U.S., according to a 2025 study, making its connection with paraquat of particular interest. Tens of thousands of Midwesterners live with the condition, according to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which was created following the actor's diagnosis:
- Iowa: 10,400
- Kansas: 9,000
- Missouri: 20,000
- Nebraska: 6,100
Kansas and Nebraska also had the second- and third-highest death rates from Parkinson's in 2024, behind Utah, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Missouri had the fifth-highest mortality rate, while Iowa was 16th.
In June, a Republican from Florida and a Democrat from Maine introduced a bill to ban paraquat on a federal level. Proponents of outlawing paraquat said countries like Brazil — the world's largest exporter of soybeans — have shown banning it did not harm their farming industries.
"Safer alternatives already exist, from other herbicides to non-chemical methods like mechanical weeding and grazing," Illinois state Sen. Laura Ellman, a Democrat from Naperville, said after she introduced legislation that would have phased out paraquat there by 2027.
'A broken tool'
The EPA allows only trained farmers to use paraquat. The agency has said it is reassessing paraquat's safety and in June announced it was convening an open forum to discuss "documented safety challenges" related to the herbicide.
"We are requiring manufacturers to prove that current uses are safe under real-world conditions, and if they cannot meet that standard, decisive action will follow," Lee Zeldin, the EPA's administrator, said in a statement at the time.
Still, proponents of banning paraquat say farmers, farm workers and people who live within 2.7 miles of its application can't afford to wait for the EPA to take action.
Geoff Horsfield, legislative director for the Environmental Working Group, which has pushed for paraquat bans, noted Michigan banned DDT in 1969, before the EPA issued its cancellation order for the insecticide. Horsfield called paraquat a "broken tool" for farmers, citing studies showing its ties to Parkinson's and other acute and long-term health risks.
"It's a tool that needs replacing in the toolbox," Horsfield said.
Farmers across the Midwest, including in Missouri and Kansas, are among thousands who have filed lawsuits in East St. Louis, Illinois, as part of nationwide litigation against Swiss pesticide maker Syngenta, which until recently was the world's largest producer of paraquat.
Earlier this year, Syngenta — which denies a causal link between paraquat and Parkinson's — said it would stop making it and cited "significant competition from generic producers" as the reason. The announcement created some confusion that paraquat, which Syngenta sold commercially under the name Gramoxone, could no longer be purchased.
"Paraquat is still in the market," Horsfield said, "even though the largest producer of paraquat has essentially said, 'This is no longer worth it for us.'"
Growing skepticism
Missouri state Rep. Sherri Gallick, a Republican from Belton, was among the lawmakers to file measures to restrict paraquat this year.
At a March hearing in Jefferson City, Gallick said she did not want to harm the food and agriculture industry, which she previously worked in. The bill was "very narrow in scope" and focused on only paraquat, not other pesticides, she said.
Gallick noted that few farmers use paraquat. The latest available data from the U.S. Geological Survey showed it is uncommon compared to other pesticides, making up 0.04% of all pesticide use in Iowa, 1.05% in Kansas, 0.76% in Missouri and 0.18% in Nebraska. Still, its use more than doubled from 2012 to 2018 across the U.S., according to the latest federal data.
Grant Niver, who testified in support of the bill as a senior state government relations manager with the Michael J. Fox Foundation, said up to 78% of Parkinson's diagnoses could be attributed to environmental factors. That was likely the case for his own mother, who was diagnosed at age 43 with three young children. She did not have a genetic predisposition to Parkinson's, he testified, yet was "delivered this brutal diagnosis."
"People at 43 should not be getting Parkinson's," Niver told lawmakers. "Full stop."
Gallick's bill was opposed by agricultural groups, such as the Missouri Agribusiness Association. Casey Wasser, CEO and executive director of the Missouri Soybean Association, said paraquat is an affordable and effective option for desiccating — or drying out — soybeans prior to harvest.
"Farmers understand the risk with any product they use," Wasser testified.
'This can be dangerous'
In Iowa, Staed's bill did not get a hearing. A lawmaker who worked in agriculture expressed concern that banning paraquat could be a "slippery slope" to outlawing other pesticides. Supporters, though, included a woman in Johnson County, Iowa, who believes her father's Parkinson's disease was caused by his use of paraquat as a farmer, Staed said.
Another proponent was Nathan Peterson, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's more than five years ago, when he was 34. He can't definitively say what caused the disease, but he believes paraquat is the most likely culprit. Testing showed he had no genetic risk factors. He grew up in north-central Iowa, next to a farm that he confirmed used paraquat, and later worked in fields.
"This can be dangerous," said Peterson, now 40, of Des Moines. "I had no idea this would happen to me."
Parkinson's has "profoundly" affected every part of Peterson's life: He no longer works and is applying for Social Security Disability Insurance. The disease has changed his sleep, mood and ability to play with his two young children.
Similar to proposed legislation in other states, Staed's bill would have allowed the state Department of Natural Resources to use paraquat for research. The bill would have also formed a team of experts to research other hazardous pesticides. As Iowa faces climbing cancer rates, residents have increasingly voiced concern about their drinking water. It's become a central theme of Iowa's gubernatorial race: Zach Lahn, the Republican nominee, has railed against Big Agriculture, while Democrat Rob Sand introduced a plan to tackle the state's cancer crisis.
In an interview with the conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, Lahn in February expressed concern about paraquat, saying some farmers won't use it and those who have told stories of getting "uncontrollable" nose bleeds after spraying it. Paraquat, he noted, has been used in research studies to induce the features of Parkinson's in mice.
"It's a very, very harsh product, and it's still sprayed," Lahn said, later adding: "Our EPA — and this is where the big issue lies — our EPA still allows it."
The EPA did not respond to The Midwest Newsroom's request for comment.
Asked about paraquat at a town hall meeting in Dickinson County, in northwest Iowa, Sand said he did not support "granting additional immunity" to manufacturers who make people sick.
"I can promise you this: When anybody's product causes suffering, they should be held accountable for that suffering," Sand said, according to his campaign.
Life-changing diagnosis
A Democrat who previously served in the Iowa House of Representatives, Staed may be uniquely positioned to advocate for people with Parkinson's: As of 2023, just "a handful" of lawmakers had ever disclosed a Parkinson's diagnosis while in office, the BBC reported.
Staed, who has passed cognitive evaluations, said his diagnosis does not affect his legislative work. He plans to serve until his term ends in 2029. During an interview at their Cedar Rapids condo, his wife, Susan, said Parkinson's has not slowed him down: They recently returned from the National Conference of State Legislatures in Chicago, where lawmakers from across the country at one point discussed paraquat.
Still, Staed used to enjoy long walks, runs and bicycle rides, but at times now uses a wheelchair.
As momentum builds nationally, Staed said he plans to again introduce a paraquat ban next legislative session.
"The manufacturers have a responsibility to warn the public," he said. "And government has a responsibility to protect public health."
The Midwest Newsroom is an enterprise journalism collaboration that includes Iowa Public Radio, KCUR, Nebraska Public Media, St. Louis Public Radio and NPR. There are many ways you can contact us with story ideas and leads, and you can find that information here. The Midwest Newsroom is a partner of The Trust Project. We invite you to review our ethics and practices here.
METHODOLOGY Reporter Luke Nozicka interviewed advocates for banning paraquat and traveled to Cedar Rapids to interview Iowa Sen. Art Staed, who has Parkinson's disease. He also gathered and analyzed data about the use of paraquat and the prevalence of Parkinson's disease in the region. He also reviewed pending litigation against Syngenta.
REFERENCES
The Link Between Parkinson's Disease and Toxic Chemicals (The New York Times | July 2020)
Parkinson's disease patients and scientists alike worry about their future (River City Journalism Fund | December 2025)
Lawyers wrangle over Syngenta settlement while families wait for justice (River City Journalism Fund | February 2026)
Failure to warn: How East St. Louis became a battleground against an international chemical giant (River City Journalism Fund | February 2026)
Syngenta says it will stop making paraquat, weedkiller linked to Parkinson's disease (St. Louis Public Radio | March 2026)
TYPE OF ARTICLE
News — Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Copyright 2026 St. Louis Public Radio
