Designed to Kill: Who Profits from Paraquat? was developed by Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, Coming Clean, and Pesticide Action and Agroecology Network to illustrate the health and climate harms of paraquat across its supply chain. The report reveals that the U.S. imports tens of millions of tons of paraquat a year from China and the United Kingdom, countries that have both banned the pesticide due to health and safety concerns. Trade records show that U.S. paraquat imports have increased this decade, even as over 70 countries worldwide prohibit its use. Paraquat exposure has been linked to Parkinson’s disease, thyroid cancer, lung damage, and other serious health conditions.
An accompanying interactive map also illustrates how paraquat is made, and traces the company SinoChem’s supply chain of paraquat, from fossil fuel extraction, through toxic manufacturing facilities, to U.S. ports and farms. SinoChem is the world’s largest agrochemical conglomerate, owned by the government of China, and a major exporter of paraquat to the U.S.
Storymap
You can also view storymap in full screen here.
Download the report below:
