Craig Allsopp, joint head of class actions at Shine Lawyers, shared that the national law firm is conducting the investigation on “behalf of potentially thousands of individuals who have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease following exposure to paraquat”.

“There are more than 150,000 people living with Parkinson’s in Australia. People who have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s may have been exposed to paraquat without even knowing it,” he said.

“Anyone working on farms or farm equipment, spraying paraquat, or living near farms and wineries where paraquat has been used, may have been exposed to the herbicide.”

Paraquat is facing growing scrutiny regarding its safety levels, the firm noted, after recent scientific studies raised concerns about its potential role in the cause of Parkinson’s disease.

Australia is currently lagging in tackling this critical issue, as Allsopp pointed out that “more than 70 countries around the world” have already instituted bans on the use of paraquat following the research on its link to Parkinson’s.

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“Parkinson’s Australia is actively petitioning the government to follow suit,” he said.

Legal proceedings are already underway in the United States. According to Shine, nearly 6,000 cases are pending in multidistrict litigation across federal courts nationwide.

The national law firm stated that this class action investigation seeks to discover “whether the manufacturers of paraquat knew or should have known about the associated risks and failed to adequately warn consumers”.

“Surviving relatives of those who have passed away from Parkinson’s disease that may have been exposed to paraquat are also encouraged to register,” Allsopp said.