In a long-sought victory for the Parkinson’s community, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on December 9, 2024, announced a ban of nearly all uses of trichloroethylene (TCE). A widely used industrial solvent, TCE is known to increase risk of Parkinson’s disease and other serious health issues including cancer and birth defects. This decision by the EPA marks a significant step in reducing dangerous environmental exposures and protecting the health and wellbeing of millions of Americans.   

A Pivotal Milestone for Parkinson’s Advocacy 

Together with hundreds of thousands of advocates and partner organizations, The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) has campaigned for the elimination of toxic chemicals like TCE and the herbicide paraquat for close to a decade. When the EPA proposed this TCE ban in October 2023, MJFF made a final push by activating our grassroots advocate network to affirm the Parkinson’s community’s support of the ban. 

At the helm of this effort is MJFF's senior vice president of public policy Ted Thompson who said: “By banning TCE, the Biden-Harris administration and EPA will effectively eliminate a known risk factor for Parkinson’s disease. This is a monumental, hard-fought win and testimony to the power of collective action — the Parkinson’s community worked tirelessly to raise awareness, share personal stories and push for this change at every turn. Today’s decision offers a beacon of hope for a future free of environmental risks for Parkinson’s and a reminder that our advocacy matters.”

“Today’s decision offers a beacon of hope for a future free of environmental risks for Parkinson’s and a reminder that our advocacy matters.” — Ted Thompson

TCE has had a pervasive presence in dry cleaning, degreasing and other manufacturing processes for decades, contaminating air, water and soil. In 2023, a groundbreaking study by the University of California, San Francisco found that Navy and Marine Corps veterans who had been exposed to TCE-contaminated water at Camp Lejeune had a 70 percent higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease compared with veterans who had done their military training elsewhere.

U.S. Army veteran and patient policy advocate Amy Lindberg reflected on her exposure to TCE in saying, “I trained at Camp Lejeune between 1984 and 1988 and unbeknownst to me, I was drinking, cooking and swimming in tainted water. Now, I’m an advocate at local, state and national levels to improve the quality of life for people with Parkinson’s and stem the tide of how fast this disease is progressing.”

Making the Case for Future Chemical Bans 

Under the bipartisan 2016 Toxic Substances Control Act, the EPA has made historic progress in banning or limiting the use of toxins, like TCE, known to cause devastating health effects. This decisive action offers a hopeful look to a future where other environmental risks for Parkinson’s disease may also be significantly reduced or eliminated. At the top of the list is paraquat, a weedkiller thought to increase Parkinson’s risk by as much as 100 to 500 percent depending on overall exposure. 

The TCE ban has renewed enthusiasm around the banning of paraquat. MJFF will continue to rally for an end to the use of the chemical, which is already banned in 70 other countries and is prohibited on U.S. golf courses but not on crops, putting farmworkers and those living and working nearby at risk. What’s more: A 2024 study by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that in California, most paraquat use is in areas with Latino populations of 75 percent or more and poverty rates of at least 20 percent.  

Caroline Tanner, MD, PhD, professor of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco and co-author of the Camp Lejeune study, said: “More research is needed to fully understand the complexities of Parkinson’s disease, but strong data has associated several chemicals, including paraquat, with increased disease risk. Science shows the effects of these chemicals can be mitigated, and possibly prevented, but we need the support of policymakers to remove these harmful substances that can negatively impact the health of Americans.”   

“More research is needed to fully understand the complexities of Parkinson’s disease, but strong data has associated several chemicals, including paraquat, with increased disease risk. Science shows the effects of these chemicals can be mitigated, and possibly prevented, but we need the support of policymakers to remove these harmful substances that can negatively impact the health of Americans.” — Caroline Tanner, MD, PhD

For nearly a decade, MJFF and our advocates have urged the EPA to institute a federal paraquat ban by:

• Submitting dozens of public comments and providing over 90 scientific studies to the agency. 

• Collecting over 150,000 signatures across two petitions. 

• Organizing congressional briefings and in-person meetings with the EPA officials and people personally affected by paraquat’s harms. 

• Logging tens of thousands of advocate calls and emails to Congress. 

• Participating in a joint lawsuit against the EPA. 

• Engaging members of Congress to join our advocacy by sending letters to the EPA.  

In 2020, the EPA reauthorized paraquat use for another 15 years, but announced its plans to reconsider in late 2022. A decision is expected in January 2025.

On the state level, MJFF worked in coalition with EWG and other partners to advocate for California legislation to require the state’s Department of Pesticide Regulation to re-evaluate the safety of the use and sale of the herbicide by January 1, 2029. 

Join Our Advocacy 

The EPA’s ban of TCE shows that when science, advocacy and public health align, meaningful change is possible. Join us in building on this momentum and continue to advocate for a world free from Parkinson’s and other diseases associated with environmental risks.  

Here’s what you can do today: 

1. Sign our petition to the White House to urge a ban on paraquat. 

2. Send a (pre-written) email to Congress to ask them to cosponsor the HEALTHY BRAINS Act, a bill that would direct the federal government to research the connection between the environment and neurodegenerative diseases.