In an ongoing development concerning syngenta’s paraquat herbicide litigation, U.S. District Judge Nancy Rosenstengel has dismissed a key plaintiffs’ contributor due to what was deemed unreliable methodology. Dr. Martin Wells, a biostatistician, epidemiologist and Cornell University professor, has been said to use inconstant factors in his conclusion that there’s a connection between exposure to the pesticide and the development of Parkinson’s disease.
Known for its effective use in killing weeds and grasses prior to planting crops since its widespread adoption in the 1960s, paraquat has been under significant scrutiny. Despite such assurance from Dr. Wells, Judge Rosenstengel, who is overseeing the paraquat multidistrict litigation, found his methodologies inadequate and unconvincing.
This latest twist in the ongoing dispute raises further questions about the credibility of studies and their approaches in efforts to infer a significant causal link between the paraquat exposure and Parkinson’s disease.
You can read more detailed information on this proceeding at Law.com.