California restricts toxic weedkiller as SoCal community battles rare cancer cluster fears

California is pulling a notorious weedkiller from the market as families in a Southern California community continue to demand answers over a string of rare childhood cancers.The California Department of Pesticide Regulation announced Monday that the state’s last paraquat pesticide product has been canceled.Existing stocks must be sold or destroyed within two years.Paraquat is the active ingredient in heavy-duty commercial weedkillers like Gramoxone, Para-SHOT, Helmquat, Cyclone, and Firestorm.The move follows years of pressure from farmworker groups, environmentalists and health organizations.Paraquat has been linked to Parkinson’s disease and is banned in more than 70 countries.It is also considered one of the most lethal herbicides approved for use in the US.There is no antidote for paraquat poisoning.An Environmental Protection Act website carries the stark warning: “Paraquat Dichloride: One Sip Can Kill.”Exposure can cause serious health problems even when it is not fatal, including cancer, heart failure, kidney failure, liver failure and scarring of the lungs.California is the nation’s largest user of paraquat, with more than three-quarters of its use concentrated in eight San Joaquin Valley counties.The chemical ranks among the state’s five most-used pesticides.The crackdown comes as pesticide use is already under scrutiny in Ladera Ranch, an affluent Orange County community where residents have raised alarms over a reported cluster of rare childhood cancers.Since 2007, about nine children connected to the community have been diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare cancer that primarily affects children and young adults.Health officials have said no environmental cause has been identified, while families have questioned whether years of pesticide and herbicide use could be a factor.The toll has been devastating.

Brody Matteson, 17, died in March 2026 after battling Ewing sarcoma for nearly two years.Lily Dalton, 23, died in January 2026 after battli...