On March 17, a 120-gallon drum of Gramoxone—an herbicide known as paraquat—tumbled from a big rig in Dorris, California. Approximately 60 gallons of the concentrated herbicide pooled across Highway 97, its reach extended by passing vehicles that inadvertently tracked the chemical through the heart of the downtown area.
Within hours, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office issued a shelter-in-place order for roughly 600 residents, including children at nearby Dorris Elementary and Butte Valley High School.
“This incident is a stark reminder that paraquat is simply too dangerous to be used anywhere near where people live, work or go to school,” Geoff Horsfield, legislative director at EWG, said.
Residents were told to seal their windows, shut off ventilation systems, and stay indoors as officials warned of potential airborne exposure. The spill, which closed a major highway and sent at least ten people to seek medical attention for respiratory symptoms, became a catalyst for a renewed political battle over the chemical’s future in California.
“When a single spill can shut down a town, close highways and put hundreds of people at risk, it’s clear this chemical has no place in U.S. agriculture,” Horsfield said.
The push for a ban
For years, environmental advocates and health experts have linked paraquat to long-term neurological damage, specifically Parkinson’s disease, as well being associated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, childhood leukemia and other illnesses. While the herbicide is already banned in over 70 countries—including China, Brazil, and the European Union—it remains widely used in U.S. agriculture to clear fields for crops like almonds, grapes, and cotton.
The Siskiyou County incident provided fresh momentum for Assembly Bill 1963, a piece of legislation introduced by Assemblymember Laura Friedman.
- Initial Goal: The bill originally sought to sunset paraquat use by January 2026.
- The Compromise: In late 2024, Governor Gavin Newsom signed an amended version requiring the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) to complete a full reevaluation of the chemical by January 1, 2029.
- Next Steps: At the conclusion of this review, the DPR must decide whether to maintain, suspend, or permanently cancel paraquat’s registration in the state.
The story of the Dorris spill reminded many of the risks of highly toxic pesticides extending far beyond the edges of the farm field and highlighted the immediate dangers of a substance that the EPA warns can be fatal if even a “single sip” is ingested.
“Communities should not have to worry about a deadly pesticide spilling into their neighborhoods. The only real solution is to ban paraquat for once and for all,” Horsfield said.
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