AUSTIN (KXAN) — U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin, is leading calls for a ban on the use of a herbicide that has been linked to serious health risks. Casar, along with 46 other members of Congress, penned a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency advocating for a ban on Paraquat, according to a release from Casar's office Tuesday. More than 70 countries have already banned the herbicide, and the EPA has already prohibited its use in places like golf courses and recreation areas, per the release. Congressional leaders behind the letter pointed to links between Paraquat and long-term diseases like Parkinson's disease and thyroid cancer. Parkinson's is a degenerative brain disorder that impacts the nervous system and can cause symptoms like tremors, slurred speech and balance and mobility problems. The letter outlined more pronounced risks to farm workers and rural residents who have higher exposure rates to Paraquat, as well as soil and water pollution threats. RELATED: Washing your fruit may not entirely remove pesticides, study finds “Paraquat is a toxic substance linked to life-threatening diseases and grave impacts on the environment — it has been banned in dozens of countries and should be banned in the United States,” the letter read in part, adding: “We urge the EPA to change course and deliver critical protections for farmworkers, agricultural communities, and the environment by banning Paraquat.”  The Lopez Law Group, a Texas-based personal injury and accident firm, spelled out concerns with the herbicide in a January 2023 blog post. Within Texas' agriculture industry, Paraquat is applied while cultivating crops like cotton, soybeans and corn. The Lopez Law Group noted its use in the Lone Star State dates back decades, burgeoning in the 1960s as a means of controlling weeds at larger-scale farming sites. Elsewhere in the U.S., California state leaders passed a new law requiring pesticide regulators to reevaluate Paraquat's use, with Gov. Gavin Newsom signing the measure into law in late September. Under the newly enacted law, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation is mandated to revisit Paraquat by Jan. 1, 2029, according to reporting from The Fresno Bee.