Paraquat

Paraquat Latest News

Recently, a 24-year old woman was awarded the death sentence by a Thiruvananthapuram court which found her guilty of poisoning her boyfriend in 2022 with a chemical herbicide called paraquat.

About Paraquat

• Paraquat, also known as paraquat dichloride or methyl viologen, is one of the world’s most-used herbicides.
• It is primarily used to control the growth of weeds and desiccate crops like cotton before harvest.
• The WHO classifies paraquat as Category 2 (moderately hazardous and moderately irritating) chemical.
• Its sale is banned in over 70 countries, including China and the European Union, due to its potent toxicity. It is widely used in the US and in India.

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How does Paraquat Poisoning occur?

• Ingestion is the most common route of exposure,
• It may also be transferred and absorbed through prolonged skin contact.

Symptoms of Paraquat Poisoning

• It depends on the amount, means and length of exposure to the chemical.
• If ingested in a small amount, a person would display signs of damage to the heart, kidneys, liver and lungs over several days or weeks.
• If ingested in large amount then the person could face acute kidney failure, rapid heart rate, failure of the heart and liver, seizures, and respiratory failure. 
• The person would immediately display abdominal pain, swelling and pain in the mouth and throat, bloody diarrhoea and nausea.

Treatments of Paraquat Poisoning

• There are no known antidotes for paraquat poisoning but some studies mention immunosuppression or charcoal haemoper fusion as treatment.

Paraquat FAQs

Q1: Where does one use Paraquat?

Ans: It is used as an important tool for the control of weeds in many agricultural and non-agricultural settings

Q2: Is Paraquat degradable?

Ans: It is completely degraded by soil microorganisms.

Q3: What class of poisoning is paraquat?

Ans: It is classified into the mild, moderate, and fulminant poisoning.

Q4: What is the antidote for Paraquat?

Ans: There’s no antidote or cure for paraquat poisoning

Source:  IE