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.

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