Paraquat Poisoning – A Brief Overview

Abstract

Paraquat poisoning in the modern era has become a major   medical health problem, due to its high case fatality rate. The  toxicological  importance of  this herbicide is  due to its   inherent toxicity and lack of  specific antidote  . It is one of the commonly used  agents responsible for death  among the reported pesticide poisonings in south east Asian countries. The high  mortality rates associated  has led to the withdrawal of this herbicide from the market by the European Union in 2007, but in developing countries like India  it is widely marketed due  to its low cost  and  high  efficacy . Although several studies have been done globally, there are no extensive published human trials. In Asian pacific regions where pesticides are commonly used for  suicidal or homicidal ingestion, it has become a subject of concern and there is a growing need  to focus on prevention due lack of specific antidote .This article endeavors  to revisit the profile of  paraquat (PQ) and to investigate the impacts of this chemical on human health  with a future direction to create awareness about  this  highly toxic nonselective herbicide and to consider it as  a part of national strategy to lower suicidal  mortality rates.