ISSN: 2161-0495
+44 1478 350008
Department of Internal Medicine, Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
Review Article
Paraquat Poisoning: ?What We Do and Do Not Know.?
Author(s): Arora Navneet, Sarthak Wadhera and Deba Prasad Dhibar*
Paraquat is a quaternary compound used as an herbicide for destroying weed and is highly toxic for humans. Its
ingestion leads to multi-organ dysfunction, leading to liver insufficiency and lung fibrosis, which are life-threatening
due to respiratory failure. A Pubmed, EMBASE, Ovid, and Cochrane library search was done, all authors reviewed all
literature and relevant studies, and data were included in references. Paraquat is available in commercial 20%
concentrate form, as 2.5% granules, and 0.2% aerosol. Mortality rates are as high as 65% in patients who ingest
concentrated formulation compared to 4% in those who ingest diluted solution (25% w/v). Paraquat undergoes
redox-cycling to generate reactive oxygen species leads to its toxic effects. This highly reactive oxygen and nitrite
species result in multi-organ toxicity which is maximally seen in the lungs. Abso.. View More»
DOI:
10.35248/2161-0495.21.s19.004