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As paraquat is very quick acting, rapidly destroying the green tissues of plants exposed to it, it would seem unlikely that much of a crop sprayed with the chemical would ever have been used. Booshank 16:10, 18 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
i have read that paraquat only reacts on the green parts of plants and not roots and woody stems. the article mentions a superoxide radical that can attack unsaturated membrane lipids.
please, TELL US MORE ABOUT THE MODE OF ACTION!! there are several articles about this, i guess the biochemistry of the mode of action it is at least as important as the "wonderful story of paraquat pot" !! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 160.114.144.150 (talk • contribs)
Rolling Stone magazine recently reported that the line, "You human paraquat!" was one of the only deviations from the script in the Coen Brothers' 1998 film The Big Lebowski. Jeff Bridges, who played The Dude in the movie described to the interviewer how the Coen Brothers normally stick completely to the script in their films, but the Human Paraquat line made it into the final cut. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.160.102.57 (talk) 22:38, 5 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I have reverted the assertion that new research shows that paraquat in pot is dangerous because this seems to be synthesis/original research. I have only read the abstract of the newly added (and now removed) source, but it seemed to be about that toxicity of bipyridines in general, and not about the hazards arising from smoking paraquat laced marijuana. If someone has access to the full text, and can confirm that it specifically addresses the issue, then by all means put it back in. But the fact the anon editor who added this info doesn't seem to know the difference between 2,2'- and 4,4'-dipyridyl (bipyridine)[1] doesn't give me a lot of confidence that his conclusions about the hazards of paraquat pot are better than the EPA's. Yilloslime (t) 23:38, 4 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Its a highly contentious herbicide as its still used in anti-narcotics campaigns throughout the world. A cursory search provided several competing views which should at least be represented in the article. In fact even the EPA's own website! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.215.158.193 (talk) 20:18, 15 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
First paragraph currently says, in effect:
Paraquat is realign the sensor dish and redirect the phase arrays through Geordies visor. Paraquat is used as a Forward nacelle antimatter transfer herbicide. It is extremely poisonous to humans if swallowed. Other members of this class include neutron density reversers, photonic translators, neutron carriers, photonic reversers, and ISDN polarisers. All of these are easily reduced to the liberal teflon, which generates hyperoxide conservative that reacts with supersaturated membrane gastropods.
Basically, it's unreadable to normal humans. First paragraph is meant to be an introduction to the subject for lay persons, and most of the stuff in the intro paragraph has no place there.
Creating a "chemical properties" section and hiving off the technobabble there. DewiMorgan (talk) 19:06, 26 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Looks like my edits were reverted without comment, which is poor editing form. However, tech-speak remains inappropriate for the intro paragraph, per guidelines. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:LEAD - in particular, read the sections "Provide an accessible overview" and "First sentence" - the techspeak is far from accessible, and the chemistry is far from the most notable aspect of the substance. I'm not saying my edits are in any way perfect, but they are a start in the right direction, and give those interested in chemistry their own section to expand on that aspect of the topic. DewiMorgan (talk) 22:34, 2 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
It's good we have found consensus. Can't help about the trade name though. Perhaps someone else. --Rifleman 82 (talk) 19:14, 8 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Paraquat is the trade name for N,N'-dimethyl-4,4'-bipyridinium dichloride, a viologen. This compound is one of the most widely used herbicides in the world. Paraquat is quick-acting and non-selective, killing green plant tissue on contact. It is also toxic to human beings when swallowed.
Other herbicides of the viologen family (di-quaternary ammonium salt derivative of 4,4'-bipyridine) include diquat, cyperquat, diethamquat, difenzoquat, and morfamquat. All of these are easily reduced to the radical ion, which generates superoxide radical that reacts with unsaturated membrane lipids.
Having the first sentence say paraquat is a viologen rather than an herbicide seemed to misplace emphasis. Certainly it is both, but the fact it is an herbicide is far more notable than the fact it is a viologen. Yilloslime (t) 21:10, 8 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]Paraquat is the trade name for N,N'-dimethyl-4,4'-bipyridinium dichloride, one of the most widely used herbicides in the world. Paraquat, a viologen, is quick-acting and non-selective, killing green plant tissue on contact. It is also toxic to human beings when swallowed.
The page says:
"Paraquat is one of the trade names for the viologen N,N'-Dimethyl-4,4'-bipyridinium dichloride. Other members of this class include diquat, cyperquat, diethamquat, difenzoquat, and morfamquat. All of these are easily reduced to their radical ion, which generates superoxide radicals that react with unsaturated membrane lipids."
Is any of that relevant for the "Viologens"? Probably more relevant there than here, if so.
What does "this class" mean in that context? Viologens? Things with trade names? Things with "dichloride" in the name? Needs clarifying on this point.
Does reacting with unsaturated membrane lipids explain the high toxicity of Paraquat? If so, and if this attribute is shared in common with other Viologens, then there should definitely be a section on toxicity on the "Viologens" page, and the first paragraph should contain a statement like: "Viologens are very toxic to humans if swallowed." DewiMorgan (talk) 20:13, 26 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Note to Rifleman 82. Your synthesis diagram for paraquat results in the wrong product. Change the pyrimidines to pyridines by removing the 2 extra nitrogens.Danabetz (talk) 21:50, 5 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
The lede sentence says N,N'-dimethyl-4,4'-bipyridinium dichloride; the infobox says 1,1'-dimethyl-4,4'-bipyridinium dichloride. Which is it? —Steve Summit (talk) 12:03, 8 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]
BBC news's Mike Thompson recently reported that MDC supporters had been beaten with sticks soaked in Paraquat. The presence of the chemical in the resulting wounds creates horrific burns and deformities. I wonder if this qualifies as an attack with a chemical weapon?
Gtech411 (talk) 15:36, 9 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]
References
This ink leads to a 404. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2602:306:CF99:2080:C55D:9219:F121:54F5 (talk) 22:59, 27 June 2017 (UTC)[reply]
The Toxicity section says: "Accidental deaths and suicides from paraquat ingestion are relatively common. For example, there have been 18 deaths in Australia from paraquat poisoning since 2000."
Whether or not suicide-by-paraquat is common, this statistic doesn't support it. Australia has a suicide rate of 10.9 per 100,000 people, and a population of 22,300,000, for about 2431 suicides per year, making paraquat at about 2 per year relatively rare. Ok to remove the second sentence, or is the whole thing false? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.250.106.18 (talk) 01:12, 15 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
The correct chemical name is not "...dipyridinium dichloride", but "...dipyridylium dichloride". 95.104.141.73 (talk) 10:46, 30 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]
More links to Paraquat and Parkinson's disease in the news today: abcnews & medicalxpress
Summary: 'A new study shows that people who have had a head injury and have lived or worked near areas where the pesticide paraquat was used may be three times more likely to develop Parkinson's disease. The study is published in the November 13, 2012, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.'
Cowicide (talk) 18:31, 13 November 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I have sources, I am a librarian for an Alcohol/Drug Research Library and I have access to newsletters from the 70's. There are primary source newsletters from 1975-1978 that do not agree that smoking pot that has been sprayed with paraquat is safe. My edit was reverted, and I believe my edits are valuable, and valid, and removing them is uncalled for. Stayhomegal (talk) 20:36, 22 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Paraquat is poison or toxic or whatever the correct term is:
http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/metiram-propoxur/paraquat-ext.html — Preceding unsigned comment added by Stayhomegal (talk • contribs) 23:04, 18 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Would it be appropriate to add a new section discussing the US EPA's new requirements for additional training for applicators of this product? More info can be found at https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-worker-safety/paraquat-dichloride-training-certified-applicators Just a thought. 129.101.180.164 (talk) 00:19, 8 May 2019 (UTC)[reply]
I just received a spam/scam phone call with
The caller was anonymous and may well have been a scammer only using Paraquat as a pretext to gather information from me.
I was not familiar with Paraquat and so came here.
The article is not clear on what Paraquat is used for. The "Weed resistance management" section hints that it's for controlling unwanted plant growth on farms. Is that it? Can this be more specific?
I was surprised the article does not mention lawsuits and/or class action styled lawsuits. Google finds various law firms but not a lot of news coverage other than in legal and farming industry specific web sites. I suspect that's because the herbicide seems to only be used by industries such as farming.
I'm also surprised that the article does not mention the names of the manufacturers. One of the main ones seems to be Syngenta at least per [3] which has『The decision comes as the pesticide’s manufacturer Syngenta and distributor Chevron USA face more than 100 lawsuits from agricultural workers who claim their exposure to paraquat contributed to Parkinson’s disease.』Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, via their Ortho brand, also seems to be a manufacturer.
While it's banned in the EU Paraquat is still available and in use in the USA, Canada, and Australia. Should the article have a list of where the herbicide is used and/or banned? For areas where it's allowed what is it allowed for? --Marc Kupper|talk 20:17, 18 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]
The article is not clear on what Paraquat is used for.The lede and the "Herbicide use" sections seem pretty clear to me (although I admit I'm more familiar with the topic than the average reader). The use Section includes a clear graphic from the USGS relating to the crops and amounts used — and the US is, and has always been, the largest market. I have been updating that graphic as new information becomes available and will soon do so for the next (2018) year's information. It is true that the article could be more explicit about which territories do or do not allow the compound to be used but such information changes with time and would need to be maintained. It is only relatively recently that any major territory banned paraquat and the EU is the most important in this regard. As to "what is it allowed for", that will depend on the individual territory, with maximum use rates and, often, maximum residue limits etc., so the full scope is beyond what is realistic here. As a non-selective herbicide, paraquat controls virtually all plants and its main use in farming, historically, has been to allow no-till farming as the article already says. Mike Turnbull (talk) 19:47, 19 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Useful reference here https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/28/paraquat-weedkiller-epa-ban
Thanks
John Cummings (talk) 11:32, 28 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]
To add to this article: the fact that evidence from animal and human data has shown that Paraquat accumulates in brain tissue. Source 204.11.186.190 (talk) 17:12, 4 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Pinging the editor who first introduced this information to the article, @Drbogdan:
As far as I know, The Guardian is a reliable source. One editor (KoA) has said that the author of two Guardian stories, Carey Gilliam, has "a conflict of interest with the organic industry"
and has used that as justification for the removal of any mention of The Guardian's findings. Where is this accusation coming from, regarding Gilliam? Please back that up.
The investigative report is based on internal Syngenta documents, showing that they have intentionally hidden their own scientific findings. Please explain why this isn't WP:DUE to include in the article. Thanks. 72.14.126.22 (talk) 16:29, 20 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Perhaps here in this section we can gather other sources that also cover this same, or similar, information:
Feel free to expand with more sources to include. 72.14.126.22 (talk) 16:44, 20 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]
@Dustfreeworld: When inserting the update tag, did you have the paragraph on the actions in the UK and in the USA in mind? Leyo 15:59, 29 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]
What is the rationale for listing the following two old original papers under Further reading?
If they are historically noteworthy, they should rather be mentioned (and cited) in the text. --Leyo 21:52, 11 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]