by Brianna Crandall — March 7, 2016—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to take action to stop poisonings caused by accidental ingestion of the herbicide paraquat dichloride, which can also cause severe injuries or death from skin or eye exposure. The safety measures are intended to protect landscaping and agricultural workers who use the pesticide, as well as to prevent the public from coming across the chemical by accident.
Paraquat is one of the most widely used herbicides in the United States for the control of weeds in many agricultural and non-agricultural settings, and is also used as a defoliant or desiccant on crops such as cotton prior to harvest.
Used in the USA since 1964, all paraquat products currently registered for use in the United States are Restricted Use Pesticides (RUPs), which can only be sold to and used by certified applicators (and applicators under their direct supervision). There are no homeowner uses and no products registered for application in residential areas.
Accidental ingestion
Since 2000, there have been 17 deaths — three involving children — caused by accidental ingestion of paraquat. These cases have resulted from the pesticide being illegally transferred to beverage containers and later mistaken for a drink and consumed.
A single sip can be fatal, warns EPA; even with aggressive treatment, ingestion can cause corrosive gastrointestinal injury plus kidney, liver and respiratory failure, leading to death.
To prevent these tragedies, EPA is proposing:
- New closed-system packaging designed to make it impossible to transfer or remove the pesticide except directly into the proper application equipment;
- Special training for certified applicators who use paraquat to emphasize that the chemical must not be transferred to or stored in improper containers; and
- Changes to the pesticide label and warning materials to highlight the toxicity and risks associated with paraquat.
Skin or eye exposure
In addition to the deaths by accidental ingestion, since 2000 there have been three deaths and many severe injuries caused by the pesticide getting onto the skin or into the eyes of those working with the herbicide.
To reduce exposure to workers who mix, load and apply paraquat, EPA is proposing:
- Prohibiting application from hand-held and backpack equipment, and
- Restricting the use to certified pesticide applicators only (individuals working under the supervision of a certified applicator would be prohibited from using paraquat).
The proposal will be available for a 60-day public comment period. EPA will consider all public comments before finalizing these proposed actions later this year.
Actions on specific pesticides are one way that EPA is protecting workers from pesticide exposure. EPA’s revised Worker Protection Standard and proposed Certification and Training Rule will also protect farmworkers and pesticide applicators.
For more information about the herbicide, see EPA’s Paraquat Dichloride Web page. To view related documents and submit comments, go to docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0855 on Regulations.gov.
