Effects of Paraquat Ban on Herbicide Poisoning-Related Mortality

Abstract

PurposeIn Korea, registration of paraquat-containing herbicides was canceled in November 2011, and sales thereof were completely banned in November 2012. We evaluated the effect of the paraquat ban on the epidemiology and mortality of herbicide-induced poisoning.Materials and MethodsThis retrospective study analyzed patients treated for herbicide poisoning at 17 emergency departments in South Korea between January 2010 and December 2014. The overall and paraquat mortality rates were compared pre- and post-ban. Factors associated with herbicide mortality were evaluated using logistic analysis. To determine if there were any changes in the mortality rates before and after the paraquat sales ban and the time point of any such significant changes in mortality, R software, version 3.0.3 (package, bcp) was used to perform a Bayesian change point analysis.ResultsWe enrolled 2257 patients treated for herbicide poisoning (paraquat=46.8%). The overall and paraquat poisoning mortality rates were 40.6% and 73.0%, respectively. The decreased paraquat poisoning mortality rate (before, 75% vs. after, 67%, p=0.014) might be associated with increased intentionality. The multivariable logistic analysis revealed the paraquat ban as an independent predictor that decreased herbicide poisoning mortality (p=0.035). There were two major change points in herbicide mortality rates, approximately 3 months after the initial paraquat ban and 1 year after complete sales ban.ConclusionThis study suggests that the paraquat ban decreased intentional herbicide ingestion and contributed to lowering herbicide poisoning-associated mortality. The change point analysis suggests a certain timeframe was required for the manifestation of regulatory measures outcomes.

Investigating global trends in paraquat intoxication research from 1962 to 2015 using bibliometric analysis

“…Very high fatality rates were in Asia, including Japan (78.6%) and Taiwan (67.4%) . In addition, it is apparent from this table that paraquat is banned in the UK and the Europe countries (France, Germany, Spain, and Italy) since 2007, and in South Korea since 2012 . Paraquat is already a restricted‐use product in USA, and Japan .…”

Factors Associated with Cholinesterase Level of Spraying Workers Using Paraquat Herbicide at Oil Palm Plantation in East Kalimantan, Indonesia

“…Despite its low contribution but a ban on the use of paraquat herbicides have reduced the rate of death from herbicide poisoning (70% to 67%). 29…”

“…This result is consistent with the previous studies, which showed a significant correlation between the age of workers and cholinesterase activity level. The age of the worker is one of the risk factors of decreasing cholinesterase activity among Latino Farmworkers in Korea, 29 North Carolina, 30 Brazilia 31 and Malaysia. 32,30 Age of sprayer is associated with blood cholinesterase activity level, where the elder sprayer had lower cholinesterase activity than the average of blood cholinesterase activity.…”

A Newly Discovered Humic-Reducing Bacterium, Pseudomonas geniculata PQ01, Isolated From Paddy Soil Promotes Paraquat Anaerobic Transformation

“…Paraquat (1,1′-dimethyl-4,4′-bipyridylium dichloride) is a cationic non-systemic contact herbicide that has been widely applied for more than 50 years in pre-plowing spraying and zero-tillage paddy fields. Despite its agricultural benefits, the herbicide has high toxicity to humans ( Ko et al, 2017 ) and can result in serious ecological issues after using in agriculture such as adverse effect on blood parameters of fish ( Ogamba et al, 2011 ; Hashemi et al, 2017 ), teratogenic effects on developing frog embryos ( Osano et al, 2002 ), and inhibition on soil microbial diversity and green algae ( Othman et al, 2012 ; Zhang et al, 2013 ). In addition to its hazards, paraquat does not readily degrade in natural environments and its half-life in soils varies between 1.3 and 13 years ( Rashidipour et al, 2019 ).…”

“…In addition to its hazards, paraquat does not readily degrade in natural environments and its half-life in soils varies between 1.3 and 13 years ( Rashidipour et al, 2019 ). Owing to its persistence and toxicity, paraquat has been banned in some countries, including Austria, South Korea, and the European Union; however, it is still being used in more than 90 countries, including China, Tailand, Brazil, Australia, and the United States ( Cha et al, 2016 ; Ko et al, 2017 ; Huang et al, 2019 ; Zhang et al, 2019 ). Considering its extensive applications and hazards on environments and humans, eco-friendly means of remediating paraquat contamination and effective antidotes to paraquat poisoning are highly desired and raised increasing concerns ( Yu et al, 2012 ; Gao et al, 2018 ; Huang et al, 2019 ; Zhang et al, 2019 ).…”