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Herbicide poisoning can have serious consequences. Herbicides are chemicals to protect plants from weeds. On the one hand, they allow you to get better crops, but on the other hand, if used incorrectly, they can endanger your he alth and even life. What are the symptoms of herbicide poisoning?

Contents:

  1. Herbicides - active ingredients
  2. Herbicide poisoning - who is at risk?
  3. Herbicide poisoning - symptoms
  4. Herbicide poisoning - treatment

Poisoning with herbicidesmay occur, depending on the physical form of the preparation, through the skin, eyes or respiratory tract. It should be remembered that during the procedure, the skin and eyes are most exposed to contact with herbicides. Pouring powders and spilling liquids creates a risk of contact of the preparations with the skin and eyes, while spraying and spraying, also through the respiratory tract, especially when the procedures are performed incorrectly and there is no protective clothing.

Herbicides - active ingredients

The active substance in herbicides is most often paraquat or diquat.

  • Parquatis an organic chemical compound. It is a quaternary ammonium s alt, the simplest viologen. It is easily reduced to an ionic radical, which is a precursor of superoxide radicals, which then react with unsaturated lipids of cell membranes.
  • Diquatis also a chemical compound that belongs to the chemical group bipyridils. However, it is worth knowing that by the decision of October 12, 2022, it was withdrawn from use. Plant protection products that contain diquat could only be used until May 4, 2022. The additional period for the consumption of stocks granted by EU Member States in accordance with Art. 46 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 must be as short as possible and expire on February 4, 2022 at the latest. In turn, the end of the sale period is November 30, 2022.

Herbicide poisoning - who is at risk?

People who work professionally or as a hobby in gardens or orchards are primarily at risk. These are also people working in the production of plant protection products, as well as their sellers.

Herbicide poisoning - symptoms

Symptoms of poisoning with plant protection products occur quite quickly.

With a mild form of poisoning, it may be headaches, dizziness,visual disturbances, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and watery eyes.

More severe poisoning may lead to paralysis of the respiratory muscles and loss of consciousness.

The most common symptoms include:

  • nausea and vomiting
  • redness and irritation of the mucous membranes
  • pain in the mouth, nose, abdomen, throat
  • difficulty swallowing, coughing, hoarseness, haemoptysis
  • increased heart rate
  • lowering blood pressure
  • impaired blood clotting - an expression of liver damage

Consumption of herbicides causes severe damage to the heart, liver and kidneys, and sometimes pulmonary fibrosis, which may be fatal.

Herbicides are slowly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and from the skin, but are metabolized into toxic substances, which by themselves can also cause even greater damage to the body. Herbicides are excreted in the urine.

Herbicide poisoning - treatment

There is no specific antidote for herbicide poisoning. Therefore, symptomatic treatment is most often introduced. Activated charcoal and fuller's earth are also given.

In some cases, hemoperfusion is used. Hemoperfusion is a procedure in which the patient's blood is passed through a column filter in which the adsorption of certain chemical compounds takes place on resin or activated carbon.

The filtered blood returns to the patient's body. If there are indications for this, the injured may be gastric lavage.

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About the authorAnna Jarosz A journalist who has been involved in popularizing he alth education for over 40 years. Winner of many competitions for journalists dealing with medicine and he alth. She received, among others The "Golden OTIS" Trust Award in the "Media and He alth" category, St. Kamil awarded on the occasion of the World Day of the Sick, twice the "Crystal Pen" in the national competition for journalists promoting he alth, and many awards and distinctions in competitions for the "Medical Journalist of the Year" organized by the Polish Association of Journalists for He alth.

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