Since 26 September 2020, paraquat has been completely banned in the country, but its prestige is still circulating "on the rivers and lakes".
Paraquat is frightening in two ways: the absence of grass wherever it goes, and the terrible death experience of paraquat misappropriation.
There is no doubt that paraquat is a deadly poison, and since its use in China, an average of almost 10,000 people die every year as a result of paraquat use.
It's just that many people are curious, after drinking paraquat, can the modern medical level really not be saved?
If the lethal dose of paraquat is reached (5-15 ml of 20% aqueous solution is the lethal dose for humans), there is really no need to embarrass the doctor, it is indeed incurable.
The reason is that our lungs absorb amines quickly, and paraquat has a chemical structure similar to amines, so it is also rapidly absorbed by our lungs.
You will find that its lethal dose is indeed very low, this is because paraquat, unlike other toxic substances, will be slowly neutralized and excreted in the human body, paraquat toxicity is a bit like the effect of catalysts, it is absorbed by the lungs, in the process of slow fibrosis of the lungs, the amount of paraquat is not reduced, so the lungs will continue to fibrosis.
Note: Paraquat accidentally eats fibrotic lungs
You may have wondered if a lung transplant is feasible, and the answer is no.
Because paraquat is so permeable in the body, it is also stored in other organs (which can cause other organs to fail), and paraquat is immediately reabsorbed as soon as new lungs start working.
The fibrosis of the lungs is irreversible, plus it is rapidly absorbed and infiltrated, and healing is indeed a difficult problem.
What's even more frightening is that paraquat doesn't affect the brain, so the brain will experience the body being eaten by paraquat when it is fully awake.
If the dose is sufficient, a person will die of joint failure of multiple organs within 1-4 days, which is very painful;
If the amount is not particularly sufficient, this is a terrible and long process, the first problem is the damage to kidney and liver function, but it is not fatal, after a few days to a few weeks the lungs begin to appear fibrosis, and eventually die of lung failure and suffocation, the same is perceived by the brain.
If less than 5 ml (20% aqueous solution) can be rescued, adults are less life-threatening, but the damage to physical functions is certain.
In fact, many of the seven-day death processes I see on the Internet are fake, because I have read many people who write that they will die of lung failure on the seventh day. Fibrosis of the lungs is a long process, and if you die within seven days, you must have taken an overdose of paraquat, which is not due to lung failure, but to other organs.
Paraquat itself is a colorless and odorless liquid, and precisely because it is extremely harmful to the human body, it is "dyed" the blue-green we see, which is a warning color, afraid that people will be mistakenly added.
In addition, paraquat also has emetics and unpleasant odors, which are specially added for fear of accidental ingestion.
Paraquat was discovered quite early, with paraquat already described in 1882, the uk first using it for weeding in 1955, and the first case of paraquat taken in Ireland in 1964.
Caption: Paraquat weed control effect
Paraquat's ability to weed is truly first-rate, and when it hits a green plant, it destroys the chloroplasts of the plant leaves, prevents photosynthesis and chlorophyll synthesis, and allows the plant to wither rapidly.
Interestingly, it will be passivated and inactive after contact with the soil, and it will not have an impact on the roots and seeds of the plant, so it does not "cut the grass and remove the roots" and does not affect the growth of the cash crops we want to protect.
Plus, it breaks down in the sun, and these properties combine to make it an excellent herbicide.
It is precisely because paraquat is excellent in weeding that many people believe that paraquat is a pesticide that has been drunk and discontinued.
In 1984, China began to import paraquat from the United Kingdom, the price of imported things can not be imagined to be cheap, in 1996, China's "father of Chinese paraquat" Li Dejun and his team conquered the paraquat production technology, China also became the second country with the ability to independently produce paraquat, which also made paraquat an affordable herbicide.
Li Dejun once said: I know that it has no antidote, but I did not expect that someone would take the initiative to drink it!
This has led many to believe that paraquat was discontinued because it is harmful to the human body, but the truth may not be so simple.
Paraquat doesn't seem to have much of an impact on the environment, but it actually has a big impact, and disabling it is a very wise choice.
The first is water pollution, because paraquat is easily combined with floating matter and sediment in the water, so that the residual time is very long (half-life is 161 days).
Paraquat is also the first to bear the brunt of food safety issues, and many farmers will spray pesticides directly on crops to make the leaves wilt in order to quickly harvest vegetables and fruits, such as tomatoes.
Paraquat can remain on these fruits, which is what we often call pesticide residues, which greatly affects the health of the eater.
The impact on animals is also enormous, and we may often see paraquat not working for insects like bees. This is also true, but it does affect the population of these "beneficial insects", because the pesticides we use have "additives" that allow green plants to better absorb paraquat, and it is these substances that cause insects to die in large quantities.
It also has a huge impact on wild birds and mammals, which are as sensitive to paraquat as we are, and when they eat seeds, grasses and insects sprayed with paraquat, they die in large areas.
Microbes in the soil have also been hit, and although paraquat that comes into contact with the soil loses its activity, it still affects the survival of microorganisms.
Another point is that if it is really because of human accidental eating, it is not impossible to develop an "antidote" to paraquat, but its negative situation is not more because of people.
All in all, the ban on paraquat is necessary, not only because it is easily ingested, but also because it is really too toxic.