Gateway on Pesticide Hazards and Safe Pest Management
Back to the Gateway
Paraquat/Paraquat dichloride
General Information
- Fact Sheet: Paraquat.pdf
- Product Names:
Cyclone (Syngenta) formulated with Carfentrazone
Gramoxone (Syngenta)
Marman (Marman)
Quik-Quat (Drexel)
Herbiquat (Marman USA)
Parazone (Makhteshim)
Bonfire (United Phosphorus)
Helmquat (Helm Agro US)
Dynaquat (Source Dynamics)
- Chemical Class: Quaternary nitrogen herbicide
- Uses: Preplant or preemergence weed control on vegetables, grains, cotton, grasses, sugar cane, peanuts, potatoes, and tree plantation areas; postemergence around fruit crops, vegetables, trees, vines, grains, soybeans, and sugar cane; during the dormant season on clover and other legumes; as a desiccant or harvest aid on cotton, dry beans, soybeans, potatoes, sunflowers, and sugar cane; and as a post harvest desiccant on staked tomatoes; applied to pine trees to induce resin soaking. non-crop areas include public airports, electric transformer stations and around commercial buildings.
- Alternatives: Organic agriculture, Least-toxic weed control
- Beyond Pesticides rating:
Health and Environmental Effects
- Cancer: Likely ()
- Endocrine Disruption: Not documented
- Reproductive Effects: Yes ()
- Neurotoxicity: Yes (, , )
- Kidney/Liver Damage: Yes ()
- Sensitizer/ Irritant: Yes ()
- Birth/Developmental: Not documented
- Detected in Groundwater: Yes ()
- Potential Leacher: Likely (, )
- Toxic to Birds: Yes ()
- Toxic to Fish/Aquatic Organisms: Yes (, , )
- Toxic to Bees: Likely ()
Additional Information
- Regulatory Status:
- Supporting information:
- Studies:
- Drosophila DJ-1 Mutants Are Selectively Sensitive to Environmental Toxins Associated with Parkinson’s Disease. Meulener, M. et. al. 2005. Current Biology 15(17):1572-1577.
- Age-related irreversible progressive nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurotoxicity in the paraquat and maneb model of the Parkinson's disease phenotype.. Thiruchelvam, M., et al. 2003. Eur J Neurosci 18(3):589-600
- Agricultural pesticide use and risk of glioma in Nebraska, United States. Lee, W., et al. 2005. Occupational and Environmental Medicine 62(11):786-792
- Association between Parkinson's Disease and Cigarette Smoking, Rural Living, Well-Water Consumption, Farming and Pesticide Use: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.. Breckenridge CB, Berry C, Chang ET, et al. 2016. PLoS One.11(4):e0151841