Common Weedkiller Ingredient Harms Gut Bacteria and Multiple Organs: Study

A
farm
worker
sprays
chemicals
on
a
corn
field.
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/
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The
toxic
chemical
diquat,
an
ingredient
used
in
place
of

glyphosate
in

weedkillers
in
the
United
States,
has
been
found
to
cause
multiple
types
of
damage
to
organs
and
kill

gut
bacteria,
according
to
new
research.

Diquat
is
sprayed
extensively
on
orchards
and

vineyards,
and
its
use
has
increased
as
controversial
substances
like
paraquat
and
glyphosate
are
being
relied
on
less
frequently,
reported
The
Guardian.

“Diquat
is
a
widely
used
bipyridyl
herbicide
that
is
extensively
applied
in
agricultural
production
and
water
management
due
to
its
high
efficacy
in
weed
control.
However,
its
environmental
persistence
and
the
toxic
effects
it
induces
have
raised
widespread
concern,”
the
authors
of
the

analysis
wrote.
“Studies
show
that
Diquat
primarily
enters
the
body
through
the
digestive
tract,
leading
to
poisoning.”

Despite
the
new
research
suggesting
diquat
is
even
more
toxic
than
glyphosate,
the
U.S.
Environmental
Protection
Agency
(EPA)
has
resisted
banning
the
chemical,
which
is
now
being
used
in
the
common
herbicide
Roundup,
The
Guardian
reported.

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Due
to
its
risks,
diquat
has
been
banned
in
the
European
Union,
China,
the
United
Kingdom
and
many
other
countries.

“From
a
human
health
perspective,
this
stuff
is
quite
a
bit
nastier
than
glyphosate
so
we’re
seeing
a
regrettable
substitution,
and
the
ineffective
regulatory
structure
is
allowing
it,”
said
Nathan
Donley,
the
Center
for
Biological
Diversity’s
science
director,
as
reported
by
The
Guardian.

A
Friends
of
the
Earth

analysis
of
EPA
data
in
October
found
diquat
to
have
roughly
200
times
the
toxicity
of
glyphosate
when
it
comes
to
chronic
exposure.
The
chemical
is
believed
to
be
a
carcinogenic
neurotoxin
with
a
potential
link
to
Parkinson’s
disease.

Bayer,
the
maker
of
Roundup,
has
faced
almost
170,000
lawsuits
by
users
of
the
product
alleging
it
caused
them
harm.
Bayer
reformulated
Roundup
after
glyphosate
was
classified
as
a
possible
carcinogen
by
the
International
Agency
for
Research
on
Cancer.

The
new
scientific
review
focuses
on
how
diquat
damages
gut
bacteria
and
organs.

‘The
core
mechanism
of
its
toxicity
involves
reactive
oxygen
species
(ROS)-induced
oxidative
stress,
which
not
only
directly
damages
the
intestinal
barrier
function
but
also
exacerbates
inflammation
and
systemic
toxicity
by
disrupting
the
balance
of
the
gut
microbiota
and
the
normal
production
of
metabolic
products,”
the
authors
wrote
in
the
study.

Diquat
reduces
gut
protein
levels,
which
allows
pathogens
and
toxins
to
enter
the
bloodstream
through
the
stomach,
triggering
intestinal
and
bodily
inflammation.
Damage
to
the
gut
lining
interferes
with
nutrient
absorption
and
energy
metabolism,
according
to
the
authors.

Diquat
harms
the
lungs
and
liver
and
“causes
irreversible
structural
and
functional
damage
to
the
kidneys”
by
destroying
their
membranes
and
interfering
with
cell
signals. 

Diquat-triggered
inflammation
also
appears
to
attack
the
lungs
and
can
lead
to
multiple
organ
dysfunction
syndrome.

The
authors
of
the
analysis
said
more
research
on
long-term
exposure
to
low
amounts
of
diquat
is
needed.

The
EPA
is
not
conducting
a
review
of
diquat,
and
the
dangerous
chemical
has
been
largely
ignored
by
nonprofits
pushing
for
more
stringent
pesticide
regulations.

Donley
said
that’s
partially
due
to
the
weakness
of
pesticide
regulations
in
the
U.S.,
where
diquat
gets
“overshadowed”
by
ingredients
like
paraquat,
glyphosate
and
chlorpyrifos,
which
have
been
banned
elsewhere
and
are
currently
the
subject
of
legal
battles.

“Other
countries
have
banned
diquat,
but
in
the
U.S.
we’re
still
fighting
the
fights
that
Europe
won
20
years
ago,”
Donley
said,
as
The
Guardian
reported.
“It
hasn’t
gotten
to
the
radar
of
most
groups
and
that
really
says
a
lot
about
the
sad
and
sorry
state
of

pesticides
in
the
U.S.”

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