Paraquat lung

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Lungs

Paraquat lung is a lung disease caused by the weed killer Paraquat (dipyridylium).

Paraquat is a highly toxic weed killer once promoted by the United States for use in Mexico to destroy marijuana plants. Research found that this herbicide was dangerous to workers who applied it to the plants.

In the United States, Paraquat is classified as "restricted commercial use," and people must obtain a license to use the product. 

Breathing in Paraquat may cause lung damage. Paraquat causes damage to the body when it touches the lining of the mouth, stomach, or intestines. You can get sick if Paraquat touches a cut on your skin. Paraquat may also damage the kidneys, liver, and esophagus.

If Paraquat is swallowed, death can rapidly occur. Death may occur from a hole in the esophagus, or from acute inflammation of the mediastinum, the area that surrounds the major blood vessels and airways in the middle of the chest.

Chronic exposure to Paraquat may cause pulmonary fibrosis, a stiffening of the lung tissue.

Review Date: 06/09/2006
Reviewed By: Alan Greene, M.D., F.A.A.P., Department of Pediatrics, Packard Children's Hospital, Stanford University School of Medicine; Chief Medical Officer, A.D.A.M., Inc. Previously reviewed by William D. Whetstone, M.D., Division of Emergency Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.