paraquat /para·quat/ (par´ah-kwaht) a poisonous compound, some of whose salts are used as contact herbicides. Contact with concentrated solutions causes irritation of the skin, cracking and shedding of the nails, and delayed healing of cuts and wounds. After ingestion of large doses, renal and hepatic failure may develop, followed by pulmonary insufficiency.
paraquat [par´ah-kwat]
par·a·quat (p r  -kw t )n. A colorless compound or related yellow compound used as a herbicide. |
paraquat [par´ah-kwat]
a poisonous compound some of whose salts are used as contact herbicides. Concentrated solutions cause skin irritation, cracking and shedding of nails, and delayed healing of cuts and wounds. After ingestion of large doses, renal and hepatic failure may develop, followed by pulmonary insufficiency, sometimes ending fatally; it may also be accidentally inhaled. Since it is absorbed slowly from the gastrointestinal tract, the best treatment for poisoning is administration of a large amount of an absorbent such as activated charcoal to bind with the paraquat, followed by a cathartic to shorten transit time.
paraquat
a dipyridilium herbicide which initially causes stomatitis, colic, vomiting and diarrhea, then 2 to 10 days later causes pulmonary edema and hemorrhage which leads to a fibrosing pneumonitis and death in all species if given in sufficiently large doses.
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