Title: Diquat is widely used in Australia and can damage organs and gut bacteria, research shows
Diquat is a herbicide that has been banned in the UK, EU and China. Australia has so far resisted calls to reign in the use of the toxin. Indeed, Australia currently sprays more than 14,000 tonnes of the super-toxin onto its sugar cane crops alone each year. Many other foods such as grains and vegetable crop are also regularly sprayed.
New research shows that the powerful herbicide is environmentally persistent and its toxic effects can kill gut bacteria and damage organs in multiple ways.
Diquat primarily enters the body through the digestive tract, leading to poisoning. The core mechanism of its toxicity involves reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS are a group of chemically reactive molecules containing oxygen that are produced naturally within cells during normal metabolic processes. Oxidative stress is a phenomenon caused when an imbalance occurs between the production and accumulation of ROS in cells and tissues and affect the ability of a biological system to detoxify these reactive products.
Additionally, the reserach found that diquat 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.
Diquat is also thought to be a neurotoxin, carcinogen and linked to Parkinson’s disease. An October analysis of EPA data by the Friends of the Earth non-profit found it is about 200 times more toxic than glyphosate in terms of chronic exposure.
This new research demonstrates that diquat is far more toxic than glyphosate and the substance, but Australia has so far resisted restricting its use. The APVMA has delayed releasing its review findings in order to consider industry push-back on a draft assessment that proposed restrictions.
“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, science director with the Center For Biological Diversity, which advocates for stricter pesticide regulations but was not involved in the new research.
“Regrettable substitution” is a scientific term used to describe the replacement of a toxic substance in a consumer product with an ingredient that is also toxic. Further, as glyphosate resistance escalates to levels as high as 40-50% in parts of Australia, pesticide tank-mixing is now far more common. Up five or more herbicides are mixed by farmers to boost the toxicity of glyphosate. These mixes are largely unregulated; state-based authorities generally only will take an interest if the mixture is likely to explode.
Article: WeedsNews7107 (permalink) Categories: :WeedsNews:diquat, :WeedsNews:paraquat, :WeedsNews:health, :WeedsNews:research alert Date: 19 July 2025; 7:48:22 pm Australian Eastern Standard Time
