Paraquat — Banned in EU While US Increasing Use of This Toxic Killer

By Dr. Mercola In the U.S., farmers dependent on genetically engineered (GE) Roundup Ready soybean crops are increasingly running into a problem. Weeds are quickly becoming resistant to Roundup herbicide, leaving the farmers desperate for an effective chemical alternative. Paraquat is being marketed as one such alternative, but this pesticide is highly toxic to humans, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to the extent that just one sip can be fatal.1 Sadly, it’s become an herbicide commonly used for suicide attempts,2 but in countries that have banned its use, such as South Korea, suicide rates dropped significantly. The association was so strong that researchers wrote in 2015, “Paraquat prohibition should be considered as a national suicide prevention strategy in developing and developed countries.”3 Europe is ahead of the game, as they’ve already prohibited the use of paraquat. In all, 32 countries have banned the chemical.4 In Switzerland, paraquat
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