Authors: Gaurav Chitkara

Abstract

Poisoning with herbicides pose a diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in agricultural settings. Distinct toxicodynamic profiles and management strategies have been described among various major herbicide classes, despite overlapping clinical features. Paraquat is highly lethal herbicide with high mortality rate. Acute liquid herbicide poisonings are frequently presumed to be paraquat because of its high prevalence and notorious mortality rate, creating mis-classification when the actual culprit is 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). Such mis-classification and delayed identification of specific herbicide compound ingested may cause preventable therapeutic errors, particularly delaying urinary alkalinization protocol in 2,4-D poisoning. Therefore, this letter highlights the importance of compound specific management in herbicide poisoning rather than class-based management. 

Keywords: 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, herbicide, urinary alkalinization, toxicity, antidote