Diquat is banned in the UK, EU, China and other countries. The US has resisted calls to regulate it
The herbicide ingredient used to replace glyphosate in Roundup and other weedkiller products can kill gut bacteria and damage organs in multiple ways, new research shows.
The ingredient, diquat, is widely employed in the US as a weedkiller in vineyards and orchards, and is increasingly sprayed elsewhere as the use of controversial herbicide substances such as glyphosate and paraquat drops in the US.
But the new piece of data suggests diquat is more toxic than glyphosate, and the substance is banned over its risks in the UK, EU, China and many other countries. Still, the EPA has resisted calls for a ban, and Roundup formulas with the ingredient hit the shelves last year.
This is what happens when you vilify the safest weed killer ever discovered because “chemicals are bad”.
Not to mention that the kind of anti-scientific hysteria around glyphosate led directly to Robert Kennedy Junior.
You’re getting downvoted to hell, but you’re correct as far as I’ve been able to figure.
Old school roundup/glyophosphaste is a very safe herbicide. The surfactants and contaminants in it are likely more toxic and environmentally persistent than the active ingredient. Diquat and such, however, is being linked to lymphomas and other nasty things. It’s difficult to find just glyophosphaste now, all the roundup versions are mixtures containing diquat.
No, this is what happens when you (a) have a “allowed until proven unsafe” regulatory framework instead of a “prohibited until proven safe” one, and perhaps more importantly (b) abjectly refuse to consider any weed control method other than ones that can be accomplished by indiscriminate use of a sprayer.
“Allowed until someone is sued for doing it and insurance can’t keep paying out” more likely.
If your proscriptions were adopted, at least 4 billion people would starve and/or die from disease.
Kennedy doesn’t care.
Stop growing fucking soy, canola and corn for fuel and plastic and it’s easy to feed everyone. It’s not about feeding people it’s about money.