A field study of the chemical degradation of paraquat dichloride following simulated spillage on soil

The purpose of this study was to evaluate degradative procedures that might prove useful for treatment of paraquat spills. The two chemical treatments tested were reduction and hydrolysis. Both reactions should result in the elimination of the possibility of cyclic reduction-oxidation with resultant generation of super-oxide radicals, which has been proposed as the primary event responsible for the pulmonary fibrosis caused by paraquat. This pulmonary fibrosis can occur with oral or intra-venous administration or local instillation of paraquat.