Two paraquat victims talk about their fate

Studies show that tens of thousands of farm-workers and farmers are poisoned by paraquat every year. Accidents and suicides cause numerous fatalities. In recent years, Korea alone reported some 2,000 cases of paraquat poisoning per year with a fatality rate of 40 to 50%.

In Costa Rica, one fifth of all pesticide poisonings are caused by paraquat. There, paraquat is the most frequently named pesticide in poisoning incidents at work and in workplace accidents, and also in connection with suicide attempts. However, the vast majority of paraquat victims never appear in any statistic because roughly 90% of all pesticide poisonings are not even recorded in Central America.

Marco Tulio Hernández, age 48, Costa Rica.

This worker was spraying Gramoxone (Syngenta's trade name for its paraquat product) on a banana plantation. His backpack was leaking on the top and the liquid fell on his arm. After three hours he noted a burning sensation and redness on the inner surface of his upper right arm. He stopped working and showered thoroughly.