Paraquat carcinogenicity

ACGIH TLV TWA Total Dust 0.5 mg/m Respirable Dust 0.1 mg/m (skin) Not Classifiable as a Human Carcinogen SAFETY PROFILE Poison by ingestion, subcutaneous, intravenous, and intraperitoneal routes. Experimental teratogenic and reproductive effects. A skin and eye irritant. Human mutation data reported. When heated to decomposition it emits very toxic fumes of NOx and Br . See also PARAQUAT. 

It has been shown that the renal bioactivation of xenobiotics such as the herbicides paraquat and diquat [10, 111, 112], and of p-lactams such as cephaloridine and cefsulodin [10, 40, 41] or the antitumor agent adriamycin [113, 114] can induce the generation of reactive oxygen species (oxidative stress) which can be involved in alterations of the structure and functions of cell membranes, cytoskeletal injury, mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, and cell necrosis [115-117]. 

Signs of toxicity in animals are similar to those in humans. Paraquat has been shown to be mutagenic, carcinogenic, and teratogenic in experimental animals. 

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