The poison without an antidote (Part 2)

Gramoxone (paraquat) was a herbicide that, once applied (by spraying it onto the weeds we wanted to eliminate), dried them out with remarkable speed. It didn’t matter what kind of weed it was—Gramoxone was what’s known as a “total herbicide” and a “contact herbicide,” meaning it dried out anything it touched… as long as it was green. That was one of its major advantages: it only affected the green parts of plants (disrupting photosynthesis and killing the plant) and had no impact on non-chlorophyll-producing parts like trunks, branches, or roots. This meant there was no issue if the spray reached tree trunks during application—it wouldn’t harm them; it targeted only the green foliage. On the flip side, since it killed the green parts of weeds without affecting their roots, those weeds could regrow over time. But that wasn’t a problem either—you could simply spray them again and dry them out once more.
 
Those unfamiliar with agriculture might wonder, “Why would a farmer want to dry out weeds?” In the farming world, these plants are called “weeds”—not because they’re inherently bad, but because they grow where farmers don’t want them. Like all plants, weeds draw moisture and nutrients from the soil, competing with the crops that sustain the farmer’s livelihood. A field cleared of weeds allows crops to grow healthier and stronger, yielding more and better produce by eliminating those rival plants.
 
Gramoxone had other advantages too: it deactivated upon contact with soil, leaving no residue; it wasn’t volatile; and it worked effectively regardless of weather conditions or soil type. Its extreme versatility was evident in its many uses—it wasn’t just for drying weeds that competed with crops. It was also used to clear grass from rooftops, paved areas, and even along railway tracks across Spain, where a specialized company applied it to prevent overgrown weeds from posing a derailment risk. One of its most popular slogans captured this perfectly: “For any weed, at any time, in any place.” In short, it was a product every farmer kept on hand and used frequently.
 
It came in containers of 250 cc, 1 liter, and 5 liters as a soluble liquid. The recommended dilution was 400 to 600 cc per 100 liters of water. Once prepared, this mixture was sprayed onto the weeds and unwanted growth, taking care not to hit the green parts of the crops being protected. Naturally, it was emphasized that users should wear proper protective gear—overalls, gloves, and a mask—to ensure the spray didn’t contact their skin or lungs during application.
 
Trust and Risk
 
But I’ve used words like “care,” “protected,” and “protection”—words that stand in stark contrast to another: “familiarity.” And that’s where the trouble began. Gramoxone (paraquat) was so widely used by so many farmers that it had become almost too familiar—practically a member of the family. And with familiarity comes overconfidence, and with overconfidence… risks start to emerge.
(To be continued…)
 

A well-documented exploration of Medicine, Pharmacy, and rural society in the 19th century through two biographies that should not be forgotten:
“Kisses are tears”: https://a.co/d/eCok2Y0