Paraquat was first produced for commercial purposes in 1961. Worldwide, paraquat is still one of the most commonly used herbicides. In the United States, due to its toxicity, paraquat is available for use only by commercially licensed users.

Was paraquat used in the 1950s?

Paraquat has been used as a pesticide since the 1950s and is marketed as an alternative to the world's most popular weed killer, glyphosate, more commonly known as Roundup.

What is the history of paraquat?

Paraquat was first described in 1882 by Weidel and Russo. In 1933, Michaelis and Hill discovered its redox properties and called the compound methyl viologen. The herbicidal properties of paraquat were first described by Brian et al. (1958) and it became commercially available in 1962.