If you need to kill a plant, you’ll probably use an herbicide. They’re used in agriculture to control weeds on crops of all types. They’re used by the state highway department to wrangle weeds along the roads. They’re used by landscapers to maintain pristine lawns.
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Unfortunately, herbicides are not exclusively toxic to weeds. Used improperly, herbicides can kill crops, lawns, and endangered animals, and they can also sicken and kill people.
Earlier this year, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a study showing that two pesticides, paraquat and diquat, were responsible for fully 85 percent of deaths from herbicide exposure in the United States between 1998 and 2011. The study also includes recommendations on steps you can take to prevent those exposures.