Severe Glyphosate - Surfactant Herbicide Poisoning; Successful Treatment - Case Report

Glyphosate-surfactant herbicide is one of the most frequently used herbicides. Glyphosate kills plants by suppressing the shikimic metabolic pathway [1]. The mechanism of toxicity of glyphosate in mammals has been proposed to be the uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation [2]. Surfactants are inert ingredients that are added to herbicides to precisely increase the absorption of the active component. Surfactants may contribute to the toxicity of the active substance [1]. An experiment in dogs found that hypotension is primarily caused by myocardial depression with surfactant [3]. The ingestion of small amounts of glyphosatesurfactant herbicide usually causes only mild symptoms. However, when large volumes of concentrates are ingested intentionally, it can generate potentially fatal symptoms that are refractory to the treatment [4]. The treatment for glyphosate-surfactant herbicide poisoning is primarily of a supportive nature [5]. Early continuous veno-venous hemodiafiltration (CVVHDF) contributes to the survival [4,6].