Funding agency: World Health Organization

Objective

The objective is to accurately estimate the real-world toxic potency of Paraquat in humans by synthesizing evidence on case fatality rates, clinical severity scores, and other toxicity indicators. The findings aim to refine hazard classifications that currently rely mainly on animal LD₅₀ data.

Methodology

The review systematically collates human poisoning data through PRISMA-guided searches across major databases, followed by dual-reviewer screening, structured data extraction, and quantitative meta-analysis. Toxic-potency metrics will be pooled using random-effects models, with subgroup, meta-regression, and sensitivity analyses performed to explore heterogeneity and improve precision.