Weedkiller ingredient widely used in US can damage organs and gut bacteria, research shows

‘Other countries have banned diquat, but in the US we’re still fighting the fights that Europe won 20 years ago.’ Photograph: Richard Hamilton Smith/Getty Images

The herbicide ingredient used to replace glyphosate in Roundup and other weedkiller products can kill gut bacteria and damage organs in multiple ways, new research shows.

The ingredient, diquat, is widely employed in the US as a weedkiller in vineyards and orchards, and is increasingly sprayed elsewhere as the use of controversial herbicide substances such as glyphosate and paraquat drops in the US.