What is the primary goal of immediate medical intervention following paraquat exposure?

Preventing further absorption into the bloodstream

The most critical factor in determining survival after paraquat exposure is the speed with which the clinician can prevent the toxin from entering the systemic circulation. Because there is no antidote to stop the redox cycling once the poison is distributed through the body, the immediate priority is decontamination. This involves the rapid administration of adsorbents like Fuller's Earth or activated charcoal to bind the toxin while it is still in the gastrointestinal tract. If the patient is alert and the exposure is recent, the goal is to physically trap as much of the herbicide as possible before it crosses the intestinal wall, as the efficacy of these measures declines rapidly with time.