Methyl parathion exposure

The only approved use of methyl parathion is on crops, including crops used as foods. Effective December 31, 1999, the EPA cancelled the use of methyl parathion on many kinds of crops used as foods because of a concern for exposure risks to children and to workers. This action will reduce the risks to families of methyl parathion exposure from food. 

Often, absorption occurs by multiple routes in humans. Dean et al. (1984) reported deaths and toxic effects as well as lowered blood cholinesterase levels and excretion of urinary 4-nitrophenol in several children who were exposed by inhalation, oral, and possibly dermal routes after the spraying of methyl parathion in a house. In the same incident (Dean et al. 1984), absorption was indicated in adults who also excreted 4-nitrophenol in the urine, though at lower levels than some of the children, and in the absence of other evidence of methyl parathion exposure. In this study, the potential for age-related differences in absorption rates could not be assessed because exposure levels were not known and the children may have been more highly exposed than the adults. Health effects from multiple routes are discussed in detail in Section 3.2. 

ATSDR is conducting a health study to investigate the lasting health effects of methyl parathion exposure on children. In this study, ATSDR will be testing children in two states, Ohio and Mississippi. The principal Investigator is Dr. Rubina Imtiaz, ATSDR Division of Health Studies, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30333. 

Ruckart, P. Z., Kakolewski, K., Bove, F. J., and Kaye, W. E. 2004. Long-term neurobehavioral health effects of methyl parathion exposure in children in Mississippi and Ohio. Environmental Health Perspectives 112 46-51. 

In March 1997, there were reported misuses of methyl parathion leading to prosecution. Over 15 000 homes and businesses in Mississippi and Ohio were sprayed with methyl parathion by unlicensed operators. Methyl parathion is prohibited for use indoors. Authorities had to relocate over 1100 people to temporary accommodations with clean-up costs approaching 50 million dollars. With these reported misuses, local veterinarians reported deaths of household pets due to methyl parathion exposure. In July 1997, there was also an illegal application of methyl parathion by an illegal applicator to control cockroaches in the Chicago area. 

These experts collectively have knowledge of methyl parathion s physical and chemical properties, toxicokinetics, key health end points, mechanisms of action, human and animal exposure, and quantification of risk to humans. All reviewers were selected in conformity with the conditions for peer review specified in Section 104(I)(13) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, as amended. 

HOW CAN FAMILIES REDUCE THE RISK OF EXPOSURE TO METHYL PARATHION ... 

BACKGROUND AND ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES TO METHYL PARATHION IN THE UNITED STATES... 

Biomarkers Used to Identify or Quantify Exposure to Methyl Parathion... 

Levels of Significant Exposure to Methyl Parathion - Inhalation 3-2. Levels of Significant Exposure to Methyl Parathion - Oral 3-3. Proposed Metabolic Pathways of Methyl Parathion... 

This public health statement tells you about methyl parathion and the effects of exposure. 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identifies the most serious hazardous waste sites in the nation. These sites make up the National Priorities List (NPL) and are the sites targeted for long-term federal cleanup activities. Methyl parathion has been found in at least 16 of the 1,585 current or former NPL sites. However, the total number of NPL sites evaluated for this substance is not known. As more sites are evaluated, the sites at which methyl parathion is found may increase. This information is important because exposure to this substance may harm you and because these sites may be sources of exposure. 

Methyl parathion can enter your body if you eat food or drink water containing it if you swim, bathe, or shower in contaminated water if you touch recently sprayed plants or soil if you touch contaminated soil near hazardous waste sites or if you breathe air that contains methyl parathion, such as near factories or recently sprayed farm fields (or in recent accounts of the illegal use of methyl parathion, if you breathe air or touch contaminated surfaces inside homes where methyl parathion has been used to kill insects). By any means of exposure, methyl parathion goes into your body quickly and gets into your blood. From your bloodstream, methyl parathion goes to your liver, brain, and other organs. Your liver changes some of methyl parathion to a more harmful chemical called methyl paraoxon. Both methyl parathion and methyl paraoxon can bind to enzymes of your nerves within minutes or hours. Your liver breaks down methyl parathion and methyl paraoxon into less harmful substances. These less harmful substances leave your body in urine within hours or days. For more information, see Chapter 3. 

Animal studies show effects of methyl parathion similar to those seen in people. In addition, short-term high exposure of animals to methyl parathion caused decreased heart rate. This may be the result of methyl parathion s effects on the nerves that control the heart. Methyl parathion decreased the ability of animals to fight infections in some studies, but not in others. It is not known whether any of these effects occur in people. It is not known whether methyl parathion affects the ability of animals to reproduce. Studies in animals have not shown that methyl parathion causes cancer. 

You can find more information on the health effects associated with exposure to methyl parathion in Chapters 2 and 3. 

Children are affected by methyl parathion in the same manner as adults. Exposure to high levels of methyl parathion, even for short periods, may result in changes in the nervous system, leading to headaches, dizziness, confusion, blurred vision, difficulty breathing, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of consciousness, and death (see also Section 1.5 for a more complete description of how methyl parathion affects human health). It is not known whether children are more sensitive to the effects of methyl parathion than adults. There is some indication that young rats may be more sensitive than adults to nervous system effects. 

Families can reduce the risk of exposure to methyl parathion in the soil, on plants, or in the air by staying away from fields that have been recently sprayed. If families wait at least 4-5 days before entering sprayed fields, then the amount of methyl parathion present in the air or on plants is expected to be small. 

Several medical tests can determine whether you have been exposed to methyl parathion. The first medical test measures methyl parathion in your blood or measures 4-nitrophenol, which is a breakdown product of methyl parathion, in your urine. These tests are only reliable for about 24 hours after you are exposed because methyl parathion breaks down quickly and leaves your body. These tests cannot tell whether you will have harmful health effects or what those effects may be. The next medical test measures the levels of a substance called cholinesterase in your blood. If cholinesterase levels are less than half of what they should be and you have been exposed to methyl parathion, then you may get symptoms of poisoning. However, lower cholinesterase levels may also only indicate exposure and not necessarily harmful effects. The action of methyl parathion may cause lower cholinesterase levels in your red blood cells or your blood plasma. Such lowering, however, can also be caused by factors other than methyl parathion. For example, cholinesterase values may already be low in some people, because of heredity or disease. However, a lowering of cholinesterase levels can often show whether methyl parathion or similar compounds have acted on your nerves. Cholinesterase levels in red blood cells can stay low for more than a month after you have been exposed to methyl parathion or similar chemicals. For more information, see Chapters 3 and 7. 

According to EPA, the following levels of methyl parathion in drinking water are not expected to cause effects that are harmful to health 0.3 mg/L for 1 or 10 days of exposure for children,... 

The greatest potential for exposure of the general population to methyl parathion is by consumption of food containing residues from spray applieations of the inseetieide. In a 10-year study, methyl parathion was found at an average concentration of 0.0035 ppm in a few examples of ready-to-eat foods. Concentrations in the range of 0.05-2.0 ppm were reported in 0.5% of the samples of domestie and... 

Dermal exposure to methyl parathion is not likely to be a health concern to the general population, with the possible exception of individuals in the immediate vicinity of a field during application of the pesticide. Dermal exposure, however, is a major source of exposure for workers directly involved in the manufacture, application, and cleanup of the chemical, and for field workers. Laundry workers cleaning the clothing of such workers may also be exposed. 

Children are expected to be exposed to methyl parathion by the same routes that affect adults. Small children are more likely to come into contact with methyl parathion residues that may be present in soil and dust both outside and inside the home, due to increased hand-to-mouth activity and playing habits. Methyl parathion has been detected in a few samples of breast milk, indicating potential for exposure of nursing infants. However, available data are not adequate for determination of the importance of this route of child exposure. 

Mental disturbances have been reported after organophosphate exposure. Neuropsychiatric symptoms occurred in two aerial applicators, one of whom used methyl parathion as well as other insecticides. One of these pilots had high levels of exposure to a mixture containing methyl parathion, toxaphene, and Dipterex when his clothing became saturated when the tank of his aircraft accidentally overflowed. Several months after the accident, the subject complained of anxiety, dizziness, emotional lability, and frequent and severe disagreements with family members and associates. Similar observations had been... 

Hematological Effects. No information was found regarding hematological effects in humans following exposure to methyl parathion. Repeated oral exposure to methyl parathion resulted in decreased mean corpuseular volume in one study and decreased hematocrit and erythrocyte count in another study in rats. Chronic ingestion of methyl parathion induced reduction of mean hemoglobin, hematocrit, and erythrocyte eounts in rats. 

Developmental Effects. Adverse effects of methyl parathion on hirman fetal development have not been reported. Based on studies in animals, such effects appear to be possible if pregnant women were exposed during the first trimester to high concentrations of methyl parathion that resulted in significant depression of cholinesterase levels, particularly if concomitant signs and symptoms of organophosphate intoxication occur. Such an exposure scenario may occur with occupational exposure, exposure in homes or offices illegally sprayed with methyl parathion, or accidental exposure to methyl parathion, but is less likely as a result of low-level exposure. 

Ocular Effects. Pinpoint pupils (miosis) have been observed in individuals following acute exposure to methyl parathion. Electroretinographic changes have been reported in mice following intraperitoneal injection of 1.5 mg of methyl parathion. These changes were a direct effect of methyl parathion on... 

Although a number of studies have reported the effects of inhalation exposure to methyl parathion in humans, no inhalation MRLs were derived based on human data because of the lack of adequate quantitative exposure information. Animal data were also insufficient to support the derivation of an acute-, intermediate-, or chronic-duration inhalation MRL. 

No acute oral MRL was derived for methyl parathion because data regarding the most sensitive effect that was observed after acute oral exposure are conflicting. Increased pup mortality and altered behavior occurred in offspring of rats exposed to 1 mg/kg/day methyl parathion during, but no effects on pup survival or on sensitive electrophysiological indices of neurotoxicity were seen at virtually the same dose, 0.88 mg/kg/day, in a similar developmental toxicity study. 

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