Organochlorine insecticides toxicity

See also Organochlorine Insecticides. Toxicity, Chronic Toxicity, Subchronic. 

Truhaut R, Gak JC, Graillot C. 1974. [Organochlorine insecticides Research work on their toxic action, its modalities and mechanisms. Part 1 Comparative study of the acute toxicity on the hamster and the rat.] Eur J Toxicol Environ Hyg 7 159-166. (French)... 

Tilson HA, Hong JS, Mactutus CF. 1985. Effects of 5,5-diphenylhydantoin (phenytoin) on neurobehavioral toxicity of organochlorine insecticides and permethrin. J Pharmacol Exp Ther... 

The prototypical organochlorine insecticide is DDT. It was first used in World War II for vector control of malaria. The organochlorine insecticides are very stable in the environment. This persistence allows toxic concentrations to build up in nontarget organisms. 

The development of strains resistant to insecticides is an extremely widespread phenomenon that is known to have occurred in more than 200 species of insects and mites, and resistance of up to several 100-fold has been noted. The different biochemical and genetic factors involved have been studied extensively and well characterized. Relatively few vertebrate species are known to have developed pesticide resistance and the level of resistance in vertebrates is low compared to that often found in insects. Susceptible and resistant strains of pine voles exhibit a 7.4-fold difference in endrin toxicity. Similarly pine mice of a strain resistant to endrin were reported to be 12-fold more tolerant than a susceptible strain. Other examples include the occurrence of organochlorine insecticide-resistant and susceptible strains of mosquito fish, and resistance to Belladonna in certain rabbit strains. 

Organochlorine insecticides are also well-known inducers. Treatment of rats with either DDT or chlordane, for example, will decrease hexobarbital sleeping time and offer protection from the toxic effect of warfarin. Persons exposed to DDT and lindane metabolized antipyrine twice as fast as a group not exposed, whereas those exposed to DDT alone had a reduced half-life for phenylbutazone and increased excretion of 6-hydroxy cortisol. 

Chlordane (C HgClg) and Hentachlor (C gH Cly) belong to the family of bicyclic cyclodiene organochlorine insecticides discussed earlier (See under Aldrin). Both compounds are highly toxic, readily... 

Symptomatology is essentially the same as that described for organochlorine insecticides. In many cases, convulsions are the first sign of toxicity without the progression of nerve hyperactivity seen in other classes of organochlorine insecticides. More recently, evidence of endocrine disruption in both mammalian and other species has been accumulating for several cyclodiene pesticides including chlordane, aldrin, dieldrin, lindane, and endosulfan. 

Endrin is more highly toxic than other organochlorine insecticides. The major target is the CNS. Major symptomatology is exemplified by rapid onset of violent epileptiform convulsions in severe poisoning cases. The onset may occur as rapidly as 0.5 h or delayed as much as lOh after ingestion of contaminated food. Other symptoms include headaches, dizziness, nervousness, confusion, nausea, and vomiting. 

Oral LD50 values for rats are reported at 100-220 mgkg while those for mice are 30-68 mg kg The toxic effects of heptachlor in animals are the same as those of chlordane. Chlordane toxicity in animals is similar to that of other organochlorine insecticides except tremor is absent. CNS involvement produces hyperexcitability and convulsions. 

The next step is the application of the microcantilever as biosensor in the environmental control field, by following an immunological detection scheme. For this purpose, we present the inhibition immunoassay performed to detect the highly toxic organochlorine insecticide compound dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT). 

The first serious warning against the use of synthetic pesticides was in the book Silent Spring written by the biologist Rachel Car and published in 1962. Carson blamed DDT and the related organochlorine insecticides, for their persistence in the environment, bioacummulation in human adipose tissue, and animal fat, and also for toxic... 

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