Permethrin chemical structure

Pyrethroids may conveniently be classified into two groups based on the chemical structure and toxic action (1 -Z8). Type I pyrethroids do not possess an alpha-cyano group and include many conventional ones such as allethrin, tetramethrin, phenothrin and permethrin. Type II pyrethroids possess a cyano group at the a position and include cyphenothrin, cypermethrin, deltamethrin and fenvalerate. 

Turfgrass chemicals are by no means the only toxic hazard faced by average people, nor indeed the most unjust or egregiously unfair one, of course. Consider, for example, the disproportionately high exposure of inner city residents to propoxur, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and permethrin used to treat the insects and pests that are an everyday part of life in poorly maintained structures, rented by absent and indifferent landlords. The use of such chemicals in lawn management is far less directly utilitarian than in inner city homes, however such urban residents face a health hazard where lawn managers face a mere nuisance, if that. 

Beyond the pure physicochemical interactions described, there is increasing evidence that jet fuels themselves can alter skin structure, and it is probably by this additional mechanism that may be associated with increased dermal absorption of permethrin. These chemical-induced modifications in skin structure have been demonstrated by increased transepidermal water loss and significant dermatotoxicity at the macroscopic and molecular levels in skin (Monteiro-Riviere et al., 2001, 2004 McDougal and Rogers, 2004). It is therefore no surprise that chronic exposure to these mixtures of solvents can enhance jet fuel hydrocarbon absorption (Muhammad etal., 2004). This is characteristic for chronic dermal exposures to solvents and strongly suggests that military persormel are more likely to absorb hazardous chemicals across their skin if they are chronically exposed to jet fuels or solvrait-related chemicals. 

Examine the structural formulas of pyrethrin and permethrin. (See Chemical Connections 14D.)... 

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