Propoxur structure

In 1985, Berteau and Mengle (1985) of the California Department of Health Services and Maddy of the Department of Food and Agriculture conducted a preliminary review of pesticides used indoors. They noted several cases (six) from the Pesticide Illness Surveillance system in which illness was reported after structural pest control. Hypothetical exposure estimates for infants, children, and adults following label use for propoxur, DDVP, and chlorpyrifos were sometimes greater than toxic levels. In 1987, Berteau et al. (1989) reiterated the concern about the potential magnitude of indoor exposures, particularly for children. 

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. 

Propoxur is a contact and stomach poison insecticide against ants, cockroaches, crickets, mosquitoes, grasshoppers, thrips, chinch bugs, etc. It is used in many countries on alfalfa, corn, soybeans, cotton, vegetables, and ornamentals. It is also used in structural pest control, agricultural premises, commercial premises, and in households. Its oral LD50 in rats is 95-104 mg/kg. 

Unfortunately, it is not possible to accurately predict rates of volatilization or project air concenpations based on vapor pressures. Even when ambient conditions, substtates and formulations are similar, emission rates for pesticides will depend on other factors such as the concenttation and molecular structure of the active ingredient. Jackson and Lewis (1981) compared emission rates from three kinds of pest conttol sttips in the same room under constant conditions of temperature (21 1 °C) and humidity (50 20 %) and found that room air concentta-tions over a period of 30d were much higher for diazinon than for chlorpyrifos, but similar to those for propoxur [2-(l-methylethoxy)phenylmethylcarbamate]. On Day 2 , room air levels were 0.76 pg/m for diazinon, 0.14 pg/m for chlorpyrifos and 0.79 pg/m for propoxur. After 30 d, the air concenttations were 1.21, 0.16 and 0.70 pg/m, respectively. The vapor pressure of diazinon is nearly 100 times higher than that of chlorpyrifos and nearly 1000 times lower than that of propoxur (4 x 10 kPa at 20 °C). 

Figure 9.11. Carbamates determined by LC-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) or electrospray (ES) in positive-ion mode (Fern ndez et al., 2000). (24) car-bofuran, (25) ethiofencarb, (26) methiocarb, (27) fenobucarb, (28) isoprocarb, (29) fenoxycarb, (30) diethofencarb, (31) metholcarb, (32) propoxur, (33) pirimicarb, (34) oxamyl, (35) thiobencarb. Structure of carbaryl is reported in Fig. 9.1.

Consumer products containing compounds that contain a benzene ring. The ibuprofen in Advil, the propoxur in Raid, the diphenhydramine hydrochloride in Benadryl, the sodium benzoate in Sprite, and the benzoyl peroxide in Oxy-10 all have at least one benzene ring in their molecular structures. 

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