World health organization acute toxicity

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended classification of pesticides by hazard, first issued in 1978, has gained wide acceptance. The classification is based primarily on the acute oral and dermal toxicity to rats since these determinations are standard procedures in toxicology. 

In 1981-1982, an epidemic spread across Spain, which was eventually labelled the toxic oil syndrome by the World Health Organization (WHO). In less than two years, at least 20 096 people were afflicted by and 356 people died from toxic oil syndrome (Philen et al., 1997 Philen Dicker, 2000). Women, especially those less than 40 years of age, were affected more severely than men 61% of the victims and 66% of the deaths were women (Sanchez-Porro Valades et al., 2003). Toxic oil syndrome has striking similarities to autoimmune diseases, particularly scleroderma. In addition, it resembles eosinophilia myalgia syndrome and diffuse fasciitis with eosinophilia. Toxic oil syndrome-associated manifestations evolved from initiating vasculitis to eosinophilia in the acute phase and then sicca syndrome, neuropathy, scleroderma, Raynaud phenomenon, and musculoskeletal inflammation in the chronic phase (Kaufman Krupp, 1995). More than 70% of toxic oil syndrome patients presented with eosinophilia, regardless of age or sex. 

In 1998, Abbott (6A01) described the results of the examination of numerous food additives by the World Health Organization. The food additives in this particular study comprised a series of so-called aliphatic lactones. Among the lactones discussed were several that not only are used as foodstuff additives but also occur in tobacco and/or its smoke and several that are used as tobacco additives. The results of several toxicological studies (acute toxicity, short-and long-term toxicity, carcinogenicity) and genotoxic studies on the lactones were described in detail by Abbott. Table Vl-1 presents the results listed by Abbott on those lactones that are used in tobacco products. 

It is often claimed in the preamble of publications on sugar surfactants that a major benefit of these materials lies in their low toxicity. The increased use of such surfactants as food additives has led to a number of detailed investigations into the toxicology of sucrose esters by the World Health Organization (WHO). In particular, the sucrose esters of fatty acids and monoglycerides were reviewed in terms of their pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, acute toxicity, and short- and long-term tolerability. This section summarizes and discusses some of the toxicity results from these reports (WHO Food Additive Series 10, 15, 35, and 40). 

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