Methyl parathion - MP (C8H10NO5PS) is a restricted-use pesticide that has been widely used as an agricultural insecticide. It belongs to the class of organophosphate chemicals characterized by their ability to inhibit acetylcholinesterase activity. The main route of human exposure is inhalation, but dermal contact and inadvertent ingestion can also be substantial. Populations that are susceptible to MP exposure primarily are applicators, manufacturers and individuals living near application and/or disposal sites. Exposure has also been reported as a result of illegal indoor application. MP related health effects include headaches, nausea, night-waking, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, excessive sweating and salivation, incoordination, and mental confusion. Other symptoms including behavior problems, motor skill problems and impairment of memory recall have also been reported. The primary targets of toxicity are the hematopoietic system (serum cholinesterase inhibition), the cardiovascular system (cardiovascular lesions, abnormalities in heart rate and increase in heart-to-body ratio), the reproductive system (placental morphology, fibrosis and hemorrhage, and inhibition of DNA synthesis in seminiferous tubules), and the nervous system (headache, muscle weakness, insomnia, dizziness, and impaired memory). MP is believed to not have any carcinogenic effects. In an attempt to update its toxicologic profile, we hereby provide a critical review of MP-related environmental and toxicologic effects, with a special emphasis on their potential implications for public health.

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[lethal "wofatox" poisoning].

Environmental Toxicology and Health Effects Associated with Methyl Parathion Exposure – A Scientific Review

In the fall of 1994, Lorain County, Ohio, became the site of the first investigation of several large-scale incidences in which the organophosphate pesticide methyl parathion was illegally applied to private residences. The extent of potential human exposure to this pesticide led the Ohio Department of Health to formally request technical assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This article describes the initial investigation of 64 homes in Ohio and introduces the method of using both biological markers of exposure (p-nitrophenol levels in human urine samples) and environmental markers of contamination in dust and air samples when making public health decisions about the cleanup of homes sprayed with methyl parathion. The results of the CDC rapid investigation led the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to declare the contaminated homes in Lorain County a Superfund cleanup site. Seven years after the Lorain incident, and after subsequent Superfund actions had been implemented in Illinois and Mississippi, researchers participated in an expanded session devoted to methyl parathion at the 11th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Exposure Analysis held in Charleston, South Carolina, in the fall of 2001. The articles included in this monograph are based on presentations at that meeting. They report previously unpublished data that tell the methyl parathion story from different perspectives, each providing in-depth information about separate aspects of this multistate, multiagency, and multimillion dollar chemical exposure. This monograph is the methyl parathion story.

http://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/3921/cdc_3921_DS1.pdf

Introduction--the methyl parathion story: a chronicle of misuse and preventable human exposure.

Es werden die an samtlichen Organen von 33 innerhalb von 2 Std bis 9 Tagen nach der Wofatox-(Methylparathion-)Vergiftung gestorbenen Personen im Alter von 18–82 Jahren beobachteten makroskopischen und mikroskopischen Veranderungen bekanntgegeben. Schon 2 Std nach der Vergiftung machen sich in Gehirn, Lungen, Herz, Leber, Nieren, Milz, sowie in den Gefaswanden und perivascular ausgesprochene histologische Veranderungen bemerkbar, die mit dem Groserwerden der zwischen der Einnahme des Giftes und dem Eintreten des Todes verstrichenen Zeit an Schwere zunehmen.

[lethal "wofatox" poisoning].

Citations

Environmental Toxicology and Health Effects Associated with Methyl Parathion Exposure – A Scientific Review

Introduction--the methyl parathion story: a chronicle of misuse and preventable human exposure.

Macroscopic and microscopic alterations in Wofatox poisoning (methyl parathion)