People are increasingly concerned about potential environmental health hazards and often ask their physicians questions such as: "Is the tap water safe to drink?" "Is it safe to live near power lines?" Unfortunately, physicians often lack the information and training related to environmental health risks needed to answer such questions. This book discusses six competency based learning objectives for all medical school students, discusses the relevance of environmental health to specific courses and clerkships, and demonstrates how to integrate environmental health into the curriculum through published case studies, some of which are included in one of the book's three appendices. Also included is a guide on where to obtain additional information for treatment, referral, and follow-up for diseases with possible environmental and/or occupational origins.
The development of resistance to pesticides is generally acknowledged as one of the most serious obstacles to effective pest control today. Since house flies first developed resistance to DDT in 1946, more than 428 species of arthropods, at least 91 species of plant pathogens, five species of noxious weeds and two species of nematodes were reported to have developed strains resistant to on~ or more pesticides. A seminar of U. S. and Japanese scientists was held in Palm Springs, California, during December 3-7, 1979, under the U. S. -Japan Cooperative Science Program, in order to evaluate the status of research on resistance and to discuss directions for future emphasis. A total of 32 papers were presented under three principal topics: Origins and Dynamics of Resistance (6), Mechanisms of Resistance (18), and Suppression and Management of Resistance (8). The seminar was unique in that it brought together for the first time researchers from the disciplines of entomology, plant pathology and weed science for a comprehensive discussion of this common problem. Significant advances have been identified in (a) the development of methods for detection and monitoring of resistance in arthropods (electrophoresis, diagnostic dosage tests) and plant pathogens, (b) research on biochemical and physiological mechanisms of resis tance (cytochrome p450, sensitivity of target site, gene regulation), (c) the identification and quantification of biotic, genetic and operational factors influencing the evolution of resistance, and (d) the exploration of pest management approaches incorporating resis tance-delaying measures.
This volume of the IARC Monographs provides evaluations of the carcinogenicity of some organophosphate insecticides and herbicides, including diazinon, glyphosate, malathion, parathion, and tetrachlorvinphos. Diazinon acts on a wide range of insects on crops, gardens, livestock, and pets, but most uses have been restricted in the USA, Canada, and the European Union since the 1980s. Glyphosate is the most heavily used agricultural and residential herbicide in the world, and has been detected in soil, air, surface water, and groundwater, as well as in food. Malathion is one of the oldest and most widely used organophosphate insecticides, and has a broad spectrum of applications in agriculture and public health, notably mosquito control. The insecticide parathion has been largely banned or restricted throughout the world due to toxicity to wildlife and humans. Tetrachlorvinphos is banned in the European Union, but continues to be used in the USA and elsewhere as an insecticide on animals, including in pet flea collars. The IARC Monographs Working Group reviewed epidemiological evidence, animal bioassays, and mechanistic and other relevant data to reach conclusions as to the carcinogenic hazard to humans of these agents.
Neurotoxicity of Pesticides, Volume Four, in this comprehensive serial addresses contemporary advances in neurotoxicology of pesticides by providing authoritative review articles on key issues in the field. Edited by leading subject experts, topics of note in this new release include Organophosphates, OPs, Nerve agents, Pyrethroids, Neonicotinoids and Formamidines, among others.
This text/reference book provides the most comprehensive coverage of anticholinesterase compounds (Organophosphates and Carbamates), which constitute the largest number of chemicals that are primarily used as insecticides in agriculture, industry, and around the home/garden. Some OPs (nerve agents) have been used in chemical warfare and terrorist attacks, while some OPs and CMs have been recommended as therapeutic agents in human medicine as well as in veterinary medicine. Many chemicals of both classes are extremely toxic and lack selectivity, thus their inadvertent/accidental use continues to pose a threat to human and animal health, aquatic systems and wildlife. These anticholinesterase agents produce a variety of toxicological effects in target and nontarget organs. In light of this complexicity, this multi-authored book is written by the well known scientists from many countries. The book is organized into nine sections, with a total of 49 chapters, to provide in-depth knowledge on various aspects of OP and CM compounds, including their use, classification, mechanism-based toxicity, and prophylactic and therapeutic measurements. Several chapters are written with special emphasis to cover timely topics, such as chemical warfare agents, physiologically-based pharmacokinetic modeling, structure and function of cholinesterases, paraoxonase, carboxylesterases; developmental neurotoxicity, the intermediate syndrome, oxidative stress, endocrine disruption, and DNA damage/gene expression and carcinogenesis. Section-VI with 5 chapters is specifically devoted to risk assessment, and safety and regulatory guidelines for pesticides. - Describes everything you need to know about Organophosphates and Carbamates - Extensively covers pesticides, nerve agents, therapeutic drugs, and flame retardants - Describes epidemiology of the world's major disasters involving Organophosphates and Carbamates - Covers animal, human, aquatic, and wildlife toxicity of Anticholinesterases - Insights into in-depth cholinergic and noncholinergic mechanisms of toxicity - Describes recent advancements in cholinesterases, paraoxonases, carboxylesterases, oxidative stress, endocrine disruption, cardiac and pulmonary toxicity, and carcinogenesis - Provides in vitro and in vivo models for neurotoxicity testing - Integrates knowledge of studies in lab animals and humans - Offers risk/safety assessment and national/international guidelines for permissible levels of pesticide residues - Describes management of Anticholinesterase poisoning in humans
Gulf War and Health, Volume 2, is the second in a series of congressionally-mandated studies by the Institute of Medicine that provides a comprehensive assessment of the available scientific literature on potential health effects of exposure to certain biological, chemical, and environmental agents associated with the Gulf War. In this second study, the committee evaluated the published, peer-reviewed literature on exposure to insecticides and solvents thought to have been present during the 1990-1991 war. Because little information exists on actual exposure levels â€" a critical factor when assessing health effects â€" the committee could not draw specific conclusions about the health problems of Gulf War veterans. However, the study found some evidence, although usually limited, to link specific long-term health outcomes with exposure to certain insecticides and solvents. The next phase of the series will examine the literature on potential health effects associated with exposure to selected environmental pollutants and particulates, such as oil-well fires and jet fuels.
Insects are more similar in structure and physiology to mammals than plants or fungi. Consequently, insecticides are often of greater toxicity to mammals than herbicides. This is particularly the case with neurotoxins. However, some insecticides are targeted at structures or hormonal systems specific to insects (insect growth regulators/chitin synthesis inhibitors) so are less harmful but can still be mildly haematotoxic. There are, therefore, issues specific to insecticides, which do not occur with other pesticides - hence the need for a book specifically on insecticide toxicology in mammals. The book starts with general issues relating to the mammalian toxicity of insecticides, including target/non-target specificity, nomenclature and metabolism of insecticides. It then goes on to discuss specific types of insecticides including: organochlorines; anticholinesterases; pyrethrum and synthetic pyrethroids; nicotine and the neonicotinoids; insect growth regulators/ecdysone agonists/chitin synthesis inhibitors; insecticides of natural origin; biological insecticides; and insecticides used in veterinary medicine.
This 5th ed. is an update and expansion of the 1989 4th ed. This EPA manual provides health professionals with information on the health hazards of pesticides currently in use, and current consensus recommendations for management of poisonings and injuries caused by them. As with previous updates, this new ed. incorporates new pesticide products that are not necessarily widely known among health professionals. Contents: (1) General Information: Introduction; General Principles in the Management of Acute Pesticide Poisonings; Environmental and Occupational History; (2) Insecticides; (3) Herbicides; (4) Other Pesticides; (5) Index of Signs and Symptoms; Index of Pesticide Products. Charts and tables.
Foremost specialists in the field of cholinesterase-inhibiting insecticides have contributed to this volume, to provide an accurate assessment of the impacts of organophosphate and carbamate pesticides on non-target organisms, especially wildlife. The increased scrutiny of pest control agents in recent years has resulted from several factors. These comprise the demands for environmental protection, the recognition of wildlife as a valuable and diminishing resource, and the realization that few wild habitats exist that pest control programs do not directly target or indirectly affect. In that context, the book brings together the scattered literature on the effects of anticholinesterase pesticides on wildlife and other non-target species. The literature has long been dominated by research emanating from the drug industry and the military. The therapeutic aspects of cholinergically-active substances and their potential as chemical warfare agents has directed research in the field. Thus the measurement of cholinesterase activity as a biomarker to assess the impact on wildlife species is a relatively recent phenomenon.
