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Environmental Health Perspectives Jun 1999Six million children live in poverty in America's inner cities. These children are at high risk of exposure to pesticides that are used extensively in urban schools,... (Review)
Review
Six million children live in poverty in America's inner cities. These children are at high risk of exposure to pesticides that are used extensively in urban schools, homes, and day-care centers for control of roaches, rats, and other vermin. The organophosphate insecticide chlorpyrifos and certain pyrethroids are the registered pesticides most heavily applied in cities. Illegal street pesticides are also in use, including tres pasitos (a carbamate), tiza china, and methyl parathion. In New York State in 1997, the heaviest use of pesticides in all counties statewide was in the urban boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Children are highly vulnerable to pesticides. Because of their play close to the ground, their hand-to-mouth behavior, and their unique dietary patterns, children absorb more pesticides from their environment than adults. The long persistence of semivolatile pesticides such as chlorpyrifos on rugs, furniture, stuffed toys, and other absorbent surfaces within closed apartments further enhances urban children's exposures. Compounding these risks of heavy exposures are children's decreased ability to detoxify and excrete pesticides and the rapid growth, development, and differentiation of their vital organ systems. These developmental immaturities create early windows of great vulnerability. Recent experimental data suggest, for example, that chlorpyrifos may be a developmental neurotoxicant and that exposure in utero may cause biochemical and functional aberrations in fetal neurons as well as deficits in the number of neurons. Certain pyrethroids exert hormonal activity that may alter early neurologic and reproductive development. Assays currently used for assessment of the toxicity of pesticides are insensitive and cannot accurately predict effects to children exposed in utero or in early postnatal life. Protection of American children, and particularly of inner-city children, against the developmental hazards of pesticides requires a comprehensive strategy that monitors patterns of pesticide use on a continuing basis, assesses children's actual exposures to pesticides, uses state-of-the-art developmental toxicity testing, and establishes societal targets for reduction of pesticide use.
Topics: Adult; Animals; Child; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Endocrine Glands; Environmental Exposure; Female; History, 19th Century; History, 20th Century; Humans; Infant; Nervous System; Pesticides; Poverty; Pregnancy; Rats; Risk Factors; United States; United States Environmental Protection Agency; Urban Health
PubMed: 10346991
DOI: 10.1289/ehp.99107s3431 -
Water Research Dec 2008The photodegradation of parathion in aqueous solutions by UV and UV/H(2)O(2) processes was evaluated. Direct photolysis of parathion both by LP (low pressure) and MP...
The photodegradation of parathion in aqueous solutions by UV and UV/H(2)O(2) processes was evaluated. Direct photolysis of parathion both by LP (low pressure) and MP (medium pressure) lamps at pH 7 was very slow with quantum yields of 6.67+/-0.33x10(-4) and 6.00+/-1.06x10(-4)molE(-1), respectively. Hydrogen peroxide enhanced the photodegradation of parathion through the reaction between UV generated hydroxyl radical and parathion with a second-order reaction rate constant of 9.70+/-0.45x10(9)M(-1)s(-1). An optimum molar ratio between hydrogen peroxide and parathion was determined to be between 300 and 400. Photodegradation of parathion yielded several organic byproducts, of which the paraoxon, 4-nitrophenol, O,O,O-triethyl thiophosphate and O,O-diethyl-methyl thiophosphate were quantified and their occurrence during UV/H(2)O(2) processes were discussed. NO(2)(-), PO(4)(3-), NO(3)(-) and SO(4)(2-) were the major anionic byproducts of parathion photodegradation and their recover ratios were also discussed. A photodegradation scheme suggesting three simultaneous pathways was proposed in the study.
Topics: Hydrogen Peroxide; Insecticides; Oxidation-Reduction; Parathion; Solutions; Ultraviolet Rays; Water
PubMed: 18834610
DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2008.08.023 -
Journal of Toxicology 2014In recent years, the use of organophosphorus pesticides has been extensively increased and these compounds signify a major class of agricultural pesticides today. We...
Antigenotoxic Effect of Curcumin and Carvacrol against Parathion Induced DNA Damage in Cultured Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes and Its Relation to GSTM1 and GSTT1 Polymorphism.
In recent years, the use of organophosphorus pesticides has been extensively increased and these compounds signify a major class of agricultural pesticides today. We studied antigenotoxic potential of curcumin and carvacrol against the parathion induced DNA damage in cultured peripheral blood lymphocytes using sister chromatid exchanges as a biomarker of genotoxicity. Heparinised fresh blood from healthy individuals was treated with 2.5 μg/mL concentration of parathion in presence of curcumin and carvacrol in order to observe the antigenotoxic potential of both curcumin and carvacrol. Significant reduction (P < 0.05) was observed in the frequencies of SCEs in presence of 10 μg/mL and 15 μg/mL concentrations of curcumin as compared to parathion exposed sample. Similarly carvacrol had significant (P < 0.05) antigenotoxic effect at the concentrations of 2.5 μg/mL and 5.0 μg/mL against the parathion. We also studied the effect of GSTT1 and GSTM1 on genotoxicity of parathion and antigenotoxic potential of curcumin and carvacrol. We did not observe any significant effect (P > 0.05) of GSTT1 and GSTM1 polymorphism on genotoxicity of parathion and antigenotoxic potential of curcumin and carvacrol.
PubMed: 25328519
DOI: 10.1155/2014/404236 -
Children (Basel, Switzerland) Nov 2021Brain tumors are the second most common neoplasm in the pediatric age. Pesticides may play an etiologic role, but literature results are conflicting. This review... (Review)
Review
Parental Pesticide Exposure and Childhood Brain Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Confirming the IARC/WHO Monographs on Some Organophosphate Insecticides and Herbicides.
BACKGROUND
Brain tumors are the second most common neoplasm in the pediatric age. Pesticides may play an etiologic role, but literature results are conflicting. This review provides a systematic overview, meta-analysis, and IARC/WHO consideration of data on parental exposure to pesticides and childhood brain tumors.
METHODS
We searched PubMed, SCOPUS, and Google Scholar for literature (1 January 1966-31 December 2020) that assessed childhood brain tumors and parental exposure to pesticides. We undertook a meta-analysis addressing prenatal exposure, exposure after birth, occupational exposure, and residential exposure. A total of 130 case-control investigations involving 43,598 individuals (18,198 cases and 25,400 controls) were included.
RESULTS
Prenatal exposure is associated with childhood brain tumors (odds ratio, OR = 1.32; 95% CI: 1.17-1.49; I = 41.1%). The same occurs after birth exposure (OR = 1.22; 95% CI: 1.03-1.45, I = 72.3%) and residential exposure to pesticides (OR = 1.31; 95% CI: 1.11-1.54, I = 67.2%). Parental occupational exposure is only marginally associated with CBT (OR = 1.17, 95% CI: 0.99-1.38, I = 67.0%).
CONCLUSIONS
There is an association between CBT and parental pesticides exposure before childbirth, after birth, and residential exposure. It is in line with the IARC Monograph evaluating the carcinogenicity of diazinon, glyphosate, malathion, parathion, and tetrachlorvinphos.
PubMed: 34943292
DOI: 10.3390/children8121096 -
Bulletin of the World Health... 1971The clinical manifestations of acute poisoning by organophosphorus compounds in man are in accord with, initially, the stimulation and, later, the blocking of... (Review)
Review
The clinical manifestations of acute poisoning by organophosphorus compounds in man are in accord with, initially, the stimulation and, later, the blocking of cholinergic transmission due to acetylcholinesterase inhibition. The manifestations involve mainly the para-sympathetic nerves, the neuromuscular junctions, and the central nerve synapses, and to a smaller degree the cholinergic sympathetic nerves. Miosis and muscle fasciculations are useful signs for diagnosis and for the control of therapy. Blood cholinesterase determination is the best diagnostic test. The cause of death is usually respiratory paralysis. Persistent manifestations have not been confirmed. Atropine and pralidoxime are effective for treatment and useful for diagnosis. Other oximes are promising but their clinical value has not been established. Poisoning by malathion is characterized by a prolonged course and by motor signs. Poisoning by organophosphorus compounds in man differs from animal experiments in several ways: in man, exposure may occur by several different routes, the manifestations are detected more easily, and therapy is given throughout the course of illness.
Topics: Acetylcholinesterase; Atropine; Chemical Phenomena; Chemistry; Child; Cholinesterase Inhibitors; Cholinesterases; Environmental Exposure; Glycosuria; Humans; Hyperglycemia; Neurologic Manifestations; Nitrophenols; Occupational Diseases; Organophosphate Poisoning; Organothiophosphorus Compounds; Oximes; Parasympatholytics; Parathion; Poisoning; Pralidoxime Compounds; Synapses
PubMed: 4941660
DOI: No ID Found -
Sensors and Actuators. B, Chemical Jun 2019In the current work we report a simple and scalable technique for synthesis of ordered nanoporous Si-ZrO composite derived from the diatom . The composite was well...
In the current work we report a simple and scalable technique for synthesis of ordered nanoporous Si-ZrO composite derived from the diatom . The composite was well characterized using SEM, TEM-EDX, FTIR, TGA, BET and DLS. The diatom-ZrO was found to have a specific surface area of 140 m/g, Si:Zr ratio of 1:4 and a particle size of 80 ± 2 nm. This composite was evaluated as an enzyme free electrochemical sensor towards the detection of methyl parathion (MP) and showed excellent sensing ability at extremely low detection limits of 54.3 pM and a linear concentration range of 3.4 nM to 64 μM. The diatom-ZrO composite was also found to be highly selective towards MP as shown by its response even in the presence of high concentrations of other interfering molecules and ions.
PubMed: 31772421
DOI: 10.1016/j.snb.2019.03.036 -
Toxicological Sciences : An Official... May 2009Although the use of organophosphate (OP) insecticides has been restricted, sufficient exposure can occur to induce detrimental neurobehavioral effects. In this study, we...
Although the use of organophosphate (OP) insecticides has been restricted, sufficient exposure can occur to induce detrimental neurobehavioral effects. In this study, we measured physical and reflex development and spatial learning and memory in rats repeatedly exposed to incremental doses of chlorpyrifos (CPS) and methyl parathion (MPS) from postnatal day (PND) 1 to PND21. Other than decreased body weight in the higher dosage groups, no effects on physical or reflex development were observed. Significant hippocampal cholinesterase inhibition was induced in all treatment groups for up to 19 days following exposure. Beginning on PND36, working and reference memory was tested using a 12-arm radial maze, with subject animals trained and tested 4 days a week for 4 weeks. In males, working memory was decreased with the medium and high dosage of MPS but only the high dosage of CPS; while in females, no deficits were observed. For reference memory, errors were significantly increased in males exposed to the high dosage of CPS and all dosages of MPS. In females, enhanced performance was observed within the medium and high dosages of CPS but not with MPS. These data show that repeated developmental exposure to OP insecticides can induce sex-selective alterations and long-lasting changes in spatial learning and memory formation when measured using a radial arm maze and that MPS and CPS induce different neurobehavioral outcomes.
Topics: Analysis of Variance; Animals; Animals, Newborn; Behavior, Animal; Body Weight; Chlorpyrifos; Cholinesterases; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Female; Hippocampus; Insecticides; Male; Maze Learning; Methyl Parathion; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley
PubMed: 19293373
DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfp053 -
Journal of Occupational and... Oct 2013Evaluate the association between thyroid disease and use of insecticides, herbicides, and fumigants/fungicides in male applicators in the Agricultural Health Study.
OBJECTIVE
Evaluate the association between thyroid disease and use of insecticides, herbicides, and fumigants/fungicides in male applicators in the Agricultural Health Study.
METHODS
We examined the association between use of 50 specific pesticides and self-reported hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and "other" thyroid disease among 22,246 male pesticide applicators.
RESULTS
There was increased odds of hypothyroidism with ever use of the herbicides 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid), 2,4,5-T (2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid), 2,4,5-TP (2,4,5-trichlorophenoxy-propionic acid), alachlor, dicamba, and petroleum oil. Hypothyroidism was also associated with ever use of eight insecticides: organochlorines chlordane, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), heptachlor, lindane, and toxaphene; organophosphates diazinon and malathion; and the carbamate carbofuran. Exposure-response analysis showed increasing odds with increasing level of exposure for the herbicides alachlor and 2,4-D and the insecticides aldrin, chlordane, DDT, lindane, and parathion.
CONCLUSION
There is an association between hypothyroidism and specific herbicides and insecticides in male applicators, similar to previous results for spouses.
Topics: Adult; Agricultural Workers' Diseases; Agriculture; Humans; Hypothyroidism; Iowa; Male; Middle Aged; North Carolina; Occupational Exposure; Pesticides; Prospective Studies; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 24064777
DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0b013e31829b290b -
G3 (Bethesda, Md.) Nov 2018Resistance to insecticides has evolved in multiple insect species, leading to increased application rates and even control failures. Understanding the genetic basis of...
Resistance to insecticides has evolved in multiple insect species, leading to increased application rates and even control failures. Understanding the genetic basis of insecticide resistance is fundamental for mitigating its impact on crop production and disease control. We performed a GWAS approach with the Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP) to identify the mutations involved in resistance to two widely used classes of insecticides: organophosphates (OPs, parathion) and pyrethroids (deltamethrin). Most variation in parathion resistance was associated with mutations in the target gene , while most variation in deltamethrin resistance was associated with mutations in , a gene encoding a detoxification enzyme never previously associated with resistance. A "nested GWAS" further revealed the contribution of other loci: and were implicated in resistance to parathion, but only in lines lacking , the paralogous gene of , and , an ATP-binding cassette transporter, were implicated in deltamethrin resistance. We observed signatures of recent selective sweeps at all of these resistance loci and confirmed that the soft sweep at is indeed driven by the identified resistance mutations. Analysis of allele frequencies in additional population samples revealed that most resistance mutations are segregating across the globe, but that frequencies can vary substantially among populations. Altogether, our data reveal that the widely used OP and pyrethroid insecticides imposed a strong selection pressure on natural insect populations. However, it remains unclear why, in , resistance evolved due to changes in the target site for OPs, but due to a detoxification enzyme for pyrethroids.
Topics: Animals; Drosophila melanogaster; Female; Genetic Variation; Genome, Insect; Genome-Wide Association Study; Insecticide Resistance; Insecticides; Male; Organophosphates; Pyrethrins; Selection, Genetic
PubMed: 30190420
DOI: 10.1534/g3.118.200537 -
Chemico-biological Interactions Nov 2016Paraoxonase-1 (PON1), an esterase/lactonase primarily associated with plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL), was the first member of this family of enzymes to be...
Paraoxonase-1 (PON1), an esterase/lactonase primarily associated with plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL), was the first member of this family of enzymes to be characterized. Its name was derived from its ability to hydrolyze paraoxon, the toxic metabolite of the insecticide parathion. Related enzymes PON2 and PON3 were named from their evolutionary relationship with PON1. Mice with each PON gene knocked out were generated at UCLA and have been key for elucidating their roles in organophosphorus (OP) metabolism, cardiovascular disease, innate immunity, obesity, and cancer. PON1 status, determined with two-substrate analyses, reveals an individual's functional Q192R genotype and activity levels. The three-dimensional structure for a chimeric PON1 has been useful for understanding the structural properties of PON1 and for engineering PON1 as a catalytic scavenger of OP compounds. All three PONs hydrolyze microbial N-acyl homoserine lactone quorum sensing factors, quenching Pseudomonas aeruginosa's pathogenesis. All three PONs modulate oxidative stress and inflammation. PON2 is localized in the mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum. PON2 has potent antioxidant properties and is found at 3- to 4-fold higher levels in females than males, providing increased protection against oxidative stress, as observed in primary cultures of neurons and astrocytes from female mice compared with male mice. The higher levels of PON2 in females may explain the lower frequency of neurological and cardiovascular diseases in females and the ability to identify males but not females with Parkinson's disease using a special PON1 status assay. Less is known about PON3; however, recent experiments with PON3 knockout mice show them to be susceptible to obesity, gallstone formation and atherosclerosis. Like PONs 1 and 2, PON3 also appears to modulate oxidative stress. It is localized in the endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria and on HDL. Both PON2 and PON3 are upregulated in cancer, favoring tumor progression through mitochondrial protection against oxidative stress and apoptosis.
Topics: Animals; Aryldialkylphosphatase; Astrocytes; Carotid Artery Diseases; Cells, Cultured; Clopidogrel; Endoplasmic Reticulum; Female; Genotype; Homocysteine; Humans; Inflammation; Lipid Metabolism; Lipoproteins, HDL; Male; Mice; Mice, Knockout; Mitochondria; Neurons; Organophosphorus Compounds; Oxidative Stress; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; Quorum Sensing; Ticlopidine
PubMed: 27238723
DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2016.05.036