ABSTRACT
Insecticides are responsible for the production of acute dermal and respiratory inflammation. This chapter outlines the physical characteristics and relative rodent toxicity of a variety of organophosphates (OP) insecticides. Tetraethyl pyrophosphate is one of the more potent OP insecticides with the prototype structural features of the OP molecules. The OP insecticides were originally developed as nerve gases for use as possible chemical warfare agents during World War II. Organochlorine (OC) insecticides are low–molecular weight, fat-soluble compounds with greater selectivity for lipid storage in insects. OC compounds have applications as insecticides in agriculture and as industrial and commercial pesticides, especially in mosquito abatement and red fire ant control. Nicotine is a pyridine alkaloid obtained from the cured and dried leaves of the tobacco plant, Nicotiana sp. Nicotine produces characteristic bradycardia or tachycardia. Nicotine’s action on the central nervous system results in stimulation followed by predominance of parasympathetic overtone—salivation, lacrimation, urination, defecation, and vomiting.
