What is Malathion?

Malathion is an organophosphate insecticide frequently used to ascendancy mosquitos and added aerial insects. Pharmaceutically, malathion is used to annihilate arch lice. The arch toxicological aftereffect of malathion is cholinesterase inhibition, due primarily to malaoxon and to phosphorus thionate impurities.

Malathion is a nonsystemic, wide-spectrum organophosphate insecticide. It inhibits acetylcholinesterase activity of a lot of eukaryotes. Malathion is baneful to amphibian organisms, but has a almost low toxicity for birds and mammals. The above metabolites of malathion are mono- and di-carboxylic acid derivatives, and malaoxon is a accessory metabolite. However, it is malaoxon that is the arch cholinesterase inhibitor. Cholinesterases activate the hydrolysis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine into choline and acerb acid, a acknowledgment all-important to acquiesce a cholinergic neuron to acknowledgment to its comatose accompaniment afterwards activation. Because of its essential function, chemicals that baffle with the activity of cholinesterase are almighty neurotoxins, causing beef spasms and ultimately death.

Malathion is hardly baneful via the articulate route, with appear articulate LD50 ethics of 1000 mg/kg to greater than 10,000 mg/kg in the rat. It is aswell hardly baneful via the skinl route, with appear skinl LD50 ethics of greater than 4000 mg/kg in rats. Moderate contagion can aftereffect in chest tightness, adversity breathing, bradycardia, tachycardia, tremor/ataxia, blurred vision, and confusion. Severe, life-threatening signs cover coma, seizures, respiratory arrest, and paralysis. Malathion may aswell be acid to the skin and eyes.