1.1 What is chlorfenvinphos? |
1.2 What happens to chlorfenvinphos when
it enters the environment? |
1.3 How might I be exposed to chlorfenvinphos? |
1.4 How can chlorfenvinphos enter and
leave my body? |
1.5 How can chlorfenvinphos affect my
health? |
1.6 Is there a medical test to determine
whether I have been exposed to chlorfenvinphos? |
1.7 What recommendations has the federal
government made to protect human health? |
1.8 Where can I get more information? |
References |
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September 1997 |
Public Health Statement |
for |
Chlorfenvinphos |
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This Public Health Statement is the
summary chapter from the Toxicological
Profile for chlorfenvinphos. It is one in a series of
Public Health Statements about hazardous substances and their
health effects. A shorter version, the ToxFAQs™,
is also available. This information is important because this
substance may harm you. The effects of exposure to any hazardous
substance depend on the dose, the duration, how you are exposed,
personal traits and habits, and whether other chemicals are
present. For more information, call the ATSDR Information
Center at 1-888-422-8737.
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This public health statement tells you
about chlorfenvinphos and the effects of exposure.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
identifies the most serious hazardous waste sites in the nation.
These sites make up the National Priorities List (NPL) and
are the sites targeted for long-term federal clean-up activities.
Chlorfenvinphos has been found in at least 1 of the 1,428
current or former NPL sites. However, it's unknown how
many NPL sites have been evaluated for this substance.
As more sites are evaluated, the sites with chlorfenvinphos
may increase. This is important because exposure to
this substance may harm you and because these sites may be
sources of exposure.
When a substance is released from a large
area, such as an industrial plant, or from a container, such
as a drum or bottle, it enters the environment. This
release does not always lead to exposure. You are exposed
to a substance only when you come in contact with it by breathing,
eating, or drinking the substance or by skin contact.
If you are exposed to chlorfenvinphos,
many factors determine whether you'll be harmed. These
factors include the dose (how much), the duration (how long),
and how you come in contact with it. You must also consider
the other chemicals you're exposed to and your age, sex, diet,
family traits, lifestyle, and state of health.
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1.1
What is chlorfenvinphos? |
Chlorfenvinphos is the common name of
an organophosphorus insecticide used to control insect pests
on livestock. It was also used to control household
pests such as flies, fleas, and mites. This chemical
is synthetic and does not occur naturally in the environment.
Chlorfenvinphos was sold under common trade names including
Birlane®, Dermaton®, Sapercon®, Steladone®,
and Supona®.
The pure chemical (100% chlorfenvinphos)
is a colorless liquid with a mild odor. Commercial preparations
commonly used in insecticides sold in stores were usually
90% chlorfenvinphos. Most of chlorfenvinphos was used
in liquid form. The substance easily mixes with acetone,
ethanol, and propylene glycol. It is slowly broken down
by water and is corrosive to metal.
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1.2
What happens to chlorfenvinphos when it enters the environment? |
Chlorfenvinphos enters the environment
from runoff after rainfall and leaching from hazardous waste
sites. After it has leached, it may be present in the
soil and underground water (wells). It may be present
in surface water (rivers and ponds) after it has run off the
land. From soil, it may also be washed into surface
waters by rain. It may also move from soil to the air
by evaporation or by being absorbed by plants. No information
is available now to show that it can be found in fish or other
freshwater animals, or in seafood, or in plants that are eaten
by people.
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1.3
How might I be exposed to chlorfenvinphos? |
Most cases of unintentional chlorfenvinphos
poisoning have resulted from short exposures to very high
concentrations of this substance. Usually this occurred
when people unintentionally swallowed it. Workers involved
in pesticide application, or dairy farming, cattle or sheep
holding, or poultry production, may have inhaled, swallowed,
or contaminated their skin with a large amount of the substance
if they did not properly protect themselves when using it.
The most common way for people to be exposed to chlorfenvinphos
is by eating imported agricultural products contaminated with
it and by using pharmaceutical products that contain lanolin.
Lanolin is a natural grease from sheep's wool wax that is
used as a base for many medications, cosmetic skin lotions,
and creams that are rubbed on the skin to keep the skin from
drying. Chlorfenvinphos used to control flies in animal
buildings and holding pens can contaminate sheep's wool.
If you live in areas surrounding hazardous waste disposal
sites or treatment facilities for chlorfenvinphos, you could
be exposed to it by contact with soils, runoff water, surface
water, or groundwater contaminated by spills or leaks on the
site or facility. People who work in the disposal of
chlorfenvinphos or its wastes are more likely to be exposed.
You are most likely to be exposed to chlorfenvinphos if you
live near chemical plants where it was manufactured, or near
dairy or poultry farms, or cattle or sheep holding areas where
it was used; or if you live near hazardous waste sites that
contain it.
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1.4
How can chlorfenvinphos enter and leave my body? |
If you breathe air containing chlorfenvinphos,
you may absorb it into your body through your lungs.
If you eat food or drink water containing this substance,
it may be absorbed from your stomach and intestines.
Chlorfenvinphos may also enter your body through your skin.
Once in the body, it is rapidly broken down and eliminated
from the body, mostly when you urinate. It does not
build up in your tissues.
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1.5
How can chlorfenvinphos affect my health? |
To protect the public from the harmful
effects of toxic chemicals and to find ways to treat people
who have been harmed, scientists use many tests. One
way to see if a chemical will hurt people is to learn how
the chemical is absorbed, used, and released by the body;
for some chemicals, animal testing may be necessary.
Animal testing may also be used to identify health effects
such as cancer or birth defects. Without laboratory
animals, scientists would lose a basic method to get information
needed to make wise decisions to protect public health.
Scientists have the responsibility to treat research animals
with care and compassion. Laws today protect the welfare
of research animals and scientists must comply with strict
animal care guidelines.
Chlorfenvinphos affects the nervous system.
In animals and people, high doses of the substance produce
effects on the nervous system similar to those produced by
high doses of muscarine and pure nicotine. Some mild
symptoms of exposure are headache, dizziness, weakness, feelings
of anxiety, confusion, runny nose, constriction of the pupils
of the eye, and inability to see clearly. More severe
symptoms may include nausea and vomiting, abdominal cramps,
slow pulse, diarrhea, pinpoint pupils, difficulty in breathing,
and passing out (fainting). These signs and symptoms
may start to develop within 30–60 minutes and reach their
maximum effect after 6–8 hours. Very high exposure to
chlorfenvinphos has killed people who swallowed it by accident
or who swallowed large amounts of the substance to commit
suicide. We do not know if people who swallow small
quantities of chlorfenvinphos over long periods of time will
have permanent damage to their immune systems. In almost
all cases, complete recovery occurred when exposure stopped.
There is no evidence that long-term exposure to small amounts
of the chlorfenvinphos causes any other harmful health effects
in people. The substance has not been shown to cause
birth defects or to prevent conception in people. The
International Agency for Research on Cancer, the Environmental
Protection Agency, and the National Toxicology Program have
not yet studied chlorfenvinphos for cancer in people and animals.
In animal studies, high doses of chlorfenvinphos produced
effects on the nervous system similar to those seen in people.
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1.6
Is there a medical test to determine whether I have been exposed
to chlorfenvinphos? |
Most of the signs and symptoms resulting
from chlorfenvinphos poisoning are due to the inhibition of
an enzyme called "acetylcholinesterase" in the nervous system.
This enzyme is also found in your red blood cells and a similar
enzyme (pseudocholinesterase) is found in blood plasma.
The most common test for exposure to many pesticides (including
chlorfenvinphos) that contain the element phosphorus is to
determine the level of cholinesterase activity in the red
blood cells or plasma. This test requires only a small
amount of blood and can be done in your doctor's office.
It takes weeks for this enzyme to completely recover to normal
levels following exposure; therefore, a valid test may be
conducted a number of days following the suspected exposure.
This test indicates only exposure to a chemical substance
of this type. It does not specifically show exposure
to chlorfenvinphos. Other chemicals or disease conditions
may also alter the activity of this enzyme. There is
a wide range of normal cholinesterase activity among individual
people in the general population. If your normal or
baseline value has not been established through a previous
test, you might have to repeat the test several times to determine
if your enzyme activity is recovering.
Specific tests are available to identify
chlorfenvinphos or its break-down products in your blood,
body tissue, and urine. These tests are not usually
available through your doctor's office and require special
equipment and sample handling. If you need the specific
test, your doctor can collect the sample and send it to a
special laboratory for analysis. Chlorfenvinphos is
rapidly broken down to other chemicals and removed from the
body (in urine), so this test must be done in the first few
days after exposure to make sure that you have really breathed,
swallowed, or got chlorfenvinphos on your skin.
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1.7
What recommendations has the federal government made to protect
human health? |
The federal government develops regulations
and recommendations to protect public health. Regulations
can be enforced by law. Federal agencies that
develop regulations for toxic substances include the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA), and the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA). Recommendations provide valuable guidelines to
protect public health but cannot be enforced by law.
Federal organizations that develop recommendations for toxic
substances include the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry (ATSDR) and the National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH).
Regulations and recommendations can be
expressed in not-to-exceed levels in air, water, soil, or
food that are usually based on levels that affect animals,
then they are adjusted to help protect people. Sometimes
these not-to-exceed levels differ among federal organizations
because of different exposure times (an 8-hour workday or
a 24-hour day), the use of different animal studies, or other
reasons.
Recommendations and regulations are also
periodically updated as more information becomes available.
For the most current information, check with the federal agency
or organization that provides it.
The federal government has set standards
or guidelines to protect people from the possible harmful
health effects of chlorfenvinphos. These include regulated
concentration limits for agricultural products, public right-to-know
requirements about production and use of chlorfenvinphos,
and regulated quantities requiring emergency response procedures
if an accidental release occurred.
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1.8 Where can I get more information? |
If you have any more questions or concerns, please contact
your community or state health or environmental quality department or:
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Division of Toxicology
1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop F-32
Atlanta, GA 30333
Information line and technical assistance:
Phone: 888-422-8737
FAX: (770)-488-4178
ATSDR can also tell you the location of occupational and environmental health
clinics. These clinics specialize in recognizing, evaluating, and treating illnesses
resulting from exposure to hazardous substances.
To order toxicological profiles, contact:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
Phone: 800-553-6847 or 703-605-6000
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References |
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry (ATSDR). 1997. Toxicological
profile for chlorfenvinphos. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service.
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