BETSY WALTER
Acute Organophosphorous Insecticide Toxicity in Developing Humanized Paraoxonase (hPON1Q192R) Transgenic Mice
Toxicology, MS
Preceptor: Lucio Costa, PharmD
Organophosphorous (OP) compounds were developed in the 1940's. Examples of OP compounds include the insecticides parathion, chlorpyrifos and diazinon, as well as soman and sarin that were developed in World War II for their potential use as nerve agents (US EPA, 2004). Today, OP pesticides account for about half of all insecticides sold in the United States. They are widely used in agriculture, with about 60 million pounds applied annually in the U.S. because they are relatively inexpensive, can be used on a variety of crops, and are effective for a broad variety of pests. Additionally, an estimated 17 million pounds of OPs are used every year for non-agricultural purposes, including, but not limited to, controlling pests on livestock and pets as well as protecting the turf on golf courses (US EPA 2004). Although OP pesticides are favored because they are nonselective, it is this same attribute that causes toxicity in non-target species, including humans and other animals.
