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Biomedical subjects

R D Kimbrough

Publications and source records attributed to R D Kimbrough.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Human health effects of selected pesticides, chloroaniline derivatives.

The health effects of two pesticides, chlordimeform and propanil, are discussed. Chlordimeform and 2-methyl-4-chloroaniline, a major metabolite of chlordimeform, cause severe hemorrhagic cystitis in humans. In cats, however, only a mild effect on the bladder was noted. The herbicide propanil has produced chloracne in humans, and along with 3,4-dichloroaniline, hyperkeratosis in rabbits. The contaminants 3,4,3',4'-tetrachloroazobenzene and 3,4,3',4'-tetrachloroazoxybenzene are responsible for the chloracnegenic characteristics of propanil, 3,4-dichloroaniline, and methazole.

Acne Vulgaris↗

Acute dimethylnitrosamine poisoning outbreak.

In an 8-h period, five members of two kindred families suddenly became ill with nausea, vomiting, and malaise. This was followed by acute liver disease, a generalized bleeding tendency, and a low platelet count. Two of the patients died four and five days after onset of illness. It was established that dimethylnitrosamine had been intentionally added to lemonade and milk that were consumed by the victims.

Adult↗

A fatal episode of accidental methomyl poisoning.

Three fatalities from the accidental ingestion of methomyl, a carbamate pesticide, are reported. The methomyl had been stored in an unlabeled tin can and was accidentally used in preparing "roti," an Indian dish. The identification of the source of the poison through animal tests and further chemical identification is described. The lethal dose of methomyl was estimated to have been between 12 and 15 mg/kg body weight.

Accidents↗

Propanil-chloracne and methomyl toxicity in workers of a pesticide manufacturing plant.

In a survey of occupationally acquired disease in workers at a pesticide plant, we found that 11 (11%) of 102 workers had been hospitalized for illness related to chemical exposures; highest hospitalization rates occurred in packaging (27%), production (22%), and maintenance (9%) workers. Commonest causes of hospitalization were intoxication by the carbamate pesticide methomyl [1-(methylthio)ethylideneamino methyl carbamate], a reversible cholinesterase inhibitor, and methemoglobinemia following exposure to 3,4-dichloroaniline. On clinical evaluation, five (46%) of 11 packaging workers, the group with the highest exposure to methomyl, had experienced blurred vision or pupillary constriction. Seventeen (61%) of 28 production workers with exposure to dichloroaniline and propanil (3'4'-dichloropropionanilide) had chloracne, an acne-form dermatosis caused by the contaminant tetrachlorazobenzene in propanil and dichloroaniline. The chloracnegenic potentials of propanil and dichloroaniline were verified by rabbit ear tests. These findings reemphasize the hazards inherent in the the manufacture and formulation of pesticides and herbicides.

Acne Vulgaris↗

Acute hemorrhagic cystitis. Industrial exposure to the pesticide chlordimeform.

An outbreak of hematuria occurred from May 20 to May 23, 1975, among employees of a chemical packaging plant. Nine of 22 workers who packaged the insecticide chlordimeform in a separate shed became severely ill with abdominal pain, dysuria, urgency to void, or hematuria. None of 18 persons who worked in other areas of the plant were affected. Four additional workers who had packaged the chemical during the previous year had a history of similar symptoms. Bladder biopsy specimens from three affected persons showed severe hemorrhagic cystitis; chlordimeform and 2-methyl-4-chloroaniline, a metabolite of chlordimeform, were present in urine specimens collected three days after exposure. The illness lasted from one week to two months; the workers recovered completely. Chlordimeform that was injected subcutaneously into three cats produced similar, though less severe, changes in the bladders of two animals.

Acute Disease↗

Persistent liver lesions in rats after a single oral dose of polybrominated biphenyls (firemaster FF-1) and concomitant PBB tissue levels.

In a preliminary study, 12 male and 12 female weanling Sherman strain rats were given a single dose of 1000 mg polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) FireMaster FF1 Lot 7042 kg/body weight as a 5% solution in corn oil. Three male and three female weanling rats were given corn oil. One day after dosing PBB blood levels ranged from 78 to 162 ppm and 42 days later they ranged from 1.1 to 2.99 ppm. The liver was the only organ with pathological changes. In a long-term recovery study groups of 20 male and female rats, 2 months old, were given 0 or 1000 mg PBBs/kg body weight as a single dose in peanut oil. Five rats per group killed 2, 6, 10, and 14 months after dosing had pronounced liver pathology, including hepatic porphyria in the female rats and neoplastic nodules also mainly in female rats. Chemical analyses of blood, liver, and adipose tissue for PPBs 10 and 14 months after dosing gave the following mean results. Blood levels in females were 2.9 and 2.92 ppm, respectively, and males 0.94 and 1.34 ppm, respectively. Adipose tissue levels in females were 1202 and 783 ppm and in males 713 and 866 ppm, respectively. The liver levels in females were 37 and 22 ppm and in males 60 and 63 ppm, respectively.

Adipose Tissue↗

Fatal parathion poisoning caused by contamination of flour in international commerce.

In January 1976, 79 persons in Jamaica were acutely poisoned by the organophosphorus insecticide parathion. Seventeen died. Cases occurred in three episodes at separate locations, but all patients had consumed wheat flour from a single lot consisting of 5264 cotton bags. Parathion in concentrations of less than 1 to 9900 ppm was identified in flour from six bags in this lot; three had splash marks. The flour had been milled in Western Europe from European wheat, carried in trucks to a dockside warehouse, and loaded aboard ship after 2-5 days' storage. In Jamaica, the flour had moved from quayside to outbreak locations along separate routes through two import houses. Site inspections and review of shipping records suggested that the likely point of contamination was the European port, where foodstuffs and insecticides were stored in the same warehouse.

Adolescent↗

Hereditary cholinesterase deficiency: a report of a family with two rare genotypes.

Cholinesterase deficiency was detected in a young girl following an episode of postanesthesia apnea. Subsequently, plasma and serum cholinesterase levels and dibucaine numbers were determined on blood samples from 56 members of her extended family. Including the proband, three individuals were identified with severe cholinesterase deficiency and 12 were found to have mild abnormalities. The occurrence of two genetic variants regulating cholinesterase production, the "silent" gene and the atypical enzyme, is postulated to account for the unusual pattern of inheritance in this family. Screening family members of confirmed cases is essential to prevent the potentially fatal consequences of this hereditary disorder.

Adolescent↗

Toxicity and health effects of selected organotin compounds: a review.

The toxicity of selected tin compounds is reviewed. Over the years, a variety of uses has been found for organic and inorganic tin compounds, as fungicides, as stablizers in plastics, moluscicides, and miticides; they have also been suggested as insect chemosterilants and for other industrial uses. Many of these products are unpalatable when mixed into diets and have been suggested as rodent repellents. Inhaling tin as dust or fumes may cause a benign pneumoconiosis in exposed workers. The organotin compounds can be divided into alkyltin and aryltin compounds. The trimethyl and triethyltin compounds are well absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and are the most toxic in this group. Triethyltin particularly produces status spongiosus of the white matter of the central nervous system. Most of the other alkyl and aryl tin compounds are poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, and are less toxic when given orally than when given parentally. Only one compound, tricyclohexyltin hydroxide, is now registered by the Environmental Protection Agency as a miticide. This product produces skin irritation in rabbits. Studies should be conducted to determine whether it causes contact dermatitis in humans.

Animals↗

Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin: an accidental poisoning episode in horse arenas.

Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin was identified as the apparent cause of an outbreak of poisoning in humans, horses, and other animals. Exposure was related to the spraying of contaminated waste oil on riding arenas for dust control. The contamination resulted from improper disposal of a toxic industrial waste. The pathologic effects and chemical identification of tetrachlorodibenzodioxin are described.

Aged↗

Induction of liver tumor in Sherman strain female rats by polychlorinated biphenyl aroclor 1260.

Sherman strain female rats (200) were fed 100 ppm of polychlorinated biphenyl (Aroclor 1260) for apporximately 21 months, and 200 female rats were kept as controls. The rats were killed when 23 months old. Twenty-six of 184 experimental animals and 1 of 173 controls had hepatocellular carcinomas. None of the controls but 146 of 184 experimental rats had neoplastic nodules in their livers, and areas of hepatocellular alteration were noted in 28 of 173 controls and 182 of 184 experimental animals. Thus the polychlorinated biphenyl Aroclor 1260, when fed in the diet, had a hepatocarcinogenic effect in these rats. The incidence of tumors in other organs did not differ appreciably between the experimental and control groups.

Animals↗