Toxaphene

Toxaphene is a chlorinated pesticide chemical that was used as an insecticide for a variety of food crops as well as for cotton crops, which was its major application. It was also used as an insecticide dip for livestock.

Although the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned its production and distribution in 1983, existing stocks of this chemical were still allowed to be used under certain conditions. While its use may not currently be widespread, residues can still be found to exist in the soil, air and water through which it contaminates the environment and the food chain.

Toxaphene can cause genetic mutations and disrupt communication between cells, which has been linked to atherosclerosis, inflammation and psoriasis as well as cancer.

Occupational exposure to toxaphene can occur for those individuals involved in the the manufacturing or application of toxaphene pesticides or in hazardous waste sites containing toxaphene residues. The general public may be at risk for exposure through the inhalation of polluted air as well as through dietary sources such as drinking water and fish from contaminated bodies of water. Surveys including those conducted by the Food and Drug Administration have detected toxaphene to be one of the most frequently occurring pesticide residues found in a host of commonly consumed domestically produced and imported foods. Research has also identified toxaphene in the breast milk of some women who have had significant exposure to this chemical.

Toxaphene has been found to adversely affect the nervous system causing overstimulation of nerves through its effects on the GABA receptors. Nervous system manifestations experienced by humans as well as animals exposed to toxaphene have included symptoms such as muscle spasms, convulsions, depression and drowsiness.

Toxaphene is classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as a probable human carcinogen (chemical capable of causing cancer) based upon research that shows its ability to cause genetic mutations as well as its relationship to an increased incidence of liver and thyroid cancers in experimental animals. It has also been found to be able to cause toxic disruption of intercellular communication, a process where chemical information is transferred from one cell to the other. Improper cellular communication has not only been linked to the development of atherosclerosis, inflammation and psoriasis but researchers also believe that poor communication between cells may be one of the causes of the excessive production of cells, a condition which eventually leads to cancer.

Occupational exposure to toxaphene can occur for those individuals involved in the manufacturing or application of toxaphene pesticides or in hazardous waste sites containing toxaphene residues.

The general public may be at risk for exposure through the inhalation of polluted air as well as through dietary sources such as drinking water and fish from contaminated bodies of water. Surveys including those conducted by the Food and Drug Administration have detected toxaphene to be one of the most frequently occurring pesticide residues found in a host of commonly consumed domestically produced and imported foods. Research has also identified toxaphene in the breast milk of some women who have had significant exposure to this chemical.

Probable human carcinogen. Banned

Toxaphene has been found to adversely affect the nervous system causing overstimulation of nerves through its effects on the GABA receptors. Nervous system manifestations experienced by humans as well as animals exposed to toxaphene have included symptoms such as muscle spasms, convulsions, depression and drowsiness.

Toxaphene is classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as a probable human carcinogen (chemical capable of causing cancer) based upon research that shows its ability to cause genetic mutations as well as its relationship to an increased incidence of liver and thyroid cancers in experimental animals. It has also been found to be able to cause toxic disruption of intercellular communication, a process where chemical information is transferred from one cell to the other. Improper cellular communication has not only been linked to the development of atherosclerosis, inflammation and psoriasis but researchers also believe that poor communication between cells may be one of the causes of the overproliferation of cells, a condition which eventually leads to cancer.