Abstract |
A study was made concerning the mode of action, excretion, metabolism, and behavioral effects of toxaphene and combinations of toxaphene, methyl parathion, and/or chlordimeform in various insects, the mouse and rat. Toxaphene (1) altered ionic movements within the central nervous system of the cockroach, Periplaneta americana, (2) increased levels of cAMP and cGMP in tissues of the cockroach, Leucophaea maderae, and the mouse, and (3) inhibited ATPase enzymes in tissues of P. americana and the mouse. Rat pups perinatally exposed to sublethal doses of toxaphene and methyl parathion showed few significant changes in motor skills, behavior, or learning ability. Postnatal exposure to toxaphene did lead to an impairment of learning ability in adult rats as measured by a simple T-maze. Combining chlordimeform and methyl parathion with 36Cl recovered in feces and the amount deposited in tissues of orally-dosed mice. Combining toxaphene with methyl parathion did not potentiate the toxicity of methyl parathion under laboratory conditions to various hemipteran predators and lepidopterous pests. |