You are here:
DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROTOXICITY OF PYRETHROID INSECTICIDES: CRITICAL REVIEW.
Citation:
Shafer, T J., D. A. Meyer, AND K M. Crofton. DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROTOXICITY OF PYRETHROID INSECTICIDES: CRITICAL REVIEW. Presented at Society of Toxicology, Baltimore, MD, March 21-25, 2004.
Description:
Pyrethroids are widely utilized insecticides whose primary action is the disruption of voltage-sensitive sodium channels (VSSC). Although these compounds have been in use for over 30 years and their acute neurotoxicity has been well characterized, there is considerably less information available regarding the potential developmental neurotoxicity of this class of compounds. The current effort reviewed results of 22 studies on the developmental neurotoxicity of pyrethroids. Nineteen of the studies were from peer-reviewed journals. These studies included developmental neurotoxicity studies of 7 different type I and II pyrethroid compounds, with deltamethrin and allethrin being the most studied compounds. . Although numerous endpoints were examined, changes in motor activity as well as muscarinic acetylcholine receptor levels were among the most common endpoints examined and were reported to be altered by developmental exposure to pyrethroids in several studies. Review of all of these studies indicate that many of the developmental neurotoxicity studies contained inadequacies in study design and/or statistical analysis. In addition, several studies utilized formulated products and/or inadequate controls limited interpretation of these studies. In conclusion, no definitive statements regarding the potential developmental neurotoxicity of pyrethroid insecticides can be made on the basis of currently available scientific data.. (This is an abstract of a proposed presentation and does not reflect EPA policy)