Occupational exposure to organochlorine insecticides and cancer incidence in the Agricultural Health Study

Organochlorine (OC) insecticides have been regulated as possible human carcinogens primarily on the basis of animal studies. However, the epidemiologic evidence is inconsistent. We investigated the relationship between cancer incidence and OC insecticide use among pesticide applicators enrolled in the Agricultural Health Study, a prospective cohort study of 57,311 licensed applicators in Iowa and North Carolina enrolled between 1993 and 1997. Information on ever use of 7 OC insecticides (aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, heptachlor, lindane, toxaphene) was collected from a self-administered questionnaire at enrollment. Lifetime exposure-days to OC insecticides were calculated using additional data from a take-home questionnaire completed by 25,291 participants (44% of total). We found no clear evidence of an association between use of OC insecticides and incident cancers (N = 1,150) ascertained through December, 2002. When we focused on individual insecticides and structurally similar groups (aldrin and dieldrin; chlordane and heptachlor), significantly increased relative risks of some cancers were observed for use of some chemicals (rectal cancer and chlordane, lung cancer and dieldrin, non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and lindane, melanoma and toxaphene, leukemia and chlordane/heptachlor). Some significant decreased relative risks were also observed (colon cancer and aldrin; overall cancer and heptachlor). In conclusion, we did not observe any clear relationship between cancer risk and the use of OC insecticides. Our chemical-specific findings are based on small numbers and multiple comparisons, and should be interpreted with caution; however, some observed associations (lindane and NHL, chlordane/heptachlor and leukemia) are supported by previous evidence.

Cattle poisoning by a mixture of endosulfan, dieldrin, DDT and DDE

In late July of 1994 two 11-mo-old Holstein heifers were found dead inside a barn after a break-and-entry into it by several animals. The other animals showed no signs of sickness. The predominant postmortem findings were pulmonary edema and muscular hemorrhage. Chemical analysis found endosulfan, dieldrin, DDT and DDE in the rumen contents of both animals. The owner admitted that a very old bottle of pesticide had been knocked over and consumed by these animals; the lid consisted of plastic tape. The sale of DDT to the public was discontinued in the US on January 1, 1973, and the sale of dieldrin was halted in the US in 1987. This case demonstrates that poisoning by long obsolete farm chemicals still must be considered in differential diagnoses of acute deaths.

Parkinson's disease and brain levels of organochlorine pesticides

Epidemiological studies have suggested an etiologic relationship between pesticide exposure and Parkinson's disease (PD). Organochlorine pesticides were assayed in postmortem brain samples from 20 PD, 7 Alzheimer's disease (AD), and 14 nonneurological control cases. The three groups were similar in age at death, sex, and demographic variables. Only two of 16 pesticide residues screened were detected. A long-lasting residue of DDT (pp-DDE) was found in the majority of cases of PD and AD, as well as in all the control cases; pp-DDT was significantly more likely to be found in AD controls than the PD cases (Fisher's exact two-tailed, p = 0.04). Dieldrin was detected in 6 of 20 PD brains, 1 of 7 AD, and in none of 14 control samples. Despite the relatively small number of brains assayed, the association between Dieldrin and the diagnosis of PD was highly significant (p = 0.03). Dieldrin, a lipid-soluble, long-lasting mitochondrial poison, should be investigated as a potential etiological agent of Parkinsonism.

[Acute poisoning by aldrin: relationship between serum levels and toxic effects in humans]

In the attempt to correlate clinical findings with serum levels of aldrin, sixteen patients were followed-up after acute intoxication by this agent. Eight of them, males and females, aged from 1 to 37 years, presented no or light symptoms (some discomfort and nausea). The serum of one of these patients was found to contain 16.6 ppb of aldrin and that of another, 1.41 ppb of dieldrin. A group of five patients, aged from two to 30 years, showed symptoms of moderate severity, reporting nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, dyspnea, sweating, mild jerking, rise in blood pressure and convulsions. Of these cases, two were accidental and three were attempted suicides, the majority achieving complete recovery within 24 hours. Serum levels of aldrin were between 6.98 ppb and 26.3 ppb and of dieldrin between 82.00 and 314.18 ppb. We found three severe cases, aged from 21 to 35 years, two attempted suicides and one occupational case. Two of these patients died and one of them presented hypothermia, coma, absence of reflexes and generalized convulsions, and another presented abdominal pain, paleness, sweating, cold extremities, dyspnea, hyperthermia and generalized convulsions. In the first one that died the serum levels were: of aldrin 30.00 ppb and of dieldrin 720 ppb. In the other levels of 747.3 ppb of aldrin and 1,314.00 ppb of dieldrin were found. The third had less serious symptoms and presented serum levels of aldrin of 31.05 ppb and of dieldrin 147.11 ppb.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Brain changes in a dog poisoned by the insecticide dieldrin

Focal cerebro-cortical changes, broadly classified as pale infarction, were found to coincide with convulsions in a dog poisoned by dieldrin. A primary relationship between the lesions and the mode of action of the chemical is proposed.

Dieldrin toxicity in housed merino sheep

An outbreak of nervous disease with deaths and reproductive failure was investigated in a fully housed flock of 640 super fine wool (Sharlea) Merino sheep. During the 4 months after the flock was dipped in dieldrin, 70 adult sheep died and no live lambs were produced by the ewes. The diagnosis of poisoning with dieldrin was based upon the presence of characteristic clinical signs, pathological findings and the detection of residues of dieldrin in tissues. Deficiency of vitamin A was confirmed in 2 sheep and may have contributed to the reproductive failure.

Dieldrin poisoning and botulism in Australian pelicans (Pelecanus conspicillatus)

Autopsies and laboratory examinations of material from 24 Australian pelicans found sick or dead in southern coastal Queensland in 1977 to 1979 revealed dieldrin poisoning in 8 from the Brisbane region and botulism in 8 from Brisbane, Bundaberg and Gladstone. In those diagnosed as dieldrin poisoning, brain and liver samples contained 12.1 to 27.4 and 34.0 to 48.1 mg/kg dieldrin respectively. All of these birds were emaciated, 2 had convulsed and 1 had muscle tremors. Low and probably insignificant residues of DDE were detected in many birds. Type C botulism was confirmed in 4 of the 6 birds tested with specific antiserums. A large number of parasites including mites, lice, nematodes, cestodes, trematodes, coccidia and Sarcocystis sp were found but were thought to have had only a limited effect on the health of these birds.

A case-control study of persons with elevated blood levels of dieldrin

Twenty-seven pesticide workers with elevated blood levels of dieldrin (greater than or equal to 15 ppb) were involved in a case-control study which included history and physical examination, comprehensive neurological evaluation, laboratory tests, and psychological and psychomotor testing. No clinically important differences were found on history, physical, specialized neurological tests, or laboratory examination. The exposed group showed a statistically significant difference in five out of 58 psychological (P) and psychomotor (PM) tests--at least three would be expected by chance (p less than or equal to .05). In only one of these tests was there any significant correlation with dieldrin levels. Even though the exposed group had worse scores than the control group in 47 of 58 P--PM tests, such scores were, with a few exceptions, in the normal range of values. Elevated blood levels of dieldrin encountered in this study do not appear to have any chronic deleterious effects on health, as measured by conventional medical work-up and extensive central nervous system testing.

Hazards to wintering geese and other wildlife from the use of dieldrin, chlorfenvinphos and carbophenothion as wheat seed treatments

Chemical treatments of cereal seeds are used in the United Kingdom to prevent damage by a number of pests including the wheat bulb fly, which is a serious pest of winter wheat. The persistent organochlorine dieldrin was introduced in the 1950s as a seed treatment but caused the death of large numbers of grain eating birds and gave rise to unacceptable environmental contamination. The withdrawal of dieldrin as a seed treatment was made possible by the introduction of two less persistent organophosphate insecticides, chlorfenvinphos and carbophenothion. Although the introduction of these chemicals has been beneficial in reducing environmental contamination, some side-effects on wildlife have still been discernible and carbophenothion has now been withdrawn from use in Scotland owing to the deaths of wintering geese from carbophenothion poisoning. Subsequent laboratory studies have demonstrated that Anser geese are particularly susceptible to carbophenothion poisoning, and the underlying biochemical mechanism has been investigated. The fundamental problem of species variation in toxicity among the organophosphorus and carbamate pesticides which this investigation illustrates presents difficulties for registration authorities when they are considered for clearance for agricultural use. The implications of the environmental problems encountered with dieldrin, chlorfenvinphos and carbophenothion for the pre-clearance testing of new chemicals are discussed and the critical surveillance of the early years of commercial use of a chemical is recommended to support pre-clearance studies aimed at assessing the potential hazard to the environment.

Role of the Food and Drug Administration concerning chemical contaminants in animal feeds

Chemical contamination of animal feeds and feed ingredients is of concern to the Food and Drug Administration. Contamination by industrial chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls and polybrominated biphenyls; heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and mercury; and pesticides such as dieldrin and chlordane exemplify the problem in feeds and the resulting problem of tissue residues in human foods.

Organochlorine poisoning of ring-billed gulls in southern Ontario

Clinical, necropsy, bacteriologic, parasitologic, histopathologic, toxicologic and animal inoculation studies suggest that organochlorine (PBC, dieldrin and DDE) poisoning was an important factor in causing deaths of free-flying ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) in southern Ontario in 1969 and 1973. The brains of gulls dying with clinical signs of neurologic involvement, and dead gulls with no other apparent cause of death, contained organochlorine residues of significantly greater levels than those found in healthy gulls shot for comparison.

Residues of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls and autopsy data for bald eagles, 1971-72

Thirty-seven bald eagles found sick or dead in 18 States during 1971-72 were analyzed for organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's). DDE and PCB's were detected in all bald eagle carcasses; 30 carcasses contained DDD and 28 contained dieldrin. Four eagles contained possibly lethal levels of dieldrin and nine eagles had been poisoned by thallium. Autopsies revealed that illegal shooting was the most common cause of mortality. Since 1964 when data were first collected, 8 of the 17 eagles obtained from Maryland, Virginia, South Carolina, and Florida possibly died from dieldrin poisoning; all four specimens from Maryland and Virginia were from the Chesapeake Bay Tidewater area.

Dieldrin poisoning: case report

A case of dieldrin poisoning is reported. This case exemplifies the factor of weight loss and speculates on possible treatment.

Self poisoning with dieldrin: a case report and pharmacokinetic discussion

A 21-year-old man ingested 120 mg/Kg of technical dieldrin (hexachloro-epoxy-octahydrodimethano-naphthalene), and survived after mannitol catharsis and three days of vigorous anticonvulsive treatment (which included muscle paralysis), β sympathetic blockade and conventional supportive treatment. His progress has been followed for two months with EEG recording and measurements of serum and adipose tissue dieldrin levels. These data suggest that he may have absorbed only a fraction of the ingested dose.

Impotence in farm workers using toxic chemicals

Four out of five members of a team of farmworkers who had been using various herbicides and pesticides in intensive agriculture became impotent. Sexual function recovered after further contact with the chemicals was stopped and hormone therapy had been given, though in one case this took about a year. We have not been able to incriminate one particular substance, but with the circumstantial evidence and the lack of any other obvious cause it seems likely that the impotence was due to the toxic effects of one or more of the chemicals being used.

Dieldrin poisoning in dogs: relation to obesity and treatment

Keane, William T., Zavon, Mitchell R., and Witherup, Samuel H. (1969).Brit. J. industr. Med.,26, 338-341. Dieldrin poisoning in dogs: relation to obesity and treatment. The time interval required for poisoning to result in mammals from the prolonged absorption of a relatively constant amount of dieldrin, a chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide, is directly related to obesity. This relationship should be applicable regardless of the route of absorption of dieldrin (ingestion, inhalation, or percutaneous). Forced feeding of a high calorific value food appears to have a place in the treatment of dieldrin poisoning and, by extension, in the treatment of poisoning from many other chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides.