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Health Effects of Permethrin-Impregnated Army Battle-Dress Uniforms (1994) / Chapter Skim
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6 NEUROTOXICITY OF PERMETHRIN
Pages 67-72

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From page 67...
... The primary action of pyrethroids on the peripheral nervous system is to induce pronounced repetitive activity i.e., continuous rather than single nerve impulses (van den Bercken, 1977; van den Bercken et al., 1979~. Pyrethroids interact with a fraction of the voltage-dependent sodium channels in excitable membranes that produce a prolongation of the inward sodium current during excitation in which the channels remain open much longer than normal (see review by Vijverberg and van den Bercken, 1990~.
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From page 68...
... in their review of pyrethroid insecticides report that the systemic symptoms in humans are burning, itching, or tingling sensation of the face, epigastric pain, anoxemia, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headache, fatigue, convulsions, and coma. Nerve conduction studies and interviews of 23 laboratory technicians involved with several pyrethroids in field trials, formulation, or other laboratory work showed no evidence of nerve impairment associated with exposure to permethrin (Le Quesne et al., 1980~.
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From page 69...
... The lesions included swelling and increased vesiculation of unmyelinated nerves, hypertrophy of Schwann's cells, contraction of axoplasm and formulation of myelin whorls in residual spaces, and fragmentation of myelinated axons. S~milarly, swelling, nodal demyelination, and disintegration of the sciatic nerves were observed in rats fed permethrin at 6,000 ppm (300 mg/kg per day)
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From page 70...
... In the second study, Long-Evans rats were fed diets containing permethrin at concentrations of 0, 20, or 100 mg/kg for three successive generations, and five male and five female rats from each group were randomly selected from the third-generation parental animals. Examination of central and peripheral nerves, teased myelinated fibers of distal sural and tibial nerves, and the maxillary division of the fifth cranial nerve did not show any changes attributable to the feeding of the permethrin (Dyck et al., 1984~.
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From page 71...
... However, after exposure to permethrin at 5,000 mg/m3, retention capacity was significantly lower among nonhabituated control rats than among habituated rats. The nonhabituated control rats also showed decreases in coordination and balance and a higher incidence of conflict behavior and tremors.
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From page 72...
... MOS 200 mglkg/day 3 X 10-5 mgll~g/day ~ 6,800,000~ Therefore, neurotoxicity that could result from wearing permethrin-~mpregnated BDUs or working with treated fabric should not be a concern. RECOMMENDATIONS Animal data clearly demonstrate the neurotoxic properties of permethrin; however, human data are lacking and need to be substantiated in epidemiological or case studies.
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Key Terms

  • van den
  • control animals
  • positive control
  • fed permethrin
  • hens treated

  • five female
  • randomly selected
  • systemic symptoms
  • sciatic nerves
  • containing permethrin

  • sodium channels
  • fed diets
  • tingling sensation
  • epigastric pain
  • nonhabituated control

  • peripheral nerve
  • control rats
  • administered permethrin
  • garment workers
  • rats fed

  • peripheral nerves
  • diets containing
  • body weight
  • histopathological examination
  • five male

  • root ganglia
  • maxillary division
  • river rats
  • successive generations
  • digiscan optimal


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