Carbaryl
Evaluates over 700 studies in an effort to determine the risks to human health and the environment posed by carbaryl. This broad spectrum contact and ingestion insecticide has been widely used for over 30 years to control various insect pests on food and fibre crops, trees, and ornamentals. Carbaryl...
| Institution: | ETUI-European Trade Union Institute |
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| Format: | TEXT |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Geneva
1994
WHO |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.labourline.org/KENTIKA-19205812124910230949-Carbaryl.htm |
| Summary: | Evaluates over 700 studies in an effort to determine the risks to human health and the environment posed by carbaryl. This broad spectrum contact and ingestion insecticide has been widely used for over 30 years to control various insect pests on food and fibre crops, trees, and ornamentals. Carbaryl is used to control flies, mosquitos, ticks, and lice in cattle, poultry, and pets, and to treat body louse infestation in humans. The compound is currently processed by more than 290 formulators into over 1,500 different registered products.
Abundant data support the conclusion that carbaryl is rapidly degraded, does not persist in the environment, does not readily leach into ground water, and should not cause harmful short-term effects on the ecosystem. Carbaryl has low acute toxicity for birds, but very high toxicity for honey-bees and earthworms, supporting the conclusion that carbaryl should not be applied to crops during flowering.
The most extensive section reviews the large number of experiments designed to assess the toxic effects of carbaryl and elucidate its mechanisms of action. These studies, supported by limited human data, confirm that carbaryl poses no risk of inducing genetic changes in human tissues, that toxic effects are consistent with the signs and symptoms of cholinesterase inhibition, and that signs of intoxication develop quickly, appear well before a dangerous dose is absorbed, and disappear rapidly when exposure ends. Tthe book concludes that, under normal conditions of use, carbaryl poses a low risk to the environment and to the health of the general population. Levels detected in food and drinking-water are far below the acceptable daily intake and thus unlikely to endanger health. When reasonable safety precautions and measures for personal protection are enforced, occupational exposure to carbaryl during manufacture, formulation and application will not create health hazards for workers. |
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| Physical Description: | 358 p. Paper |