Symptoms
Spilling on the head, face and eyes can result in pain, lacrimation, photophobia, congestion, and edema of the conjunctiva and eyelids. Ingestion cases epigastric pain, nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, anorexia, fatigue, tightness in chest, blurred vision, paresthesia, palpitations, coarse muscular fasciculations, and disturbances of conciousness. In servere poisonings, convulsive attacks with opisthotonos and loss of conciousness have occurred. (T10)
Treatment
Following oral exposure, the treatment is symptomatic and supportive and includes monitoring for the development of hypersensitivity reactions with respiratory distress. Provide adequate airway management when needed. Gastric decontamination is usually not required unless the pyrethrin product is combined with a hydrocarbon. Following inhalation exposure, move patient to fresh air. monitor for respiratory distress. If cough or difficulty breathing develops, evaluate for respiratory tract irritation, bronchitis, or pneumonitis. Administer oxygen and assist ventilation as required. Treat bronchospasm with inhaled beta2 agonist and oral or parenteral corticosteroids. In case of eye exposure, irrigate exposed eyes with copious amounts of room temperature water for at least 15 minutes. If ir...
Lethal Dose
collection=toxvaldb&kind=^LD$
Health Effects
Pyrethroid effects typically include rapid onset of aggressive behavior and increased sensitivity to external stimuli, followed by fine tremor, prostration with coarse whole body tremor, elevated body temperature, coma, and death. Paresthesia, severe corneal damage, hypotension and tachycardia, associated with anaphylaxis, can also occur following pyrethriod poisoning. (L857)
Toxicity Summary
Both type I and type II pyrethroids exert their effect by prolonging the open phase of the sodium channel gates when a nerve cell is excited. They appear to bind to the membrane lipid phase in the immediate vicinity of the sodium channel, thus modifying the channel kinetics. This blocks the closing of the sodium gates in the nerves, and thus prolongs the return of the membrane potential to its resting state. The repetitive (sensory, motor) neuronal discharge and a prolonged negative afterpotential produces effects quite similar to those produced by DDT, leading to hyperactivity of the nervous system which can result in paralysis and/or death. Other mechanisms of action of pyrethroids include antagonism of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-mediated inhibition, modulation of nicotinic cholin...
Lethal Concentration
collection=toxvaldb&kind=^LC$
Carcinogen Classification
No indication of carcinogenicity to humans (not listed by IARC).