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Organophosphate induced
chronic neurotoxicity: Health, environmental and risk
exposure issues in developing nations of the world
Benedict C. Gbaruko1*,
Ekeoma I. Ogwo1, Jude C. Igwe1 and
Hongtao Yu2
1Department
of Industrial Chemistry, Abia State University, P. M. B.
2000, Uturu, Nigeria.
2Department
of Chemistry, Jackson State University, MS, 39217, Jackson,
USA.
*Corresponding author.
E-mail:
bgbaruko@yahoo.com. Fax:
601-979-3674.
Tel: 601-979-6447.
Accepted
4 October, 2005 |
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Organophosphate insecticides account for about half of all
the insecticides used in the world and have found very wide
applications in agriculture and in household vector control.
Exposures of human populations to a wide variety of
organophosphates have generated profound concerns about
their neurotoxic consequences. Among these concerns are
their potential impacts on children and exposures to the
neurodegenerative diseases associated with advancing age.
This paper therefore tends to make a review of the health,
environmental and other risk exposure issues of
organophosphates especially in Africa and other developing
nations of the world where data abound to show that many
agents considered toxic and banned in many parts of the
industrialized world are still in use. This paper also makes
recommendations on the way out of this menace.
Key
words:
Pesticides, organophosphates, neurotoxicity, health,
environment, developing nations. |
