Foremost specialists in the field of cholinesterase-inhibiting insecticides have contributed to this volume, to provide an accurate assessment of the impacts of organophosphate and carbamate pesticides on non-target organisms, especially wildlife. The increased scrutiny of pest control agents in recent years has resulted from several factors. These comprise the demands for environmental protection, the recognition of wildlife as a valuable and diminishing resource, and the realization that few wild habitats exist that pest control programs do not directly target or indirectly affect. In that context, the book brings together the scattered literature on the effects of anticholinesterase pesticides on wildlife and other non-target species. The literature has long been dominated by research emanating from the drug industry and the military. The therapeutic aspects of cholinergically-active substances and their potential as chemical warfare agents has directed research in the field. Thus the measurement of cholinesterase activity as a biomarker to assess the impact on wildlife species is a relatively recent phenomenon.

People are increasingly concerned about potential environmental health hazards and often ask their physicians questions such as: "Is the tap water safe to drink?" "Is it safe to live near power lines?" Unfortunately, physicians often lack the information and training related to environmental health risks needed to answer such questions. This book discusses six competency based learning objectives for all medical school students, discusses the relevance of environmental health to specific courses and clerkships, and demonstrates how to integrate environmental health into the curriculum through published case studies, some of which are included in one of the book's three appendices. Also included is a guide on where to obtain additional information for treatment, referral, and follow-up for diseases with possible environmental and/or occupational origins.

Insecticides: Action and Metabolism provides a comprehensive review of the action of insecticides and a survey of their metabolism. This book discusses the toxicology of insecticides. Organized into 17 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the mechanisms whereby toxicants exert their effects. This text then discusses the insecticidal action of organophosphates, which is described as the toxic organic compounds containing phosphorus. Other chapters consider the mode of action of organophosphates by inhibiting cholinesterase with consequent disruption of nervous activity caused by accumulation of acetylcholine at nerve endings. This book discusses as well the erratic patterns of selective toxicity to insects of the carbamates. The final chapter deals with the real hazard to human health as well as the effects upon wild life of insecticides and chlorinated pesticides. This book is a valuable resource for organic and agricultural chemists, as well as biologists, agriculturists, neurophysiologists, environmental scientists, and research workers.

This book offers an important reference source about the most common classes of pesticides for researchers engaged in the area of neurotoxicology, metabolism, and epidemiology. The book presents details about thorough characterization of target and non-target enzymes and proteins involved in toxicity and metabolism; and epidemiology of poisonings and fatalities in people from short- and long- term exposures to these pesticides in different occupational settings on an individual country basis as well as on a global basis. The early portion of the book deals with metabolism, mechanisms and biomonitoring of anticholinesterase pesticides, while the later part deals with epidemiological studies, regulatory issues, and therapeutic intervention.