vapona

Neil Jones Neil at nwjones.demon.co.uk
Sat Oct 31 07:39:13 EST 1998


In article <36286601.AB0 at concentric.net>
           paulcher at CONCENTRIC.NET "Paul Cherubini" writes:

> Fulvio wrote:
> 
> > IARC : Group 3, not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans
> 
> Thanks for pointing out that fairly recently Vapona was (due to the
> results of new long term animal chronic toxicity studies)  DOWNGRADED by
> the EPA from  a Group 2 "possible human carcinogen" to a Group 3 "not
> classifiable as to it carcinogenicity to humans".  In other words,Vapona
> has not been found to reliably induce cancer in modern animal studies. 
> 
> > SYMPTOM : Miosis, aching eyes; rhinorrhea; headaches; tight chest,
> > wheezing,laryngeal spasms; salivation; cyanosis; anorexia, nausea,
> > vomiting,diarrhea; sweating; muscle fasciculation, paralysis,
> > giddiness, ataxia;convulsions;
> > low blood pressure; cardiac irregularities; skin, eyeirritation
> > HEALTH EFFECTS : Cholinesterase inhibition 
> > LD50 (oral,rat)
> > 56-80 mg/kg
> 
> This LD 50 of 56-80 mg/kg is based on the 96% LIQUID MANUFACTURING
> CONCENTRATE that chemical formulating companies use to make the much
> more diluted consumer end use preparations like the 20% Vapona solid
> resin strips, the 05% liquid sprays used in dairies and on horses and
> the 5% liquid sprays used (in automatic fogging systems) to fog food
> processing plants.  If you measured the LD50 of a .05% end use spray it
> would be well over 1000 mg/kg --more like the ingestion toxicity of
> table salt.
> 
> Paul Cherubini, El Dorado, California

Concentrating on the amount that it would take to kill misses one important
point. Under health effects is listed Cholinesterase inhibition. This is
interesting as it indicates that there are effects on brain function.
The effects will of course differ from person to person and are difficult
to measure. Everybody's levels of brain chemicals differs and their
reponse to drugs that affect these varies widely. For example 1%
of the population may become manic when treated with Prozac
(an antidepressant).
One possible effect of cholinesterase inhibition is depression.
Of course happiness or the lack of it is a very difficult thing to measure.
Consequently it would be difficult to establish if anyone subjected to
lowish doses of Vapona were affected. 
It may well at these concentrations require a lot to kill someone but,
using the table salt analogy, it may well require a lot less to show
physiological changes, as anyone who has eaten salty food will know. 

It all comes down to a matter of individual choice. As for myself
I prefer not to come into contact with chemicals which might make me depressed.

-- 
Neil Jones- Neil at nwjones.demon.co.uk http://www.nwjones.demon.co.uk/
"At some point I had to stand up and be counted. Who speaks for the
butterflies?" Andrew Lees - The quotation on his memorial at Crymlyn Bog
National Nature Reserve


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