A survey of warning colours of pesticides
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TECHNICAL REPORT
A survey of warning colours of pesticides Annette Thierauf • Wolfgang Weinmann • Volker Auwa¨rter • Benedikt Vennemann • Michael Bohnert
Accepted: 28 April 2010 / Published online: 14 May 2010 Ó Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010
Abstract Pesticides are used to protect plants all over the world. Their increasing specificity has been due to utilization of differences in biochemical processes, and has been accompanied by lower human toxicity. Nevertheless cases of poisoning are still observed. While certain toxic substances are provided with characteristic dyes or pigments to facilitate easy identification, no overview of pesticide colors exists. The lack of available product information prompted us to explore the colors and dyes of pesticides registered in Germany, most of which are commercially available worldwide. A compilation of the colors and odors of 207 pesticide products is presented. While some of the substances can be identified by their physical characteristics, in other cases, the range of possibilities can be narrowed by their nature and color. Keywords Forensic science Pesticides Warning colors Dyes Odor Poisoning
Introduction Pesticides are used all over the world, in large agricultural centers as well as in private households. They are easily available and procurable. Plant protecting products are defined by the US Environmental Protection Agency as agents that protect plants and plant products against animals, plants and micro-organisms (http://www.epa.gov/
A. Thierauf (&) W. Weinmann V. Auwa¨rter B. Vennemann M. Bohnert Institute of Forensic Medicine, Freiburg University Medical Centre, Albertstrasse 9, 79104 Freiburg, Germany e-mail: [email protected]
pesticides). In a broader sense, substances that kill plants, regulate growth or inhibit germination are also counted among plant protecting agents. The risk of human toxicity and the resulting forensic interest in these substances is especially related to agents used against animals. Agents used against other pests make use of the differences in metabolic pathways between humans and non-mammals resulting in a lower human toxicity [1]. Schmoldt divided insecticides into three groups: halogenated hydrocarbons, pyrethroids and inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase [2]. The former have been prohibited to a large extent and play only a minor role at the present time. The most known substance in this group is DDT (Dichlorodiphenyl-trichloroethane). The pyrethroids decelerate the closing of voltage-gated sodium channels of the nervous system of insects and are highly selective for this class [3]. In humans, toxic effects are seen only after intravenous injection and long-lasting and intensive inhalation [4]. There are mainly two classes of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors: organophosphates and carbamates. Whereas inhibition by organophosphates is of an irreversible nature, carbamates cause a reversible enzyme inhibition [2]. Due to their lipophilic character the inhibitors are well absorbed ent
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