Anticoagulant rodenticides’ effects on human health

Year 2017, Issue: Issue 1(2) - 3. INTERNATIONAL BIOCIDAL CONGRESS, 53 - 53, 01.02.2017

Necdet Aytaç Tülin Gönültaş Muhsin Akbaba

Abstract

Anticoagulant rodenticides are the most commonly used
pesticides to control harmful rodent populations. The process of controlling
rodent populations is imperative to human health but poses challenges when the
rodenticide compounds used are also toxic to humans and domestic animals.
Anticoagulant rodenticides are classifield as 1st and 2nd generation by the
World Health Organization examples. of 1st generation anti-coagülant are
warfarin, coumachl and coumatetralyl. Anticoagulant rodenticides came into use
in the 1940s with the use of warfarin. By the late 1950s, resistance to some of
these first-generation anticoagulants had arisen. This led to a search for
alternative compounds that could continue to produce effective rodent control.
They were collectively termed the “second-generation” compounds and included
difenacoum, bromadiolone and flocoumafen 4-hydroxycoumarins, and the
indanedione derivatives chlorophacinone and diphacinone. These
second-generation rodenticides have a prolonged efficacy because of their
strong binding to target enzymes that are highly lipophilic proteins. The
mechanism of anticoagulant rodenticides' toxic effect consists in inhibition of
vitamin K1 reductase in liver microsomes, thus interrupting the cell turnover
of vitamin K1. Consequently, the liver stores of active vitamin K1 are depleted
and the synthesis of coagulation factors involved in extrinsic and intrinsic
coagulation cascade pathways stops. Most cases of anticoagulant rodenticide
exposure involve young children and, as a consequence the amounts ingested are
almost invariably small. In contrast, intentional ingestion of large quantities
of long-acting anticoagulant rodenticides may cause anticoagulation for several
weeks or months. Substantial ingestion produces epistaxis, gingival bleeding,
widespread bruising, haematomas, haematuria with flank pain, menorrhagia,
gastrointestinal bleeding, rectal bleeding and haemorrhage into any internal
organ; anaemia may result. Severe blood loss may result in hypovolaemic shock,
coma and death. The ideal rodenticide is highly toxic to rodents in small
amounts but relatively nontoxic in small quantities to non-target species.

Keywords: Anticoagulant, Health, Rodenticides

Keywords

Anticoagulant rodenticides’ effects on human health

References

• Necdet Aytaç, Tülin Gönültaş, Muhsin Akbaba Cukurova University Faculty of Medicine, Public Health Department. Adana