Neurological Issues

Dursban Injuries

Dozens of studies have found that Dursban is toxic to humans, especially children. In one sampling of American children, more than 90 percent of the study group had chlorpyrifos present in their urine. Dursban is a nerve toxin and suspected endocrine disruptor with the potential to alter and interfere with the hormonal systems of insects, wildlife, and people.

According to data collected by the Association of Poison Control Centers, there were 2,300 pesticide-related accidents in U.S. schools between 1993 and 1996. However, researchers at the General Accounting Office believe that this might actually be an underestimate.

Exposure to Dursban from inhalation, skin contact or ingestion impacts the central nervous system, the cardiovascular system and the respiratory system. It usually produces complaints such as initial flu-like illness followed by chronic complaints of fatigue, headaches, dizziness, loss of memory, upper and lower respiratory symptoms, joint and muscle pain and gastrointestinal disturbances.

Severe poisoning will affect the central nervous system, producing lack of coordination, slurred speech, loss of reflexes, weakness, fatigue, muscle contractions, twitching, tremors of the tongue or eyelids, and eventually paralysis of the body extremities and respiratory muscles. Death may be caused by respiratory failure or cardiac arrest.

Studies of pregnant migrant workers and their children have shown that exposure to Dursban caused, among other things, low birth weights, severe and unusual birth defects (primarily to the size and circumference of infants’ heads), motor and cognitive delays, attention deficit disorder, and an increased risk of neural tube defects.

Adverse reproductive outcomes associated with Dursban exposure during pregnancy reported to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) include brain and central nervous system, eye, cardiac, ear, palate, limb, genitourinary, and muscle tone anomalies, as well as mental retardation.