Malathion 57% EC

Malathion 57% EC

Malathion is also known as carbophos, maldison and mercaptothion. Trade names for products containing malathion include Celthion, Cythion, Dielathion, El 4049, Emmaton, Exathios, Fyfanon and Hilthion, Karbofos and Maltox.

• What is Malathion?
  Malathion is an Insecticide in the chemical family known as organophosphates. Products containing Malathion are used outdoors to control a wide variety of insects in agricultural settings and around people’s homes. Malathion has also been used in public health mosquito control and fruit fly eradication programs. Malathion may also be found in some special shampoos for treating lice.
  
  Uses:
  Malathion is a broad-spectrum Insecticide used to control a variety of outdoor insects in both agricultural and residential settings. Malathion is registered for use on food, feed, and ornamental crops and in mosquito, boll weevil and fruit fly eradication programs. Uses for individual Malathion products vary widely. Always read and follow the label when applying pesticide products.

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  How does Malathion work?
  Malathion kills insects by preventing their nervous system from working properly. When healthy nerves send signals to each other, a special chemical messenger travels from one nerve to another to continue the message. The nerve signal stops when an enzyme is released into the space between the nerves. Malathion binds to the enzyme and prevents the nerve signal from stopping. This causes the nerves to signal each other without stopping. The constant nerve signals make it so the insects can’t move or breathe normally and they die.
  People, pets and other animals can be affected the same way as insects if they are exposed to enough Malathion. About the same amount of Malathion will be taken into the body whether you breathe it in or you swallow it. Malathion is also readily taken into the body through skin, though the amount absorbed will depend on where the exposure occurs on the body. Malathion can become more toxic if it has been sitting for a long time, especially in a hot place.
  
  Mode of Action:
  Target Organisms
  • Malathion is toxic via skin contact, ingestion, and inhalation exposure.
  • Malathion and other organophosphate Insecticides bind to the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) at nerve endings throughout the bodies of insects and other organisms. Under normal circumstances, AChE binds to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) at the nerve junction, effectively ending the stimulation of the next neuron. When AChE is bound by Malathion’s metabolite malaoxon, ACh accumulates at the nerve junction and results in overstimulation of the nervous system.
  • Bioactivation of Malathion is necessary for it to exert its toxic effect. Bioactivation is primarily mediated by cytochrome P450 enzymes in the liver, which create the active metabolite malaoxon through oxidative sulfuration.
  • Malaoxon is considered to be 22 times more toxic than the parent Malathion from acute dietary exposure and 33 times more toxic by all routes of exposure from short-term and medium-term exposures.
  • The organophosphate pesticides, including Malathion, share a common mode of action. Exposure to multiple organophosphates can lead to additive toxicity. However, the different organophosphates vary widely in their potency and how well they are absorbed by the body depending on the route of exposure.
  • Storage of Malathion products for a long period of time may allow the accumulation of degradation products that inhibit the liver enzymes responsible for Malathion detoxification. Heating Malathion may also lead to the formation of isoMalathion, which is a potent AChE inhibitor. See the section on Metabolism for more information.
  
  Non-target Organisms
  • Acetylcholinesterase is found in mammals, amphibians, fish, reptiles, and birds. In these organisms, the binding of AChE with Malathion allows the accumulation of ACh at the nerve junction. This accumulation of ACh leads to overstimulation of glandular cells, autonomic ganglia, the central nervous system, and both smooth and skeletal muscles.
  • Uptake and metabolism of organophosphates such as Malathion are similar in insects and mammals.
  • Mammals and birds have greater carboxylesterase activity relative to levels in insects. This enables birds and mammals to degrade Malathion more quickly than it is oxidized to the malaoxon form. Higher vertebrates therefore detoxify and excrete Malathion more readily than do insects. This accounts for the relatively low toxicity of Malathion to mammals and birds.
  • Greater carboxylesterase production with consequent increased detoxification of Malathion appears to be the underlying mechanism in resistant insect pests.
  • Microorganisms such as bacteria may use Malathion as a source of carbon and phosphorus.
  • Plants metabolize Malathion to malaoxon although this appears to be a minor pathway, and maloaxon is rapidly eliminated. Malathion is not expected to be toxic to plants or aquatic algae because its mode of action targets nervous systems.