Methiocarb Poisoning and Drugs Used to Counter the Effects of the Methiocarb - Assignment Example

Methiocarb Poisoning Name Institution CASE STUDY: Jimmy is an inquisitive 4 years old. Once day, he is rummaging around in the garage and he finds a box of what seem to be small blue sweets. ! They don’t taste much like sweets, but he eats a handful before he gives up and walks out into the garden, where he falls several times, before he convulses and collapses. ! His father, who was working in the garden goes to his aid but he can’t talk properly. His eyes are filled with tears, his breathing is laboured and he is having muscle spasms. !Taking him to the car, his father notices the box in the garage. He grabs it and reads the label. “Snail pellets – contains Methiocarb” ! He reaches the emergency department of his local hospital and Jimmy is admitted to the unit. Question 31: Look up the chemical compound that is methiocarb and describe briefly its chemistry and its pharmacology. Methiocarb is a carbonate chemical that is derived from thiocarbanic acid/dithiocarbamic and carbamic acid. It is used as acaricide, insecticide and molluscicide to control snail’s slugs, insects and spider mites on building foundations, turfs and lawns. As a carbonate chemical, methiocarb inhibits acetylcholinesterase activities culminating to cholinergic stimulation. This makes the chemical toxic for human and animal consumptions. It is intended to kill insects and rodents that are harmful to human beings. The insects and rodents include those that harm man directly and those that affect human lives indirect such as destroying food products, textile fabrics and crops. Question 32: .What effects does Methiocarb have on the mammalian body? What other signs/ Symptoms would Jimmy display? Can this chemical cause death? Why? Methiocarb effects on human being depend on amount of intake to the affected mammal. In large quantities, the chemical has devastating effects on the mammalian body while in small amount it has less serious effects. In large quantities, methiocarb inhibits the mammalian body production of cholinesterase. Cholinesterase is an enzyme that is highly involved in transmission of nerve impulses in mammals. A study was done in the year 2011 to determine the effect of the methiocarb on the rabbits, rats and beagle dogs. The results of these experiments revealed more about the effect of the chemical on various mammals. In the dog study, it was found that the tremor occurred when a high dose of the methiocarb was administrated. In addition, the hind limbs of the dog become very weak. In the rat study, the methiocarb did not have any mutagenicity potential and was not carcinogenic. Though there were differences in the way the three mammals were affected, the common thing is that the intake of the chemical caused inhibition of red blood cells and plasma cholinesterase, but not brain cholinesterase. Exposure to very large quantities of methiocarb can cause death to the affected mammal. From the case study, some of the symptoms of the methiocarb poisoning evident to Jimmy include breathing problems, tearing eyes and muscle spasms. Apart from these, other symptoms that Jimmy would display include abdominal pain, vomiting, confusion, coma, runny nose and slowed heart rate. He could also have other symptoms such as speaking difficulty, breathing paralysis, asthenia and blurred vision. Furthermore, breathing difficulties, unconsciousness, weakness and respiratory depression are also common among the affected individuals and could have also been observed in Jimmy after taking the pellets. Though methiocarb poisoning is rare, there are some incidences it has resulted to death of human beings. In 2009, a woman in German was suspected having committed suicide by taking the methiocarb. A post-mortem result indicated that it was true that the woman was killed by the methiocarb she had taken. Therefore, methiocarb poisoning can result to human death if the necessary measures are not take to reduce the effect of the chemical after someone consumer the chemical. The chemical causes muscle contractions of twitches which increase body temperature so high that brain it can result to brain damage. Brain damage results to coma or death. However, death occurs when the amount of the methiocarb consumer is in large quantities. Question 33: The medical team administers two drugs. They explain one is to counter the pellets He has ingested, and the other is to relax his muscles. What is the likely identity of these drugs, and how do they work to benefit Jimmy? The drug used to counter the effects of the methiocarb is referred to as atropine while the one to produce muscle relaxation is referred to as the methocarbamol. These drugs would have a number of benefits to Jimmy. Atropine drug is a decontamination drug and, therefore, will help to reduce the neurological manifestation of the disease. It would stop vomiting, ease breathing, reduce the abdominal pain, enhance vision and increase the heart rate. In addition, the drug would reduce other advanced effects that results from the chemical. On the other hand, methocarbarnol drug is very necessary in order to produce muscle relaxation. Studies have shown that, methiocarb causes death by increasing muscle contraction which affects the brain and result to death. Therefore, by administering the methocarbanol, Jimmy muscle would relax hence preventing farther damage as a result of muscle contraction. It would have also reduced instances of coma that are also associated with muscle contractions. Question 34: .How does Methiocarb work for the purpose it was intended? Is it always 100% effective? Discuss. Methiocarb is a toxin that is used for different purposes. It is used to kill rodents, insects, snails and is currently used as a bird repellent. As an insecticide, the chemical is very effective in killing insects and has a low dose that is lethal for these small animals only. The dose is relatively high when is used as molluscicide. A research done on the molluscicide mythiocarb indicated that the chemical is very effective as topical applicants. For instance, the LD99, 99 is approximately 1400 µg per snail and LD50 is roughly 414 µg per snail. This is by far the most effective insecticide compared to the methomyl which is 90 µg per snail. Therefore, the chemical is very effective in protection of snails and other insects. The case is not true when the chemical is used as bird repellant. A research study was done in the year 2013 where the chemical was used as an avian repellent to protect some vegetables. The chemical was sprayed on the vegetables and was to keep of the birds. It was found that the birds still damaged the vegetables even after application of the methiocarb. The birds peeled the vegetables such as the fruits and ate the inside parts. Since the chemical does not penetrate to the inside of the fruits, the birds were exposed to the chemical. Most of the birds were not affected by the chemical as they were exposed to less quantities of the methiocarb. Yet, another research argued that when a bird eats a certain vegetable type that is sprayed by methiocarb, the next time, the bird would avoid the vegetable type and go for another type. This research supported the argument that the chemical has a high efficiency as a bird repellent. Conclusively, methiocarb is arguable effective as a bird repellant but not a hundred percent effective. The use of Methiocarb as a rodenticide has been proved to be less effective. In order to determine the level of efficiency, a snail pellet of methiocarb were spread across a piece of land. The result indicated that only 23 percent of the initial rodent population was killed. The population of the rodents did not seem to reduce and this is attributed to reinvasion of the land by the rodents from the neighboring land. It was further realized that rodents develops aversion for the chemical which reduces the effectiveness of the rodenticide. Though effective in killing insect, some analysts have focused in the environmental effect of the chemical when used as pesticide, acaricide, bird repellent and molluscicide. The chemical when applied finds it ways to the rivers while some traces are found in the food crops. This residual is not health for human consumptions. Research have shown that large number of people have indirect consumer the chemical but does not affect them since it is not in large quantity. However, the increasing use of the chemical in agriculture can have some significant effects on people’s health. In this regard, the chemical is seen as ineffective. Question 35: Next to the box of snail pellets, was another box containing wax blocks of a Rodenticide called Brodifacoum. How does this work and what effect would it have had on Jimmy if he had consumed sufficient? Brodifacoum is a pesticide that consists of 4-hydroxycoumarin vitamin K antagonist anticoagulant poison. The chemical is used to control rodents and other large mammalian pests that directly or indirectly harm man. Brodifacoum is very toxic to human beings due to the fact that it can last in an animal for months in the body. It inhibits the enzyme vitamin K epoxide reducatase, an enzyme which is crucial in the blood clotting process. By inhibiting the enzyme, the chemical hinders the production of vitamin K causing a decrease in the level of vitamin K and prothrombin. Vitamin K and the prothrombin are responsible for the clotting of the blood. Therefore, the chemical stops the clotting when it finds its way to human blood. Moreover, Brodifacoum increase the permeability of blood capillaries. This has fatal effects on the affected person. The blood and the blood plasma starts to leak form the small blood vessels. This causes internal bleeding which increases over time causes loss of consciousness, shock and eventually death. Consumption of sufficient amount of the chemical would have had a number of effects on Jimmy health. First, Jimmy could have been affected by such problems as breathing problems, uncontrolled bleeding, vomiting, shaking and abdominal distention among others. These are the short-time effects of the Brodifacoum poisoning. The poisoning would result to death if the necessary measures would not be taken to decontaminate the poison. Brodifacoum poisoning has also long lasting effects on affected person. This chemical stays in body for a long time which would be fatal for Jimmy. This causes slow but gradual internal bleeding which in the long-run can result to shock and eventually death. It will demand Jimmy to take decontaminate for a significant period of time until the effects of the disease are completely neutralized. Failure to do this will mean that Jimmy will continue to experience heath complications such as internal bleeding which could eventually cause his death. References Jorster, Rolf. (2010). Bee poisoning caused by insecticidal seed treatment of maize in Germany in 2008. Julius-Kühn-Archiv. Rodriguez, E. (2008). Use of calcim carbonate to minimize dosage of the avian repellent methiocarb. Holm, B. A. (2012). Thiram and methiocarb as deer mouse repellents and agents for conditioned aversion. Koehler, A. E. (2009). Methiocarb and thiram as thirteen-lined ground squirrel repellents in newly planted corn. Eason, C. T., & New Zealand. (2010). Questions on brodifacoum. Wellington, N.Z: Dept. of Conservation. Canada. (2008). Brodifacoum, bromadiolone, chlorophacinone, diphacinone and warfarin. Ottawa: Pest Management Regulatory Agency. Finnie, J. K., Horne, J. A., & Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. (2009). Analysis of brodifacoum residues in crabs. Canada. (2013). Re-evaluation of brodifacoum, bromadiolone, chlorophacinone, diphacinone and warfarin. Ottawa: Pest Management Regulatory Agency. Read More