toxicological profile for malathion - Agency for Toxic Substances and ...

MALATHION 148
3. HEALTH EFFECTS
organophosphate. A 2-PAM serum level of 4 µg/L is suggested as the minimum therapeutic threshold.
2-PAM is considered a very safe drug with few side effects.
3.12 ADEQUACY OF THE DATABASE
Section 104(i)(5) of CERCLA, as amended, directs the Administrator of ATSDR (in consultation with the
Administrator of EPA and agencies and programs of the Public Health Service) to assess whether
adequate information on the health effects of malathion is available. Where adequate information is not
available, ATSDR, in conjunction with the National Toxicology Program (NTP), is required to assure the
initiation of a program of research designed to determine the health effects (and techniques for developing
methods to determine such health effects) of malathion.
The following categories of possible data needs have been identified by a joint team of scientists from
ATSDR, NTP, and EPA. They are defined as substance-specific informational needs that if met would
reduce the uncertainties of human health assessment. This definition should not be interpreted to mean
that all data needs discussed in this section must be filled. In the future, the identified data needs will be
evaluated and prioritized, and a substance-specific research agenda will be proposed.
3.12.1 Existing Information on Health Effects of Malathion
The existing data on health effects of inhalation, oral, and dermal exposure of humans and animals to
malathion are summarized in Figure 3-5. The purpose of this figure is to illustrate the existing
information concerning the health effects of malathion. Each dot in the figure indicates that one or more
studies provide information associated with that particular effect. The dot does not necessarily imply
anything about the quality of the study or studies, nor should missing information in this figure be
interpreted as a “data need”. A data need, as defined in ATSDR’s Decision Guide for Identifying
Substance-Specific Data Needs Related to Toxicological Profiles (Agency for Toxic Substances and
Disease Registry 1989), is substance-specific information necessary to conduct comprehensive public
health assessments. Generally, ATSDR defines a data gap more broadly as any substance-specific
information missing from the scientific literature.
As shown in Figure 3-5, there seems to be a fairly complete database on the effects of malathion in
humans exposed by inhalation and dermal routes. However, most of this information is derived from