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

MALATHION 32
3. HEALTH EFFECTS
Renal Effects. Some limited information is available regarding renal effects in humans exposed to
malathion. Albright et al. (1983) described the case of a 65-year-old man who developed transient renal
insufficiency with massive proteinuria 3 weeks after spraying intensively with malathion (unknown
formulation). The presence of membranous glomerulopathy and a marginally reduced C3 complement
level led the authors to postulate that malathion caused an immune complex nephropathy. Another study
of workers exposed to several organophosphate pesticides, including malathion, for up to 29 years, found
no increase in the incidence of renal disease (inflammation of the renal parenchyma, calyces, and pelvis)
compared to a group of unexposed controls (Hermanowicz and Kossman 1984).
No studies were located regarding renal effects in animals following inhalation exposure to malathion.
Body Weight Effects. Information on body weight was found in a study of 16 male volunteers
(4/exposure level) who were exposed to aerosol bombs that contained 0 (control), 5, or 20% actual
malathion (95% pure) (Golz 1959). The men were exposed for 1 hour twice/day for 42 days to measured
concentrations of 0, 5.3, 21, or 85 mg/m 3 . There were no exposure-related changes in body weight during
the study. Additional information was found in a study of self-reported symptoms in 22 seamen who may
have been exposed to a single cloud of malathion that escaped from a nearby overheated tank (Markowitz
et al. 1986). Compared with a group of controls, the seamen reported significantly more rapid weight
changes when contacted 12 days following the incident. Since there was no evidence of actual exposure
to the chemical, the role of malathion, if any, is unknown.
Rats exposed to an aerosol of malathion (96.4% pure) at a concentration of up to 2,010 mg/m 3 ,
6 hours/day, 5 days/week for 13 weeks showed no significant alterations in body weight gain during the
study (Beattie 1994). No further information was located in the available studies.
3.2.1.3 Immunological and Lymphoreticular Effects
As mentioned above, Albright et al. (1983) described the case of a 65-year-old man who developed
transient renal insufficiency with massive proteinuria weeks after spraying intensively with malathion
(unknown formulation). The presence of membranous glomerulopathy and a marginally reduced C3
complement level led the authors to postulate that malathion caused an immune complex nephropathy. A
study of 85 workers occupationally exposed to several organophosphate pesticides, including malathion,
as well as chlorinated solvents for periods ranging from 0.1 to 29 years observed marked impairments of
neutrophil chemotaxis and significantly decreased neutrophil adhesion in all types of workers studied