Acute Chlordane Intoxication

Abstract

This report describes a patient who accidentally ingested 215 g of chlordane in a liquid pesticide formulation. The patient experienced multiple acute clinical sequellae attributable to his acute intoxication, including vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, coma and respiratory failure. Upon initial presentation and during the recovery phase, blood and urine specimens were collected to measure the disposition and elimination of chlordane and its metabolites. Whole blood chlordane concentrations measured over the subsequent 49 days suggested a multicompartmental kinetic profile of chlordane distribution, with an approximate terminal elimination half-life of 34 days. Tissue samples obtained from this patient, during elective surgery 58 days post chlordane ingestion, revealed persistent high levels of chlordane related metabolites. This case illustrates the physiological distribution and elimination of chlordane and its related metabolite residues after acute intoxication in an adult patient. Such information is important to improve the clinical management of patients acutely exposed to potentially lethal levels of pesticides.

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's 1997 priority list of hazardous substances. Latent effects—carcinogenesis, neurotoxicology, and developmental deficits in humans and animals

“…Studies in humans. Chlordane clearly causes neurological effects in humans following acute or prolonged oral, inhalation, or dermal exposure ( Lensky and Evans, 1952;Dadey and Kammer, 1953;Derbes et al, 1955;Barnes, 1967;Aldrich and Holmes, 1969;Curley and Garrettson, 1969;Balistreri et al, 1973;Harrington et al, 1978;EPA, 1980;Kutz et al, 1983;Olanoff et al, 1983;NIOSH, 1984;Menconi et al, 1988) . Neurological effects, including headache, dizziness, irritability, muscle tremors, confusion, convulsions, and coma are frequently reported in cases of human intoxication with chlordane.…”

Chlordane induced neurotoxicosis in urban and suburban Detroit, Michigan striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis)

“…Case studies in humans, for which convulsions and tremors were observed, involved high-dose acute exposures as opposed to chronic environmental or dietary exposure. 23,24 Tremors were reported in rats and mice receiving high-dose chronic oral exposures of chlordane throughout a carcinogenicity bioassay. 25 Previous studies in laboratory animals may not observe neurotoxic effects due to insu cient dose, short study duration, or utilization of alternative end points such as feed refusal or severe weight loss.…”

“…Skunks that burrow under porches and areas near foundations while consuming insectivorous diets that include beetles, earthworms, bees, and caterpillars, can be predicted to have signi cant chlordane metabolite residues. 22 Chlordane and its metabolites are reported to cause neurotoxic effects such as tremors, salivation, ataxia, depression, vomiting, and seizures in man 23,24 , mammals 5,25 , and birds 7,19 . Speci cally, oxychlordane, a metabolite of chlordane, is six times more toxic to birds, and heptachlor epoxide, the metabolite of heptachlor, is ten times more toxic to rats than their respective parent compound.…”