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Risk Assessment

Malathion Evaluation

1Risk AssessmentByxxxxxxAXIA College of University of PhoenixSCI 275Instructor: xxxxxA continuation I will present facts about the pesticide known as Malathion. This pesticide isused to control the mosquito population and is been registered for use in the United States since1956 (EPA, 2008). According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the administration of the Malathion pesticide is not harmful to humans or the environment if applied in accordance tothe product safety regulations.Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment

Malathion Evaluation

2The exposure of Malathion via air, water or food on bystanders is prejudicial only if exposedto exceeded doses of the pesticide. According to studies it will take continuous applications of the pesticide for this to accumulate in the human body (Negar E., MS, MPH; Dowlatabadi, H.PhD; Casman, E. PhD; , 2004). Studies showed that Malathion degrades very fast in theenvironment, preventing the pesticide to accumulate in animals or humans. Contact withMalathion can occur if exposed to a treated area shortly after the pesticide application. Commoneffects on humans after contact with the product are skin irritation and prolonged odor similar tothe pesticide odor.Some tests conducted by the University of Waterloo in 2004 in pregnant rabbits, showed aloss in the animal weigh after the exposure to Malathion. After the results of tests conducted onrabbits, scientists could not link any adverse effect of contact with Malathion and the animals.When inhaling the pesticide, the only proven symptom was some lesions in the nasal respiratorysystem. This test was conducted for over 90 days. The risk of consuming water contaminatedwith Malathion did not showed any concerning effect on the environment.The Pesticide Handlers Exposure Database stated that there is a minimum risk of intoxicationif proper use of protective gear is use when handling the pesticide. The protective equipment the(PHED) recommends are gloves, aprons, gas masks and boots.When testing Malathion for carcinogenicity, scientists observed that the incidence of liver tumors related to the exposure Malathion in rats was elevated. However, the levels of carcinogenicity were too low to prove any potential risk for humans. Currently the InternationalAgency for Cancer Research (IACR) has categorized Malathion as group 3, which means thelevel of carcinogenicity for humans is insufficient or lacks the potential to increase the cancer provability in humans.

Risk Assessment

Malathion Evaluation

3In conclusion, the data I have collected about the usage and exposition of Malathion tohumans and animals prove to have minimum adversities or health risks. I believe that if theMalathion pesticide like many other pesticides is used properly and the population of people of the community where Malathion will be used is well educated about the risks of Malathion andits effects on humans, there will be a better understanding of the product and more acceptancestowards it.

Genericville City Council

Malathion Aerial Spraying Proposal

Although the City of Genericville is facing a problem of West Nile Virus cases due to themosquito breeding on the wetlands, the city council is proposing a voting either to implement or not the usage of Malathion via aerial spraying. The opinion of the community appears to bedivided and insecure whether to use Malathion or not because they stated that the poor anduneducated population of Genericville will fail to follow the safety precautions recommended toavoid the exposure to the pesticide.Lately the same sources of habitat for the wild life that makes Genericville popular among thetourists, is also the breeding grounds of carriers of the West Nile Virus like the mosquito. Thementioned virus has been responsible for taking the life of a Genericville own and of anapproximate amount of 177 people per year (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007).Although the use of the pesticide Malathion results to be very toxic and effective againstmosquitoes, I found no evidence of harm towards humans or the natural predators of themosquito.

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