_ “> MEDICO-LEGAL

29 January 1966

News and Notes’ -

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Malathion and Myclitis

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At_an’ inquest

at_ Oxford in November an

Open verdict was recorded on a

who had died from respirator

man_aged 65
Pe my FO
to acute necrotic myelitis.

aralysis due

“Evidence was given at ‘the inquest that a
boule of Boots Greenfly Killer had been
Spilt ina garage belonging to the deceased,

g@' who had remained in contact with fumes fron,

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sive exposure was

an_iliness characterized by abdominal pai

excessive sweating, and diarrhoea,

had” becn one or two cases of “peripheral
-Neuritis in association with the use of
Malathion, but no cases of toxic myelitis had
been reported,

Dr. Doris B. Brownell, neuropathologist at

qo the spilt liquid for about an hour. Four
days later he developed cramp and then
weakness of the arms and legs and was
admitted to, hospital: during the next few

days paralysis became more extensive and.

involved the respiratory muscles. He was
transferred to the Churchill Hospital’ at
Oxford, where he developed evidence of liver

and kidney failure, and died,
Evidence was given that the base of Boots

Greenfly Killer was Malathion, which had-

been in use as a pesticide for about ten years,
Malathion intoxication as a result of exces-

the Radcliffe Infirmary, thought that the
renal damage was probably a. late devclop-
Ment ja the illness, but that the combination
of necrotic myelitis of the cervical cord, acute
generalized peripheral neuritis, and focal
necrosis of the liver could have been produced
only by ® poisonous substance. She could
find no record of Malathion having ever
“produced such a combination ia humans or
experimental animals, .

logist at the Churchill’ Hospital, stated that”
few ‘poisons affected the spinil cord and

‘are and usually productd __

ee

Dr. J. M. K, Spalding, consultant neuro- ;

ea re TO uate,
Rese

peripheral nerves, but that organic phos.
phorus compounds formed one class of
. substances that could produce this sort of
damage. Since Malathion was an orpanic
phosphorus compound it was difficult to be
certain that it-had nothing to do with the
iliness. But there were other compounds
which could produce afl the pathological
changes described; and there always remained
a possibility of a previously - unreported
discase, ,

Mr. G, Higgins, principal biochemist to
the United Oxford Hospitals, said that of all
organic phosphorus’ compounds Malathion
was perhaps the most harmless. On the
evidence, the deceased could have inhaled ar
the most only 300 micrograms of the sub-
stance, That was much less than volunteers
had been subjected to without harm in experi.
ments, Mr, Higgins though: it most unlikely
that Malathion caused the iiness unless the
deceased had some personal idiosyncrasy.
If he did it was perhaps the first case on
record, Malathion had been extensively used
in England over the past three to four
years,