Organophosphate pesticides: A general review

Pesticides are chemicals to control a variety of pests that can damage crops and livestock and reduce farm productivity. Organophosphate (OP) compounds are a group of pesticides that includes some of the most toxic chemicals used in agriculture. OP toxicity is due to the ability of these compounds to inhibit an enzyme, acetyl cholinesterase at cholinergic junctions of the nervous system. This review will deal with the history and composition, its uses and role in pollution, metabolism of OPs, health impacts, and clinical manifestations of its toxicity, diagnostic methods and treatment. We suggest that in future, the ministry of agriculture of developing countries especially Iran, should concentrate on the optimization and monitoring of usage of OP compounds as pesticides and furthermore, encouraging the farmers to use natural pesticides and organic agriculture rather than chemical pesticides. Also animal feeds and Milk may serve as a vector for the transmission of substances of extrinsic origin which can be potentially toxic to the consumer. These toxins may originate in cow's milk from the ingestion of plants known to contain toxic substances or feeds contaminated with OP pesticides. In this article, OP pesticide pollution in livestock feed, its excretion from animal and general data about OP pesticides are reviewed.