Rotenone Hazards?

mmiller@pcsia.com
Wed, 15 Dec 1999 19:20:00 -0600

What does anybody know about the safety of rotenone? How fast does it
degrade and can it be absorbed into body via skin or lungs? Being an equal
opportunity skeptic, the report below raises some concern about the use of
this natural material and any synthetic analogues in food production.

Below are relevant parts of an article referenced to an article in JAMA
entitled Pesticide Study Aids Parkinson Research.
See http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v282n23/full/jmn1215-4.html

Mike Miller - who now thanks to the USDA can glow in the dark after eating
"beef, pork or lamb" :>))

snip ...

Rotenone, which is not
selective in this manner, kills neurons whether or not they carry
a dopamine transporter and, therefore, was used to investigate
whether systemic inhibition of complex I would cause selective
neurodegeneration.

Rotenone is a common insecticide, said Greenamyre, that is
perceived in many quarters as relatively innocuous. "On the
Internet it is touted as an organic or natural alternative to
synthetic pesticides because it is a natural product. It's often
used in reservoirs in the United States and to kill nuisance
fish."

snip...

Greenamyre said the results of his team's investigation indicate
that systemic administration of rotenone brings about selective
retrograde degeneration of the nigrostriatal system and mimics
the slowly progressive course of PD.

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