Review: Can Toxic Substances Initiate Psychotic Behavior? Part II. Organophosphate (OP) Substances with Anti-Acetylcholinesterase Enzyme Activity

摘要

This article is an extension of a discussion started in the first part of a series of review articles, entitled “Can Toxic Substances Initiate Psychotic Behavior? Part I. Antimalarial Drugs” in (Open Journal of Preventive Medicine). In the present manuscript, the environmental, health, reproduction (fecundity), social, and juridical problems, together with the medical and ethical aspects of the use of organophosphate substances, will be discussed. This article is based mainly on the results of experiments conducted during the period of 2004–2014. The results described in the article entitled “High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) Equipped with a Neurophysiological Detector (NPD) as a Tool for Studying Olfactory System Intoxication by the Organophosphate (OP) Pesticide Diazinon and the Influence of OP Pesticides on Reproduction” (International Journal of Analytical Mass Spectrometry and Chromatography) will be discussed in connection to human disability (invalidation) caused by OPs. The results showed that even a short-time, sub-lethal exposure to the anti-acetylcholinesterase enzyme OPs yields altered neural signaling. These perverse nervous signals can change the basic information that is transmitted to the brain. This information regarding the external environment surrounding situation is vital for living organisms. The exposure of organisms to OPs can have a lifelong impact on the nervous system and be a source of adverse psychotic reactions, even after a single exposure. This article stresses the need for a moratorium on (or, even better, the prohibition of) the use of OPs in agricultural and veterinary practices as pesticides, and the recognition of the use of OPs against the civilian population as chemicals to control protests and demonstrations (as protesto- and demonstrationocides) as a criminal act.