Organophosphates

[kookomula]

"Organophosphates (OPs) are a group of synthetic chemical compounds, composed of variable mixtures of phosphorus, carbon, and hydrogen.

Originally, organophosphates were developed as insecticides, and are used as such in thousands of licensed pesticides today. They act as cholinesterase inhibitors (chemicals that disrupt neuromuscular transmission), and as such were also developed as neurotoxins during the Second World War. Sarin - the poison gas released by Aum Shinrikyo cultists in 1995 onto the Tokyo underground - is the most well-known organophosphate-based chemical weapon.

The 1951 Zuckerman report recommended that agricultural organophosphate pesticides should be labelled as 'deadly poison', but it was not until 1976 that containers were required to be labelled as potentially hazardous. Even then, no recommendations about protective clothing or other precautions were provided. While an HSE guidance sheet, known as MS17, was produced in the early 1980s, it was never circulated to farmers, doctors, vets, or indeed the Ministry of Defence".

www.politics.co.uk/briefings-guides/issue-briefs/environment-and-rural -affairs/organophosphates-$366556.htm

although

Lord Zuckerman, speaking in the OP sheep dip debate in the Lords on December 16th 1992 said: "My Lords, before regulations were brought in in 1962 for the wearing of protective clothing when organophosphorous compounds were used in dips and for other purposes, is the Minister aware that there had been several fatalities? I was in fact chairman of a committee of inquiry set up to look into the matter before any regulations were introduced.

http://balln.cwahi.net/oprus2001/zuckerman.htm

[hatsoff]

organophosphates are in almost every single flea product for cats and dogs sold over the counter ie in pet shops and supermarkets.
They are extremely dangerous and vets stopped selling them 10 years ago - mainly due to astronomical amount of deaths in cats within hours of their application - they were then no longer sold under prescription only and became general sale! So, when the professionals declared that the products were too dangerous to be prescribed, they became the leading cheap as chips unregualted poison!! Pure evil methinks.
Even today, there are hundreds of cats killed by their unwitting owners by OP's every week.
It is extremely difficult to save a cats life after ingestion and/or absorption of them
Guess who marketed the leading product in the 90's - bayer plc
The products sold today do have warnings on, but they are written in micro print
Of course, people still buy them en mass because they are cheap. They are cheap because all the licensing issues and regular testing issues are no longer required from the manufacturer, therefore the costs can be slashed.
The affect to the environment is unknown but potentially terrible as the product is slowly released by every pet it has been applied to as its coat becomes wet etc and therefore the OP is leaked into the environment.
Every person who strokes their animal will contaminate themselves with the OP causing themselves a slow and steady underlying case of OP poisoning which could explain a lot!

Every over the counter pesticide sold in shops e.g for ants, flies, wasps etc are made from OP's mainly permethrin.
The effects and consequences are ghastly really

[item8]

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/peds.2009-3 058v1

[outsider]

See Thread 'Campaigning organic farmer Mark Purdey dies':
http://www.911forum.org.uk/board/viewtopic.php?t=20616&highlight=mark+ purdey

I don't know why organophosphates is in 'Other Controversies', it's a slam-dunk fact it is deadly, not just to animals, but to people, especially farmers forced to use it.