The Toxicology of Dieldrin and Its Bearing on Field Use of the Compound

Abstract

In view of the promise that dieldrin has shown as a residual insecticide for a variety of purposes, information was sought as to how hazardous its use might be to the mixing and spraying crews. Judging from experiments with rats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, dogs, cats, and monkeys a single skin contamination of 100 cc. or more with a 25-per cent dieldrin solution might be dangerous to a man if it were not washed off promptly. On the other hand, minor daily skin contamination with the emulsions used for spraying under actual field conditions might be tolerated without any demonstrable damage. Table 1 shows the mortality of rats that received skin applications of dieldrin formulations suitable for concentrates or finished sprays. The volume of each application was proportional to about 100 cc. for a man or, more precisely, 112 cc. for a 150-pound man.