Carbamates are made out of carbamic acid and are a broad spectrum insecticide.
They are used in crops and homes to control animals like cockroaches, crickets, fleas, sometimes insects, etc. They
are sometimes found in our environment, especially contaminating our ground water.
Ex: Carbaryl and aldicarb
Organophosphates, OPs, are made from phosphoric acid. They are the most commonly used today in agriculture and
for home-pests. They are the most poisonness to vertebrates and tend to be chemically
unstable. They are acutely toxic and tend not to bioaccumulate in the environment. They do not persist in the environment beyond a few months. They were founded during
WWII and our biggest concerns with OPs is in our aquatic environment.
Ex: Hostathion and Metasystox-R
Organochlorines or chlorinated hydrocarbons, were replaced by organophosphates. They contain carbon, hydrogen
and chlorine and are also classified as broad spectrum insecticides. They are not commonly used anymore because they tend
to persist in the environment for a long time but endosulfan, lindane and methoxychlor are still used in the US.
The organochlorines also affect the neurology, and disrupt the normal nerve impulses, resulting in neurons firing impulses
spontaneously.
Ex: DDT
and DDD
Carbamates and organophosphates kill animals by limiting
the enzyme acetyl cholinesterase in the nervous system. By restraining the enzyme,
it causes a build up of acetylcholine in the nervous system and over stimulation of acetylcholine receptors. The insecticides ultimately disrupt the enzymes function that controls nerve impulse transmissions. The
difference between the two is that carbamates have a shorter duration of action. Organophosphates
tend to have more severe health risks to their victims than carbamates.
