Toxicity
It is classified by the World Health Organisation as a Class III, 'slightly hazardous' pesticide.
The acute oral LD50 for dicofol is 587 mg/kg for rats.
Dicofol is a nerve poison. The exact mode of action is not known, although in mammals it causes hyperstimulation of nerve transmission along nerve axons (cells). This effect is thought to be related to the inhibition of certain enzymes in the central nervous system.
Symptoms of ingestion and/or respiratory exposure include nausea, dizziness, weakness and vomiting; dermal exposure may cause skin irritation or a rash; and eye contact may cause conjunctivitis. Poisoning may affect the liver, kidneys or the central nervous system. Very severe cases may result in convulsions, coma, or death from respiratory failure.
Dicofol can be stored in fatty tissue. Intense activity or starvation may mobilize the chemical, resulting in the reappearance of toxic symptoms long after actual exposure.
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