In regard to poisoning, chemicals can be divided into three broad groups: agricultural and industrial chemicals, drugs and health care products, and biological poisons—i.e., plant and animal sources. These three groups, along with a fourth category, radiation, are discussed below. The majority of agricultural chemicals are pesticides, which include insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, fumigants, and rodenticides. The four main classes of insecticides are organophosphates, carbamates, chlorinated hydrocarbons, and insecticides derived from plants (botanical). Organophosphate and carbamate insecticides act by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase, the enzyme that degrades acetylcholine (the messenger of the parasympathetic nervous system). As a result, acetylcholine levels remain high, exaggerating ...(100 of 17544 words)
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