accidental lindane poisoning

June 7, 2005

Hi all,

ne is commonly prescribed for lice treatment. It is also used as a

seed treatment in agriculture. We have long opposed its use because it

is a neurotoxin and a probable carcinogen. The article below describes

hundreds of cases of accidental poisonings with lindane prescribed for

lice. For those in clinics, it's important to ntoe that there are many

non-insecticidal treatments for lice now available. Products like Lice

B' Gone and others are safe, non-toxic alternatives.

Reuters Health

ne poisoning can cause severe illness

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - ne, a lotion used to treat lice, can

cause vomiting and seizures if accidentally swallowed, investigators report.

Because of its poisonous nature, they advise in the Morbidity and

Mortality Weekly Report, published by the Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention, lindane should only be dispensed in small amounts and it

should only be used when first-line treatments haven't worked or are

poorly tolerated.

Dr. J. Sievert, with the Texas Department of State Health Services, and

associates analyzed 870 reported cases of unintentional lindane

ingestion collected from 1998 to 2003.

Symptoms associated with poisoning included nausea and vomiting,

abdominal cramping, headache, cough, seizures and confusion. Illness

severity was high in 1 to 15 percent of cases and moderate in 8 to 23

percent.

Some cases of poisoning seemed to be caused by mistaking lindane for an

oral medicine, because some pharmacies are in the practice of

repackaging bottles of bulk lindane into smaller bottles resembling

those used for liquid oral medications.

Therefore, " pharmacists should not transfer lindane to other containers

and should only dispense lindane in manufacturer-provided 1- or 2-ounce

containers, " the report authors advise.

The three other FDA-approved treatments for lice -- permethrin,

pyrethrin and malathion -- should be tried first, they add. If lindane

is used, it should not be repeated and it should be avoided altogether

for anyone weighing less than 110 pounds.

SOURCE: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, June 3, 2005.

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