Return to Fluoroacetic Acid Index Page

Activity: Rodenticide (unclassified)
Structure:

Adverse Effects:
Ataxia
Brain
CNS
Endocrine: Testes
Heart
Kidney
Spinal Cord

Ataxia (click on for all fluorinated pesticides)

Little specific data were available specifically about the toxicity of fluoroacetic acid; its toxicity is expected to be similar to that of FLUOROACETATE. Neurologic sequelae have been noted following acute poisoning, such as hypertonicity with arm and leg spasms, severe mental deficits, and moderate residual paresis. Severe cerebellar dysfunction, ataxia, and depression were described in a 15-year-old patient who survived acute fluoroacetate poisoning.
Ref: TOXNET profile from Hazardous Substances Data Bank.
http://www.fluoridealert.org/pesticides/Fluoroacetic.Acid.TOXNET.htm

Brain (click on for all fluorinated pesticides)

Little specific data were available specifically about the toxicity of fluoroacetic acid; its toxicity is expected to be similar to that of FLUOROACETATE.
-- FLUOROACETIC ACID WAS FOUND IN BRAIN TISSUES FOR ONLY 1 MIN AFTER INJECTION EVEN THEN IT WAS LESS THAN 15% OF AMT INJECTED. [MORSELLI PL ET AL; BIOCHEM PHARMACOL 17 (2): 195 (1968)]
-- Neurologic sequelae have been noted following acute poisoning, such as hypertonicity with arm and leg spasms, severe mental deficits, and moderate residual paresis. Severe cerebellar dysfunction, ataxia, and depression were described in a 15-year-old patient who survived acute fluoroacetate poisoning.
-- FLUOROACETIC ACID HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE CONVERTED IN VIVO INTO FLUOROCITRATE. [Fluorocitrate is a glial toxin -- see http://ethesis.helsinki.fi/julkaisut/laa/biola/vk/reenila/results.html) ].

-- FLUOROACETIC ACID WAS FOUND IN BRAIN TISSUES FOR ONLY 1 MIN AFTER INJECTION EVEN THEN IT WAS LESS THAN 15% OF AMT INJECTED.
[MORSELLI PL ET AL; BIOCHEM PHARMACOL 17 (2): 195 (1968)]
Ref: TOXNET profile from Hazardous Substances Data Bank.
http://www.fluoridealert.org/pesticides/Fluoroacetic.Acid.TOXNET.htm

CNS (click on for all fluorinated pesticides)

Human Toxicity Excerpts: ... /MAJOR EFFECTS/ INVOLVE CNS & CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM. SEVERE EPILEPTIFORM CONVULSIONS ALTERNATE WITH COMA & DEPRESSION; DEATH MAY RESULT FROM ASPHYXIA DURING CONVULSION OR FROM RESP FAILURE. MOST PROMINENT FEATURES ... ARE CARDIAC IRREGULARITIES, NOTABLY VENTRICULAR FIBRILLATION & SUDDEN CARDIAC ARREST.
[International Labour Office. Encyclopedia of Occupational Health and Safety. Vols. I&II. Geneva, Switzerland: International Labour Office, 1983. 895]
Ref: TOXNET profile from Hazardous Substances Data Bank.
http://www.fluoridealert.org/pesticides/Fluoroacetic.Acid.TOXNET.htm

Endocrine: Testes (click on for all fluorinated pesticides)

Sprague-Dawley-rats were used to prepare a nonsacrificial model for the easy collection and measurement of spermatozoa for reproductive studies. In preparing this model the ductus deferens was anastomosed to the bladder (vasocystostomy) and urinary sperm was collected daily. Vasocystostomy insured that all sperm went into the bladder. Collection of the bladder urine allowed sperm count measurements to be made over time. Sperm counts were recorded over a 20 week period for two groups of rats. The first group had the two vas deferentia, one from each testis, connected to the bladder. The second group had the vas deferens from only one side connected. The group with bilateral connections produced a sperm count approximately double that of the group with a unilateral anastamosis. The reliability of this model was demonstrated by the correlation between testicular histology and sperm counts. The inhibition of sperm production by fluoroacetate (144-49-0) was demonstrated using this model. Sperm counts for five vasocystostomy rats before, during and after fluoroacetate exposure were recorded. Normal pretreatment counts were recorded. During treatment there were sharp increases in sperm counts. Post treatment values dropped in all five animals and all sperm counts were practically zero in about 3 weeks. Advanced patchy degenerative changes were noted in all five fluoroacetate treated rats. The main alteration was sloughing and aggregation of spermatozoa, which fused to form striking multinucleated forms. No ill effects as a result of the surgery were noted.
Ref: Vasocystostomy: A Model for Studying Male Reproductive Toxicity in the Rat; by Al-Juburi AZ, Clarkson TW amd Cockett ATK. Reproductive Toxicology, Vol. 3, No. 3, pages 181-186, 10 references, 1989.

Heart (click on for all fluorinated pesticides)

-- Human Toxicity Excerpts: ... /MAJOR EFFECTS/ INVOLVE CNS & CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM. SEVERE EPILEPTIFORM CONVULSIONS ALTERNATE WITH COMA & DEPRESSION; DEATH MAY RESULT FROM ASPHYXIA DURING CONVULSION OR FROM RESP FAILURE. MOST PROMINENT FEATURES ... ARE CARDIAC IRREGULARITIES, NOTABLY VENTRICULAR FIBRILLATION & SUDDEN CARDIAC ARREST.
[International Labour Office. Encyclopedia of Occupational Health and Safety. Vols. I&II. Geneva, Switzerland: International Labour Office, 1983. 895]
-- Animal Toxicity Studies: Non-Human Toxicity Excerpts: VENTRICULAR ARRHYTHMIAS, MARKED VENTRICULAR ALTERATION, MYOCARDIAL DEPRESSION & VENTRICULAR FIBRILLATION ARE SEEN IN HORSES, GOATS, RABBITS & MONKEYS; IN DOG & GUINEA PIG, CONVULSIONS OCCUR WITHOUT PARALLEL CARDIAC ABNORMALITIES; CAT, PIG, RAT & HAMSTER SHOW BOTH CARDIAC & CNS RESPONSES.
/FLUOROACETATES/ [Clarke, E.G., and M. L. Clarke. Veterinary Toxicology. Baltimore, Maryland: The Williams and Wilkins Company, 1975. 234]
Ref: TOXNET profile from Hazardous Substances Data Bank.
http://www.fluoridealert.org/pesticides/Fluoroacetic.Acid.TOXNET.htm

Kidney (click on for all fluorinated pesticides)

IN RATS, MITOCHONDRIA FROM KIDNEY CORTEX ACTIVELY PRODUCED FLUOROCITRATE MORE THAN 700% ABOVE CONTROL. 2 PATHWAYS OF FLUOROCITRATE ACTIVATION IDENTIFIED. 1 ASSOC WITH PYRUVATE METAB & NOT DEPENDENT ON OXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION ENERGY; 2ND ASSOC WITH ACETATE METAB & IS ATP DEPENDENT.
[BUFFA P ET AL; FLUORIDE 12 (3): 114 (1979)]
Ref: TOXNET profile from Hazardous Substances Data Bank.
http://www.fluoridealert.org/pesticides/Fluoroacetic.Acid.TOXNET.htm

Spinal Cord (click on for all fluorinated pesticides)

Abstract: Fluoroacetic and fluorocitric acid toxicity is often characterized by seizures, however the mechanism of this activity is unknown. Intrathecal (i.t.) injection of fluorocitrate in mice resulted in seizures after an average latency of 15 s, while intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection produced seizures after 36.5 min, and required higher doses to achieve this effect. This indicates the probable site of fluoroacetate and fluorocitrate neurotoxicity is the spinal cord. To mimic citrate accumulation, characteristic of fluoroacetate and fluorocitrate poisoning, citric acid was injected i.t. and also found to produce seizures. The structurally unrelated compounds EDTA, EGTA, glutamic acid and lactic acid also produced seizures identical to fluorocitrate. The ability of these compounds to chelate Ca2+ correlates well with their ability to cause seizures when administered i.t. and coadministration of calcium greatly attenuated the neurotoxicity of these compounds as well as fluoroacetate and fluorocitrate. In contrast, Ca2+ was unable to inhibit seizures elicited by strychnine, suggesting calcium's ability to inhibit chelators of divalent cations is not due to a general anticonvulsant effect. These results suggest that changes in Ca2+ concentration in the spinal cord may be responsible for some forms of seizure activity.
Ref: Hornfeldt CS, Larson AA (1990). Seizures induced by fluoroacetic acid and fluorocitric acid may involve chelation of divalent cations in the spinal cord. Eur J Pharmacol. 1990 Apr 25;179(3):307-13.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2364992&dopt=Abstract