Carcinogenicity and mutagenicity of malathion and its two analogues: A systematic review

Abstract

Malathion has been widely used world-wide in arbovirus control programs. In 2015, it was classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a probable carcin-ogen to humans. This work aimed to systematize the evidence of the carcinogenic and mutagenic effects associated with the exposure of malathion and its analogs, malaoxon and isomalathion. The search was carried out in Toxline, PubMed and Scopus databases for original papers published from 1983 to 2015. In all, 73 papers were selected from a total of 273 eligible papers. The results of in vitro and in vivo studies showed mainly genetic and chromosomal damages caused by malathion. The epidemiological studies evidenced significant positive associations for thyroid, breast, and ovar-ian cancers in menopausal women. This evidence of the carcinogenic effect of malathion should be considered before its use in arbovirus control programs.