Dursban also has been used in pesticide sprays for residential and institutional use, including the sprays used by professional exterminators. In residential settings, chlorpyrifos have been used in termite treatments and lawn care. You will find other organophosphates in the pesticide section of your local home and garden center. Among the brand names to look for are Malathion and Diazinon. This illustration shows how the neurotransmitter acetylcholine works in the nerves.
Organophosphates work by interfering with an enzyme that controls acetylcholine.
Dursban, and the rest of the organophosphate insecticides, work by interrupting the electrochemical process that nerves use to communicate with muscles and with one another. A key chemical in communication between synapses is acetylcholine , a type of chemical called a neurotransmitter. Then cholinesterase binds to the acetylcholine, allowing the nerves to rest. Dursban alters cholinesterase, preventing it from inactivating acetylcholine. As the acetylcholine builds up, the muscles of the body become over-stimulated, leading to paralysis and death.