Rotenone is extracted with acetone or ether and the concentrate is used to make products. Some products simply use the powdered root. Rotenone disrupts cellular respiration and death is relatively slow compared to most nerve toxins. Rotenone is extremely toxic to fish and is used as a fish poison by South American Indian or in water management programs. It is also synergized by PBO or MGK 264.
Most ingested rotenone is detoxified efficiently via liver enzymes.
Rotenone is more toxic by inhalation than by ingestion. High exposure may cause nausea, vomiting, muscle tremors and rapid breathing. Contact with rotenone may cause skin irritation and inflammation of mucous membranes. Rotenone degrades rapidly when exposed to air and sunlight. Alkaline materials, such as soaps, also speed rotenone degradation.