Question

What is Malathion?
(a)A pigment
(b)A vitamin
(c)A pesticide
(d)An explosive

Answer 1

Hint: In agriculture, suburban landscaping, public recreation areas, and in programs like mosquito eradication, malathion is commonly used. In the 1980s in Australia and California, a malathion mixture with maize syrup was used to battle the Mediterranean fruit fly.

Complete answer:
The organophosphate is malathion. It is an insecticide of relatively low human toxicity (pesticide). It is used extensively in agricultural applications.
It functions as an inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase. It was known as carbophos in the USSR, Maldison in New Zealand and Australia, and Mercaptothion in South Africa.
Malathion, a complex family of chemicals, is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. It binds irreversibly to the serine residue in the active catalytic site of the cholinesterase enzyme upon absorption into the target organism. The resulting phosphoester group is tightly bound to cholinesterase and inactivates the enzyme irreversibly, contributing to the synapse's rapid accumulation of acetylcholine.
So, the correct answer is, ‘A pesticide’.

Note: Malathion has been sprayed in several cities in Canada and the US to fight the West Nile virus. For the last few decades, malathion was used to destroy mosquitoes on a daily basis during the summer months, but homeowners were permitted to exclude their properties if they wanted. Today, with an ongoing adult-mosquito-control scheme, Winnipeg is the only big city in Canada.
If you get malathion on your skin or breathe it in, or if you use a product and eat, drink, or smoke afterward without washing your hands, you can be exposed to it. Individuals who use malathion-containing items can be exposed if they do not wear the appropriate protective equipment. You could also be exposed to malathion residues if you have eaten food that has been treated with this pesticide.