Background: Pesticide ubiquity and extensive applications have attendant public health implications. This study examines the immediate and prolonged inhalation toxicity of various commonly used insecticides in male Wistar rats. Methods: 192 male Wistar rats were utilized and kept in regular housing. The study was carried out in three stages: a preliminary test, an acute test, and a sub-acute. Wistar rats, housed in an improvised chamber, were exposed to varying doses of insecticides in each phase to assess their toxicities to insecticides. For comparativeness, we withdrew 57 of the rats from exposure to ascertain possible recovery. The study included monitoring behavioral changes, recording mortality rates, and conducting necropsies to evaluate organ pathology. Dose-response relationships were analyzed to determine lethal doses (LD50) and potential sublethal effects. Results: Overall, we found a dose-related increase in the severity of the response, which potentially indicates an alteration of a specific biochemical process. The range-finding test assessed the effects of DD Force, Sniper, Industrial Camphor, Edible Camphor, Kerosene, and combined pesticides. It revealed significant physiological impacts followed by mortalities at specific dosage levels. Subsequent acute toxicity testing determined LC50 values for each insecticide. Rats showed a dose-dependent health deterioration following sub-acute exposure, particularly in the combined pesticide group, indicating synergistic toxicity. Conclusion: Exposure to the combined pesticide at high doses was associated with severe toxicities in the tested rats. This evidence suggests that commonly used pesticides could potentiate adverse health outcomes when results are extrapolated in humans.
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