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Toxicant & Disease Database

Toxicant and Disease Database

The CHE Toxicant and Disease Database is a searchable database that summarizes links between chemical contaminants and approximately 180 human diseases or conditions. Diseases and or toxicants can be viewed by utilizing the search options below. In 2025, we have also added links to information available in the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD). See a full description of the database and our methodology.

See also our compilation of other Databases and Resources.

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Peripheral neuropathy

Causes Grouped by strength of evidence

Strong Evidence acrylamide aldicarb arsenic carbamates ethylene oxide fenvalerate hydrocarbons lead mercury methyl n-butyl ketone n-Hexane organophosphates pesticides pyrethins / pyrethroids thallium (and related salts)	Good Evidence 1,1-dichloroethane 2,4-D 2,4,5-T B-dimethylaminopropionitrile (DMAPN) carbon disulfide chlordane chlordecone cyanide DDT/DDE dithiocarbamates maneb manganese methyl bromide nitrous oxide organochlorine pesticides PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), not otherwise specified pesticides phenoxyacetic herbicides zineb	Limited Evidence 1,1,1-trichloroethane Agent Orange benzene cadmium carbon monoxide dioxins / TCDD manganese methyl methacrylate methylene chloride phosphine pyrethins / pyrethroids solvents styrene tellurium tetrachloroethylene (PCE) toluene trichloroethylene (TCE) triethyltin xylene

Notes

Elemental mercury and mercury vapor cause peripheral neuropathy, but organic mercury effects are not well understood. Hexacarbons: n-hexane and methyl n-butyl ketone cause ""glue-sniffer"" neuropathy. *Organophosphates cause a delayed neuropathy occurring 1-3 weeks after exposure. Compounds associated with this include chlorpyrifos, dichlorvos, ethyl 4-nitrophenyl phenylphosphonothionate, leptophos, methamidophos, mipafox, omethoate, parathion, tri-ortho-cresyl phosphate, trichlorofon, and trichlornat. DMAPN - used as a catalyst in the manufacture of polyurethane

ADDITIONAL DATA: The toxicant–disease relationships shown above were last updated in 2011. The relationships shown here are still valid, but additional research has been conducted since that time. Additional research on this disease can be found at this link:

COMPARATIVE TOXICOGENOMICS DATABASE: CURATED RESULTS
Inherited Peripheral Neuropathy

This link will direct your search to an external database, the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD). This database is different from, and complementary to, our database.

More information about sources and methods

CHE’s Toxicant and Disease Database evaluates existing evidence and categorizes that evidence based on its strength. It is constructed using expert judgment and epidemiological causal inference.
The CTD, in contrast, is a continually updated resource that presents information on a broad range of literature on chemical-disease relationships. It also provides data on genes, biological processes, and phenotypes related to chemicals and diseases. It does not categorize information based on strength of evidence, include an expert judgment process, or draw causal conclusions about toxicant-disease relationships.
The link we have provided on this page goes directly to CTD's curated results, which are a subset of the information available through CTD. Curated results in CTD are those for which studies are available on the toxicant-disease relationship.