Pesticide poisoning sources

NPTN is based at Oregon State University and is cooperatively sponsored by the University and EPA. NPTN serves as a source of objective, science-based pesticide information on a wide range of pesticide-related topics, such as recognition and management of pesticide poisonings, safety information, health and environmental effects, referrals for investigation of pesticide incidents and emergency treatment for both humans and animals, and cleanup and disposal procedures. 

It is difficult to obtain figures that accurately reflect the incidence of pesticide poisoning, and the number of documented cases of direct human poisoning in the USA varies from source to source. It was estimated that there are 100,000 nonfatal cases of human poisoning each year from pesticide exposure (7). In 1973 there were 1,A7A cases of occupational illness associated with pesticide exposure in California (8). Organophosphate insecticides are a major cause of occupational poisoning. 

Some anecdotal accounts are included in the following examples of pesticide poisonings in order to supplement the comparatively scarce number of studies and official records and to cover as many countries as possible for some countries, anecdotal accounts were the only source of information that could be found. 

Figure 7. Distribution of pesticide poisonings in 1994 according to age (source Centro Nacionai de Control de Intoxicaciones, San Jose, Costa Rica).

Figure 8. Occupational pesticide poisoning cases (1980 to 1994) (source Epidemiological Division, Ministry of Health, 1995).

Zinc poisoning may occur after consumption of products stored in zinc-coated containers. For instance, a dish of curried poultry, which was a source of zinc poisoning, was found to contain 1.0 pg per g. Poisoning may be also caused if the carency period after application of zinc pesticides is not observed. 

Applied to cotton grown in 28 different countries, endosulfan is perhaps the most widely used cotton pesticide after deltamethrin it is applied to cotton in 9 of the top 10 cotton producing countries and is the dominant pesticide in the cotton sector in 19 countries . A recent report suggests that endosulfan may be the most important source of fatal poisoning among cotton farmers in West Africa . In India, home to the world s largest cotton farming community, over... 

Although at a low level relative to occupational exposures, it is becoming apparent that a major source of chemical exposures for the general population results from the use of products in and around the home (Whitmore et al., 1994 Hill et ai, 1995). Information and data regarding pesticide health-related incidences can be obtained from the American Association of Poison Control Centers (website http //www.aapcc.org), the US Enviromnental Protection Agency (website http //www.epa.gov/pesticides) or state regulatory... 

Chemicals come in all shapes and sizes and derive from a variety of sources. While to many people the words chemical and indeed poison are synonymous with man-made things such as dioxin, organo-phosphates, pesticides, and nerve gas, there are many, many other chemicals that occur naturally These may be produced by plants, for example belladonna in deadly nightshade, and ricin in the castor bean, or bacteria, for example botulinum toxin. Various animals such as snakes and spiders produce toxic venoms, and some poisons occur naturally in the ground, like asbestos, cadmium, and lead. 

Anticholinesterase insecticides are among the most poisonous substances commonly used for pest control and are a frequent source of serious poisoning in children and adults in rural and urban settings. The 2003 AAPCC-TESS report documented 11,332 nonfatal exposures and 19 deaths from anticholinesterase insecticides alone or in combination with other pesticides, with 31% of the exposures in children younger than 6 years of age. ... 

Table 4-1 lists occupations or other settings at risk for pesticide exposure (Fuortes et al. 1995). Some poisonings result from inappropriate uses of pesticides, unusual environmental sources, paraoccu-pational sources, and children s exploratory behaviors (Glotfelty et... 

Industrial and environmental sources cause most modern cases of arsenic poisoning. A National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health study in 1975 estimated that 1.5 million workers had potential exposure to arsenic (Hartman 1988). Poisonings have resulted from veterinary compounds, paints, herbicides, pesticides, rodenti-cides, treated lumber, and Chinese herbal products (Garvey et al. 2001 Gosselin et al. 1984 Peters et al. 1983). Table 7-1 lists occupations with the greatest risk of exposure to arsenic. 

ORIGIN/INDUSTRY SOURCES/USES pesticides plastics perfumes colloidal forms of metals organic synthesis glycerin acrylic acid esters warning agent in methyl chloride refrigerant military poison mixtures aquatic herbicide liquid fuel algae and aquatic weed control slimicide in paper manufacture... 

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