Heterobostrychus aequalis (Waterhouse, 1884) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae): Its interception at the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro and relevance as a quarentine pest (A1)

Heterobostrychus aequalis (Waterhouse, 1884) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) is considered a severe pest for wood and wood products in regions where it is established. In Brazil, so far, there are no records of its establishment. Therefore, this work reports the interception of this Bostrichidae in the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro, on pallet wood from India. It also defends the maintenance of this insect as an absent quarantine pest (A1), by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply. It also conducts a discussion that addresses the efficiency of wood treatments, usually used to prevent the spread of quarantine pests in environments where there is international transit of wood, demonstrating that they may not be efficient in this regard, especially for insect species that have the capacity to lay eggs on dry wood. In this context, it also suggests population monitoring, combined with inspections, as an aid measure for the early detection of this pest in an environment where there is international transit of wood.

A group of occupational acute methyl bromide poisoning incident / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

Objective@#To investigate a mass of occupational acute methyl bromide poisoning incident and analyzed their clinical data.@*Methods@#To investigate an incident a mass of occupational acute methyl bromide poisoning in occurred in Shandong province in November 2016, and the clinical datas of 3 cases of severe patients with methyl bromide poisoning were analysed.@*Results@#This event was a sudden occupational poisoning incident. Lack of vocational training and irregularities is the main reason for the accident 3 patients with nervous system, respiratory system, circulatory system, urinary system damage is given priority to, after comprehensive rescue treatment, 2 cases died and 1 case survived.@*Conclusions@#Methyl bromide can cause severe poisoning, has high mortality in patients with acute severe poisoning.

A Case of Optic Neuropathy Associated with Methyl Bromide Intoxication

PURPOSE: In this study, a case of toxic encephalopathy and optic neuropathy due to methyl bromide poisoning is reported. CASE SUMMARY: A 31-year-old male presented with dysarthria, gait disturbance and bilateral visual impairment. He was treated with intravenous methylprednisolone for bilateral optic neuritis 1 year prior. He previously worked in a fumigation warehouse and was exposed to methyl bromide in the past 3 years. His corrected visual acuity was 20/30 in both eyes. The patient had reduced color vision and enlarged central scotoma in both eyes. His mentality was alert but exhibited slow response, ataxia and dysarthria. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed high signals in the brainstem, cerebellum and midbrain. His serum and urine methyl bromide concentrations were significantly elevated. The patient was treated with intravenous methylprednisolone 1.0 g/day for 5 days. MRI showed resolution of the multiple brain lesions observed previously. Ten days after steroid therapy, his visual acuity was 20/20 in both eyes and his neurologic manifestations were completely recovered at 2 months after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Taking a detailed occupational history is necessary in patients with optic neuropathy. The probability of toxic optic neuropathy should be considered when patients are exposed to toxic materials.

Two Cases of Methyl Bromide Intoxication Mimicking Bickerstaff's Brainstem Encephalitis

BACKGROUND: Methyl bromide is toxic to the central and peripheral nervous systems. Two patients with occupational exposure to this agent are described. CASE: Two cases of previously healthy young men were involved. They had worked in a fumigating plant spraying fruits using methyl bromide for several months before admission. They showed general weakness, severe ataxia, bilateral dysmetria and bilateral lateral gaze limitation. And gaze-evoked nystagmus was observed in one of them. Brain MRI showed symmetrically increased signal intensity lesions including the brainstem, cerebellum and splenium of corpus callosum. After conservative treatment, they gradually improved over the next few weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Symmetry and topography of our patients??clinical and radiographic abnormalities support the proposal that methyl bromide exposure can produce symptoms similar to Bickerstaff's brainstem encephalitis.

A Case of Polyneuropathy Associated with Methyl Bromide Intoxication / 대한산업의학회지

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis and treatment of intoxication induced by methyl bromide depends on the patient's exposure history. In the present case, the patient showed various neurologic symptoms which were helpful to confirm the diagnosis and to determine the concentration of bromide ion in his body. The reduction rate of bromide ion concentration was another important clue to estimate the patient's health state in treatment. CASE REPORT: Some neurologic disorders were manifested in a 35-year-old man who had been engaged in a fumigation company for 12 years. Although he had been complaining of abnormal symptoms for 10 days, he had left his work only 3 days before being admitted to our hospital in serious state via the emergency department. Comprehensive clinical evaluations confirmed he was suffering from polyneuropathy, optic neuropathy and cerebellar signs. We diagnosed his condition as methyl bromide intoxication, and ruled out other possible diseases, after taking his occupational history and evaluating the elevation of bromide ion concentration in the sampled blood, urine and cerebrospinal fluid. With decreasing bromide ion concentration, his abnormal symptoms improved and he was discharged 22 days after admission without any neurologic sequela. CONCLUSION: This case report confirmed the usefulness of measuring the concentrations of bromide ion in the diagnosis of methyl bromide intoxication. We therefore suggest that the regular measuring of bromide ion concentration be included in the occupation specified health examination.

Electrophysiological Abnormalities in a Patient with Acute Methyl Bromide Poisoning

No abstract available.

An Unintentional Release of Methyl Bromide: a Description of the Consequences and Recommendations for Prevention / 항공우주의학회지

To describe the consequences and recommendations for prevention and minimizing the victims from the accident of massive pesticide release, the authors analyzed the process of the accident. On October 13, 1999, at a farm supply retail establishment in Immokalee, Florida, a forklift tine perforated a large cylinder containing methyl bromide and chloropicrin. The retailer estimated that 940 pounds of the fumigant was released into the air. As a result, at least 30 individuals developed acute pesticide-related illness. In addition to the forklift operator, 24 workers were working at a neighboring tomato-packing house. Other individuals included two truck drivers, and three law enforcement officers responding to the incident. All 30 workers missed at least one day of work as a result of their illness, and four required hospitalization. The initial symptoms included headache, dizziness, nausea or vomiting. Two individuals have persistent neurological or ophthalmologic problems. Upon investigation it was determined that prompt evacuation was required to prevent many of the illnesses. Releases of 1,000 or more pounds of methyl bromide must be reported immediately to the National Response Center (NRC). Four hours after the 940-pound release, it was reported to NRC. A truck driver who was told to leave the tomato-packing house by the retailer initially reported this incident to emergency response authorities. This incident suggests that substantial releases should be reported immediately to the local police, fire rescue, and the National Response Center to allow a timely evacuation to be conducted as necessary. The threshold for promptly reporting unintentional methyl bromide releases may be too high, thereby leading to morbid consequences.

Two Cases of Methyl Bromide Intoxication with Seizures and Altered Mental State / 대한간질학회지

Methyl bromide is presently used as a fumigant for insects in soil, grains or fruit in storage or transport. It is a neurotoxic agent and has been responsible a number of deaths or acute poisonings among occupationally exposed persons. We report 2 patients, who had worked fumigation warehouse, presented with seizures and altered mental state. The serum concentrations of bromide were elevated 32.9 and 42.5 mg/l, respectively. Brain MRI showed bilateral symmetric high signal intensities in the splenium of corpus callosum, the globus pallidus, the quadrigeminal plate, the periaqueductal gray matter, the red nucleus, the substantia nigra, the medial lemniscus, the pontine tegmentum, the dentate nucleus, and the medulla. There was no brain lesion in the other patient. Appropriate and supervised handling of the chemical and regular education to workers are important to avoid the risk of methyl bromide poisoning.

A Case of Chronic Methyl Bromide Poisoning Associated with Cerebellar Ataxia, Polyneuropathy and Optic Neuropathy

Methyl bromide is a commonly used fumigant to disinfect soil, grains, and warehouses. The accumulation of danger-ous concentrations can produce various neurotoxic effects in humans. A 45-year-old man, who had worked in the fumi-gation business, presented with polyneuropathy, optic neuropathy, and cerebellar sign, and serially sampled blood, urine and cerebrospinal fluid showed significant elevation of methyl bromide concentration. Regular education to workers and strict adherence to the safety precautions are needed to avoid the risk of toxicity associated with methyl bromide fumigation.

Study on health hazard due to methyl bromide among librarians.

Fumigation of Book and document for pest control was firstly applied in Thailand ten years ago. Methyl bromide, one of the fumigants, has been used for such purpose, but this process provided a potential health hazard from inhalation exposure of readily vapourized poisonous gas. There were 60 librarians included in the study. In spite of no methyl bromide being detected in the air in the working environment, all of librarians possessed the toxic material in the blood at a level of 1.02-8.13 mg./100 ml. It was probably due to inhalation of toxic gas that formerly penetrated the books and instantly vapourized when the books were opened or rearranged. 91.7% of the workers reported abnormal feelings. The rate of spontaneous recovery was 70.9% in mild category. The remainder needed self-medication or physician consultation. Special investigations were made to evaluate health status. The results showed 13.3% with dangerous methyl bromide blood levels, 28 with mild degree impairment of pulmonary functions, 6.7% with abnormal EEG, slightly elevated enzymes SGPT (ALT) in 13.3%, alkaline phosphatase in 1.7% and slightly decreased leucocyte counts in 10.0%. Recommendations were introduced to carry out annual medical examinations and relevant investigations to all concerned. For those who previously had abnormalities needed periodic check-ups at 6 month intervals. Whenever abnormal feelings occur, methyl bromide in the blood must be considered.

Acute abdominal pain from methyl bromide poisoning.

An unusual chief complaint of methyl bromide poisoning was reported. The patient, a single 32 years-old Thai female, working as a librarian for nine years was the victim. She kept on inhaling vapourized toxic gas from the books and documents previously fumigated for insecticidal purpose during the process of her daily work. She had experienced sniffing and felt weak since starting her career. Serious abnormal feeling occurred three days before admission. Nausea and abrupt abdominal pain around the right iliac fossa were manifested. Acute appendicitis was first diagnosed by a surgeon. The clue that lead to a correct diagnosis was about her occupation. The blood was sent to the toxicology center assessing for toxic materials. The result showed 32.2 mg./100 ml. of methyl bromide contained in the blood. She fortunately escaped from open laparotomy. After six days of hospitalization, she returned to work in a new position as recommended. A follow-up was carried out two months later. The methyl bromide blood level had fallen to 3.21 mg./100 ml. and her health had returned to normal. This was the first reported case of methyl bromide poisoning in Thailand.