ABSTRACT
In 1995-96, the Occupational Medicine Service of the province of Ragusa, Sicily, examined all cases of pesticide poisonings among persons seen in two local emergency departments, identifying 86 cases due to unintentional pesticide exposure. Methomyl, a highly toxic carbamate, was indicated for 51% of all cases. The most frequently reported symptoms included nausea and vomiting (48%), excessive perspiration (33%), and dyspnea (16%). Fifty-nine cases (69%) were hospitalized, 5 in intensive care. The methomyl cases occurred more frequently during summer months while the cases from all other pesticides showed no seasonal patterns. These observations point out the relevance of identifying acute pesticide poisonings in the province of Ragusa and suggest that ongoing registration of these events should be a public health priority.
Subject(s)
Insecticides/poisoning , Methomyl/poisoning , Pesticides/poisoning , Acute Disease , Adolescent , Adult , Humans , Italy , Middle Aged , Poisoning/epidemiologyABSTRACT
The mortality of a cohort of 2310 male workers who obtained a licence to handle pesticides in the period 1973-1979 in the province of Rome was investigated. The cohort contributed 26,846 person-years of exposure. The vital status of the cohort was determined up to the end of 1988. The causes of death of the 207 who had died were ascertained from death certificates. Standardized mortality ratios (SMR) were computed using both the provincial and the national mortality rates. The two methods yielded very similar results. Using the national rates, the SMR for all causes was 56 (95% confidence interval (CI) : 45.3-59.8), for cardiovascular diseases 47 (95% CI : 37.1-59.1), and for all cancers 72 (95% CI : 57.8-89.3). A statistically significant excess was noted for brain cancer (SMR = 270, 95% CI : 108.6-556.9). In addition, the cohort experienced statistically significant lower lung cancer mortality (SMR = 57, 95% CI : 35.6-80.0).
