Work with pesticides and organophosphate sheep dips.
Pesticides are an important hazard in agriculture. In developed countries their use is strictly regulated. Risk assessment for new pesticides includes comparison of the potential exposures of spray operators and other farm workers with a reference value. Usually, this is derived from toxicological studies in animals with allowance for the uncertainties in extrapolating between and within species. Older pesticides undergo periodic reviews, for which epidemiological data may also be available. Unintentional fatal poisoning by pesticides is extremely rare in Britain. Documented reports of non-fatal acute poisoning are also uncommon, but there may be substantial under-ascertainment of minor incidents. Pesticides have been linked with various chronic diseases, but few associations have been clearly established. A particular concern recently in Britain has been the possibility that organophosphate insecticides can cause chronic neuropsychiatric illness.
Coggon
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MRC Environmental Epidemiology Unit, Community Clinical Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK. dnc@mrc.soton.ac.uk
D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D007306:Insecticides / Q000009:adverse effects; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds; D010575:Pesticides / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D006113:United Kingdom
D007306:Insecticides; D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds; D010575:Pesticides