title: Hospital-based survey of pesticide poisoning in Japan, 1998--2002.
abstract: Data concerning clinical cases of pesticide poisoning from 1998 to 2002 from the hospitals affiliated with the Japanese Association of Rural Medicine were analyzed. 346 cases of poisoning by agricultural chemicals were reported from 65 hospitals. Suicides accounted for 70% of pesticide poisoning cases, followed by accidental exposures during spraying work (16%) and accidental ingestion (8%). The majority of cases were acute or subacute systemic poisonings (90%), followed by acute dermatitis (5%) and chemical burns (3%). Organophosphate insecticide was the most frequent inducer of clinical cases (36%), followed by bipyridylium herbicide (20%) and carbamate insecticide (6%). The death rate from poisoning by the herbicide paraquat was more than 70% of clinical cases, even though it is a low-concentration product, whereas those from the alternative herbicides, glufosinate and glyphosate, were less than 10%.
authors.affiliation: Japan Institute of Rural Medicine, Saku Central Hospital, Usuda, Nagano, Japan. jirm@valley.ne.jp
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nagami
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nishigaki
authors.forename: Shosui
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsushima
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsushita
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Asanuma
authors.forename: Nobuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yajima
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Usuda
authors.forename: Miwako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirosawa
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010575:Pesticides / Q000506:poisoning*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013405:Suicide
chemical_list: D010575:Pesticides