Acute symptoms following work with pesticides.
BACKGROUND
Serious accidental poisoning by pesticides is rare in the UK, but more minor pesticide-related illness may be under-reported. Anecdotally, use of sheep dip has been linked with flu-like symptoms.


OBJECTIVE
To explore the frequency, nature and determinants of acute symptoms following work with pesticides.


METHODS
A postal survey of men in three rural areas of England and Wales provided data on occupational use of five categories of pesticide, occurrence of 12 specified symptoms within 48 h of using pesticides and tendency to somatize. Risk factors for pesticide-related symptoms were assessed by modified Cox regression.


RESULTS
Of 10 765 responders (response rate = 31%), 4108 had at some time used pesticides occupationally, including 935 (23%) who reported symptoms following such work on at least one occasion. In two areas, acute symptoms were most frequent following use of sheep dip (29 and 32% of users), but in the third area the rate was significantly lower (13% of users). The relative frequency of symptoms was similar for all five categories of pesticide, and flu-like symptoms did not cluster unusually among users of sheep dip. Risk of pesticide-related symptoms increased with somatizing tendency (prevalence ratio for highest versus lowest category 2.4, 95% confidence interval 2.0-3.0) and was higher in men who had used pesticides most often or handled concentrate.


CONCLUSIONS
Acute symptoms are common following work with pesticides, but in many cases the illness may arise through psychological rather than toxic mechanisms.
Solomon
Christine
C
MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK.
Poole
Jason
J
Palmer
Keith T
KT
Peveler
Robert
R
Coggon
David
D
D000208:Acute Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D000383:Agriculture / Q000379:methods; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010575:Pesticides / Q000633:toxicity*; D012423:Rural Health; D014852:Wales / Q000453:epidemiology
D010575:Pesticides