title: Surveillance data on pesticide and agricultural chemical releases and associated public health consequences in selected US states, 2003-2007.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  While pesticides and agricultural chemicals are used to increase crop production and to reduce the spread of disease, their toxic nature also has the potential to threaten human health. Releases of pesticides and agricultural chemicals have resulted in human illness and death. This analysis examines releases of pesticides and agricultural chemicals and their associated injuries captured by the Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES) system from 2003-2007.
  
  
  METHODS
  Simple descriptive statistics are presented. Comparisons were made to data from all HSEES events when possible.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analysis of the data shows that farm workers are at particular risk for injury and that the most frequent months for releases of pesticides and agricultural chemicals were the spring planting months of April through June. Releases of pesticides and agricultural chemicals occurred more often during transport, had higher frequencies of patient decontamination associated with them, and lower frequencies of evacuation and shelter-in place orders compared with all HSEES events.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Since exposures are precipitated by behavioral and environmental factors, especially in occupational settings, future interventions targeting employers, and transporters of agricultural chemicals, as well as physicians, are recommended. These interventions should be customized to fit local conditions.
authors.affiliation: Utah Department of Health, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Saw
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shumway
authors.forename: Perri
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ruckart
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D005260:Female; D015386:Hazardous Substances; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010575:Pesticides / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011041:Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011634:Public Health; D012042:Registries; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D015386:Hazardous Substances; D010575:Pesticides