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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Michelle Lackovic, MPH, Joseph F. Sejud, MD, JD, MPH, Veronica Anne Lea, MPH, and Dianne Dugas, MPH, MSW. Section of Environmental Epidemiology and Toxicology, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, 325 Loyola Avenue, Suite 210, New Orleans, LA 70112
A descriptive summary of 5-years (October 1995 – September 2000) of pesticide surveillance data is presented in this review. Louisiana’s Health-Related Pesticide Incident Report Program is a complaint-based, statewide surveillance system initiated in 1991. Its purpose is to investigate and evaluate adverse health effects associated with acute pesticide exposure. The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry and the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals jointly investigate complaints.
During this period, 163 incidents involving 336 cases were investigated. Drift of an agricultural pesticide accounted for the largest percentage of the incidents (87 or 54%). Other frequently reported circumstances of exposure include pest control (23 or 14%) and household use (17 or 10%). Most incidents occurred in a residential setting (115 or 71%). Insecticide exposure (primarily cholinesterase-inhibitors) accounted for 50% of the incidents and 29% involved herbicide exposure.
Using CDC’s NIOSH criteria, cases were classified based on the degree of association of health effects with reported exposure. Two hundred and thirty-one cases (69%) had health effects associated with pesticide exposure. Of those, there were 18 confirmed (7%), 51 likely (22%), and 162 possible (70%) cases. Forty-nine percent of these cases sought medical care. Eight cases had symptoms severe enough to require hospitalization, and there was one fatality. Three incidents (7 severe cases and 1 fatality) involved the misuse of a restricted use pesticide in a residential setting, and 1 incident resulted in severe health effects from a residential flea control application.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Pesticide Exposure, Environmental Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.