Akute Vergiftungen
Poisoned and silenced: a study of pesticide poisoning in the plantations (01.01.02)
Tenagenita, and Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific (PANAP), Poisoned and silenced: a study of pesticide poisoning in the plantations, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2002
In Malaysia six female plantation workers who had low cholinesterase activities in blood samples were medically examined. 3 of these workers had itching skin or eczema (diag-nosed as contact dermatitis possibly due to pesticide), 3 reported having occasional pain in the chest, chest tightness and/or difficulty in breathing, 3 had nosebleed (occasionally or recently), 3 had giddiness (on and off), 2 had numbness of hands (on and off), 2 had headache (on and off), 1 had abdominal cramps (on and off), 1 had fainted and experi-enced blackouts after getting up in the morning, and 1 had nausea and vomiting (on and off). Many of these symptoms are non-specific. The restrictive conditions of the chest and nosebleed could be due to paraquat and five of these workers sprayed paraquat, besides other compounds, mostly herbicides (benzoic acid, phenoxy acid (ester), phosphonic acid, triazine, urea). No organophosphate was identified from reported product names, although two of the workers could not name products they recently used. The low cholinesterase activities may have been caused by paraquat exposure. Paraquat inhibited cholinesterase in fish (Láng et al 1997). In Malaysia in 1997 and 1998 paraquat accounted for a greater proportion (19%) of occupational poisonings than organophosphates (16%) (Sirajuddin et al 2001). Earlier it was reported that among 225 (249) pesticides identified in poisonings in Malaysia in 1987 (1988), paraquat was the causal agent in 62% (71%) of the total, while organophosphates were identified in 38 or 17% (35 or 14%) of cases; the vast majority of identified pesticides were herbicides (Tenagenita & PANAP 1992). In the 2002 study the cholinesterase values of the workers were compared to the average in a non-exposed population and a second measurement was carried out in the six workers with low values after they had abstained from spraying for a month; the second values were 38-500% higher than the first. Levels of cholinesterase in blood plasma must be 30% or more below normal range to be clinically significant without baseline values (Fenske & Simcox 2000). This was the case for all six workers. And the colorimetric determination of cholinesterase employed is a sensitive and reliable method for measuring cholinesterase (Zenz 1994).
References:
Fenske RA, and Simcox NJ, Agricultural workers, In: Levy BS, and Wegman DH (eds), Occupational health: recognizing and preventing work-related diseases and injuries, 729-737, Philadelphia, Pa. 2000
Láng G, Kufcsák O, Szegletes T, and Nemcsók J, Quantitative distributions of different cholinesterases and inhibition of acetylcholinesterase by metidathion and paraquat in alimentary canal of common carp, General Pharmacology 29(1), 55-59, 1997 dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0306-3623(96)00525-3
Sirajuddin H, Roslinah A, Rampal KG, Kuppusamy I, Rohna R, Aziz M, Aw TC, and Beach JR, Notification of occupational and work-related diseases and poisonings in Malaysia, 1997-1998, Medical Journal of Malaysia 56(1), 25-31, 2001 www.mma.org.my/info/1_original_01.htm (abstract)
Tenagenita, and Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific (PANAP), Victims without voice: a study of women pesticide workers in Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1992
Zenz C, Occupational medicine, third edition, St. Louis, Mo. 1994
Document
In Malaysia six female plantation workers who had low cholinesterase activities in blood samples were medically examined. 3 of these workers had itching skin or eczema (diag-nosed as contact dermatitis possibly due to pesticide), 3 reported having occasional pain in the chest, chest tightness and/or difficulty in breathing, 3 had nosebleed (occasionally or recently), 3 had giddiness (on and off), 2 had numbness of hands (on and off), 2 had headache (on and off), 1 had abdominal cramps (on and off), 1 had fainted and experi-enced blackouts after getting up in the morning, and 1 had nausea and vomiting (on and off). Many of these symptoms are non-specific. The restrictive conditions of the chest and nosebleed could be due to paraquat and five of these workers sprayed paraquat, besides other compounds, mostly herbicides (benzoic acid, phenoxy acid (ester), phosphonic acid, triazine, urea). No organophosphate was identified from reported product names, although two of the workers could not name products they recently used. The low cholinesterase activities may have been caused by paraquat exposure. Paraquat inhibited cholinesterase in fish (Láng et al 1997). In Malaysia in 1997 and 1998 paraquat accounted for a greater proportion (19%) of occupational poisonings than organophosphates (16%) (Sirajuddin et al 2001). Earlier it was reported that among 225 (249) pesticides identified in poisonings in Malaysia in 1987 (1988), paraquat was the causal agent in 62% (71%) of the total, while organophosphates were identified in 38 or 17% (35 or 14%) of cases; the vast majority of identified pesticides were herbicides (Tenagenita & PANAP 1992). In the 2002 study the cholinesterase values of the workers were compared to the average in a non-exposed population and a second measurement was carried out in the six workers with low values after they had abstained from spraying for a month; the second values were 38-500% higher than the first. Levels of cholinesterase in blood plasma must be 30% or more below normal range to be clinically significant without baseline values (Fenske & Simcox 2000). This was the case for all six workers. And the colorimetric determination of cholinesterase employed is a sensitive and reliable method for measuring cholinesterase (Zenz 1994).
References:
Fenske RA, and Simcox NJ, Agricultural workers, In: Levy BS, and Wegman DH (eds), Occupational health: recognizing and preventing work-related diseases and injuries, 729-737, Philadelphia, Pa. 2000
Láng G, Kufcsák O, Szegletes T, and Nemcsók J, Quantitative distributions of different cholinesterases and inhibition of acetylcholinesterase by metidathion and paraquat in alimentary canal of common carp, General Pharmacology 29(1), 55-59, 1997 dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0306-3623(96)00525-3
Sirajuddin H, Roslinah A, Rampal KG, Kuppusamy I, Rohna R, Aziz M, Aw TC, and Beach JR, Notification of occupational and work-related diseases and poisonings in Malaysia, 1997-1998, Medical Journal of Malaysia 56(1), 25-31, 2001 www.mma.org.my/info/1_original_01.htm (abstract)
Tenagenita, and Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific (PANAP), Victims without voice: a study of women pesticide workers in Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1992
Zenz C, Occupational medicine, third edition, St. Louis, Mo. 1994
Document
