Author:
Mlayeh Souheil,Annabi Khaled,Daly Amal Ben,Jedidi Maher,Dhiab Mohamed Ben
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Pesticide poisoning is recognized as an important public health problem worldwide, especially in the developing countries, such as Tunisia, where these products are massively used in agriculture. The objective of our study was to document the forensic deaths caused by pesticides reported from a forensic center located in the coastal region of Tunisia.
Methods
This is a 19-year retrospective descriptive study of lethal pesticide poisoning victims autopsied in the Department of Forensic Medicine at Farhat Hached University Hospital in Sousse, Tunisia, from 1991 to 2009.
Results
One hundred thirty deaths were collected. The majority of the victims were female (62% vs 38%). The mean age was 27.46 years with the highest frequency of poisoning deaths occurring in the 21-30 years age group (34%). Eleven percent of the victims were found in a state of coma and 4.6% suffered from respiratory distress. Signs observed during the external examination of the bodies were as follows: bluish discoloration of the lips and the limbs (n = 130, 100%), leakage of urine (n = 13, 10%), foaming at the mouth or the nose (n = 66, 50.8%). The most frequent signs found during autopsies were pulmonary edema in 88.4% of the cases and multiorgan congestion in 86.9%. Toxicological screening of the stomach content was positive for pesticides in 126 cases. Intoxication was mainly caused by cholinesterase inhibitor insecticides: carbamates (50%) and organophosphorus compounds (31.5%). In 92% of cases, death was in a context of suicide.
Conclusions
This study shows that a large proportion of pesticide poisoning deaths are preventable. Prevention is, on the one side, by restricting the availability of pesticides and on the other side by promulgating more vigorous legislation concerning the manufacturing, the marketing, and the use of these products.
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Law,Health (social science),Pathology and Forensic Medicine
Reference26 articles.
1. Derkaoui A, Elbouazzaoui A, Elhouari N, Achour S, Labib S, Sbai H, Harrandou M, Khatouf M, Kanjaa N (2011) Severe acute intoxication by organophosphate pesticides: about 28 cases. Pan Afr Med J 8:16
2. Donley N (2019) The USA lags behind other agricultural nations in banning harmful pesticides. Environ Health 18, 44 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-019-0488-0
3. Flemming K, Van der Hoekb W, Donald C, Gerard H, Hubert D, Surjit S (2003) Reducing acute poisoning in developing countries—options for restricting the availability of pesticides. Toxicology 192:249–261
4. González C, Thelma D, Yazmín Z, Carlos A, Krystell F, Rojop A, Isela N, Lilia S, Mario M (2015) Differences by gender in completed suicides in a Mexican population: a psychological autopsy study. J Forensic Leg Med:38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm.2015.11.019
5. Gooch D, Thompson P, Nash H.M, Snowling MJ, Hulme C (2016) The development of executive function and language skills in the early school years. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 57: 180-187. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12458
Cited by
1 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献