Agricultural workers face greater threats from pesticide-related illnesses -- including acute poisonings and long-term effects such as cancer and birth defects -- than any other sector of society. Farmworkers and their children, are exposed to pesticides while working in and living near the fields. To shed light on this issue, the CA for Pesticide Reform issued a report on the problem in June 1999, presenting CA Dept. of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) data showing that from 1991 to 1996 DPR reported nearly 4,000 cases of farmworker pesticide poisoning, and concluding that the problem was even more serious. This report, in both English and Spanish, updates that 1999 report and shows that farmworkers continue to face unacceptable threats of exposure to hazardous pesticides.

This 5th ed. is an update and expansion of the 1989 4th ed. This EPA manual provides health professionals with information on the health hazards of pesticides currently in use, and current consensus recommendations for management of poisonings and injuries caused by them. As with previous updates, this new ed. incorporates new pesticide products that are not necessarily widely known among health professionals. Contents: (1) General Information: Introduction; General Principles in the Management of Acute Pesticide Poisonings; Environmental and Occupational History; (2) Insecticides; (3) Herbicides; (4) Other Pesticides; (5) Index of Signs and Symptoms; Index of Pesticide Products. Charts and tables.

Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology attempts to provide concise, critical reviews of timely advances, philosophy, and significant areas of accomplished or needed endeavor in the total field of xenobiotics, in any segment of the environment, as well as toxicological implications.

"In this paper, the authors have assessed the incidence and determinants of pesticide poisoning among rice farmers in Vietnam's Mekong Delta. Blood cholinesterase tests suggest that the incidence of poisoning from exposure to organophosphates and carbamates is quite high in Vietnam. Using the medical test results as benchmarks, the authors find that farmers' self-reported symptoms have very weak associations with actual poisoning. Regression analysis of blood tests reveals a lower incidence of poisoning for farmers who avoid the most toxic pesticides and use protective items. The authors also find very large provincial differences in poisoning incidence after they control for individual factors. The results highlight the potential importance of negative externalities, and suggest that future research on pesticide-related damage should include information on local water, air, and soil contamination. "--World Bank web site.