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Pesticide-Related Incidents Treated in Finnish Hospitals - A Review of Cases Registered Over a 5-Year PeriodPoison Control Centre, Children's Hospital, University of Helsinki
Institute of Occupational Health Topeliuksenkatu 41 a A, SF-00250 Helsinki, Finland Pesticide-related incidents are uncommon in Finland. They comprised 0.11% of all hospitalizations due to poisoning in 1987-88. A search of the nationwide Hospital Discharge Register revealed 78 pesticide-related incidents in a 5-year period. Some 30 different agents were involved, the most frequent being organophosphate and MCPA. Only 36 cases (46%) were judged to be unequivocal or probable pesticide poisonings; 26 (33%) were probably other illnesses because of no or minimal exposure and of the children admitted for follow-up, nine (12%) had potentially marked exposure, but no poisoning developed owing to vigorous early treatment which limited absorption, and seven (9%) cases remained undetermined. According to our analysis, the management of patients with (suspected) pesticide poisoning at hospitals could be further improved if the following procedures were emphasised: decontamination of the skin when appropriate, systematic early estimation of the likely dose involved, analytical verification of pesticide absorption whenever feasible, and consistent collaboration with a toxicological advisory service.
Human & Experimental Toxicology, Vol. 11, No. 6,
473-479 (1992) |
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