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. 2009:2009:692496.
doi: 10.1155/2009/692496. Epub 2009 Jul 1.

A fatal waterborne outbreak of pesticide poisoning caused by damaged pipelines, sindhikela, bolangir, orissa, India, 2008

Manjubala Panda  1 , Yvan J Hutin, Vidya Ramachandran, Manoj Murhekar
Affiliations

A fatal waterborne outbreak of pesticide poisoning caused by damaged pipelines, sindhikela, bolangir, orissa, India, 2008

Manjubala Panda et al. J Toxicol. 2009.

Abstract

Introduction. We investigated a cluster of pesticide poisoning in Orissa. Methods. We searched the village for cases of vomiting and sweating on 2 February 2008. We described the outbreak by time, place, and person. We compared cases with controls. Results. We identified 65 cases (two deaths; attack rate: 12 per 1000; case fatality: 3%). The epidemic curve suggested a point source outbreak, and cases clustered close to a roadside eatery. Consumption of water from a specific source (odds ratio [OR]: 35, confidence interval [CI]: 13-93) and eating in the eatery (OR: 2.3, CI: 1.1-4.7) was associated with illness. On 31 January 2008, villagers had used pesticides to kill street dogs and had discarded leftovers in the drains. Damaged pipelines located beneath and supplying water may have aspirated the pesticide during the nocturnal negative pressure phase and rinsed it off the next morning in the water supply. Conclusions. Innapropriate use of pesticides contaminated the water supply and caused this outbreak. Education programs and regulations need to be combined to ensure a safer use of pesticides in India.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Cases of organophosphorous poisoning by time of onset at Sindhikela, Bolangir, Orissa, India, 2 February 2008.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Organophosphorous poisoning cases in Sindhikela, Bolangir, Orissa, India, 2008.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Frequency of signs and symptoms among patients with organophosphorous poisoning, Sindhikela, Bolangir, Orissa, India, 2008.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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