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. 2013 Nov 21;3(11):e003510.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2013-003510.

Pesticide poisoning in Zhejiang, China: a retrospective analysis of adult cases registration by occupational disease surveillance and reporting systems from 2006 to 2010

Meibian Zhang  1 , Xinglin Fang, Lifang Zhou, Liling Su, Jiajia Zheng, Minjuan Jin, Hua Zou, Guangdi Chen
Affiliations

Pesticide poisoning in Zhejiang, China: a retrospective analysis of adult cases registration by occupational disease surveillance and reporting systems from 2006 to 2010

Meibian Zhang et al. BMJ Open. .

Abstract

Objective: Despite the rapid industrialisation and urbanisation over the past 30 years, agriculture is one of the largest economic sectors in China and the unregulated use of pesticides result in extensive pesticide poisoning. The objective of this study was to analyse pesticide poisoning cases registration received by Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, China.

Design: Register-based study.

Setting: Cases registered regarding pesticide poisoning. Data were obtained from the Occupational Disease Surveillance and Reporting Systems in Zhejiang province from 2006 to 2010, which contains anonymous records representing general population of Zhejiang province, China.

Participants: All cases registered as pesticide poisoning were identified.

Primary outcome: Monthly and age-group pesticide poisoning death rates were calculated.

Results: A total of 20 097 pesticide poisoning cases with 1413 deaths were recorded during the study period. There were 10 513 male pesticide poisoning cases with 782 deaths, and 9584 females with 631 deaths. Pesticide poisoning occurred mostly in non-occupational exposure (79.86%), in which the majority (85.77%) of the cases was of intentional pesticide poisoning. The occupational exposure was most common in men during the farming season. The death rate increased stepwise with age, and the pesticide suicide rate was higher in the older age group.

Conclusions: Pesticide poisoning remains a major health problem in China, and further recommendations to reduce the pesticide poisoning are required.

Keywords: Epidemiology; Occupational & Industrial Medicine.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Monthly pesticide poisoning cases and deaths in Zhejiang province, China from 2006 to 2010. (A) Overall monthly pesticide poisoning cases. Monthly pesticide poisoning cases by non-occupational (B) and occupational (C) exposure. (D) Overall monthly pesticide poisoning death cases. Monthly pesticide poisoning death cases by non-occupational (E) and occupational (F) exposure.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Monthly fatalities due to pesticide poisoning in Zhejiang from 2006 to 2010. Monthly fatalities due to pesticide poisoning (A), and due to pesticide poisoning by non-occupational exposure (B).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Pesticide poisoning cases and deaths in Zhejiang from 2006 to 2010 in different age groups. (A) Overall pesticide poisoning cases in different age groups. Pesticide poisoning cases by non-occupational (B) and occupational (C) exposure in different age groups. (D) Overall pesticide poisoning death cases in different age groups. Pesticide poisoning death cases by non-occupational (E) and occupational (F) exposure in different age groups.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Fatalities due to pesticide poisoning in Zhejiang from 2006 to 2010 in different age groups. Fatalities due to pesticide poisoning (A) and due to pesticide poisoning by non-occupational exposure (B) in different age groups.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Intentional pesticide poisoning cases and deaths, and fatalities in Zhejiang from 2006 to 2010. Monthly intentional pesticide poisoning cases (A), deaths (B) and fatalities (C). Intentional pesticide poisoning cases (D), deaths (E) and fatalities (F) in different age groups.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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