0034 Acute occupational pesticide poisoning in morocco: a 6 year retrospective study

IntroductionPesticide poisoning has become a major public health problem worldwide, following the intensification of agriculture. The easy availability of highly toxic pesticides in the homes of farming communities has made pesticides the preferred means of suicide with an extremely high fatality rate. Similarly, the extensive use of pesticides exposes the community to both long-term and acute occupational health problems. The aim of this study is to describe the epidemiological characteristics of acute occupational pesticide poisoning in Morocco.MethodsThis is a descriptive retrospective study of occupational poisoning cases, notified between 2007 and 2012 in the Moroccan Poison Control Centre.ResultsThere were 151 cases of acute occupational pesticide poisoning (35.7% of women and 64.3% of men), which was 43.7% of all occupational poisoning cases notified during the period of study. These products were responsible for poisoning of varying severity, depending on the types of pesticides, the route of exposure, and the duration and frequency of exposure. The average age of victims was 27.9±0.9 years. More than half of reported cases resulted from inhalation (53%), 36.2% from oral exposure and only 9.4% from dermal exposure. The risk was mainly related to the use of insecticides (50%). Among the 136 cases for whom the evolution is known, a 26-year-old man died. For other cases, the outcome was favourable with or without sequelae.ConclusionsPreventive measures should be taken to rationalise pesticide use, which pose a real public health problem, not only for users, but also for the general population.