The cross-sectional study with interviews people who exposed to chemicals for plant protection at 528 households in vegetable areas in Thai Nguyen city showed that: the rate of people directly exposing to pesticides in study group is very high (34.8%). 55.3% of people exposing to pesticides are women, 20% out of them under 18 and over 60 years old. Knowledge and practice on safety in using pesticides are even low. Common manifestations: tiredness, headache, dizziness, numbness account for 3.1-48.1%. The rate of nerve and dermal diseases is relatively high
Agrochemicals ; Vegetables

1667 laborers were interviewed on using the plant protective chemicals in 16 communes of 8 provinces: §ång Nai, L©m §ång, TiÒn Giang, B×nh D­¬ng, B×nh Ph­íc, Ninh ThuËn, B×nh ThuËn, Kh¸nh Hßa in year 2000. Results: 100% or farm households were using plant protective chemicals. Number and types of plant protective chemicals used are various. The management of plant protective chemicals remained to be not tightly. They are used unsafe and inappropriately, cause effects on the laborer health and toxicity. The incidence of Tb toxicosis is 22.92 per 10,000 people. The incidence of Padan toxicosis is highest.
Chemistry ; Agrochemicals ; therapeutics

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to estimate the burden of acute pesticide poisoning and to determine its trend with recently implemented pesticide regulations. METHODS: Disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) were calculated as the sum of years of life lost (YLLs) and years lived with disability (YLDs) due to acute pesticide poisoning using the methods of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. The values of YLLs, YLDs, and DALYs were stratified by sex, age groups, intentionality of poisoning, and causative agents. RESULTS: From 2006 to 2014, DALYs decreased by 69% (from 69,550 to 21,742). The decreasing tendency of DALYs was especially marked from 2011. The total burden of acute pesticide poisoning was mainly caused by YLLs and intentional pesticide poisoning. The highest DALYs due to acute pesticide poisoning occurred in those in their 40s and 50s; however, the decreased rates of DALYs were higher in those aged 10–49 years than in those aged more than 50 years. Herbicides including paraquat contributed to the largest proportion of total DALYs. CONCLUSION: As this is the first study to quantify the burden of acute pesticide poisoning using DALYs, our results provide comprehensive evidence of the importance of using strict regulations to prevent public health hazards due to acute pesticide poisoning.
Agrochemicals ; Cost of Illness ; Herbicides ; Humans ; Intention ; Korea* ; Paraquat ; Poisoning* ; Public Health ; Social Control, Formal ; Suicide

Investigaition was conducted in the year 2002 on 322 households of vegetable cultivator in Tuc Duyen commune, Thai Nguyen city. Vegetable samples were collected randomly to determine residues of pesticide using gaz-chromatography. In 3 kinds of common vegetable, pesticide residues were detected (bean 60%, bindweed 70%, cabbage 80%). In an average of 70% of samples, residues were detected. Soaking and washing reduced the chemical concentration in vegetable from 27.1% to 50%, depending on the kind of chemical and vegetable. In bindweed 71.4% of samples were contaminated with at least 2 kinds of chemicals. The awareness and practice of cultivators and users were very restricted, lacking of protective means
Pesticides ; Vegetables ; Pesticide Residues

Medico-legal investigations in Korea depend mostly on postmortem inspection without autopsy. Both untrained physicians and experienced forensic pathologists may not be able to determine the cause and manner of death only by postmortem inspection. The aim of our study was to show the limitations of postmortem inspection by evaluating the discrepancy between the results of postmortem inspection and autopsy after natural death. The manner of death by postmortem inspection changed to unnatural death in 9.4% of the cases (12 cases/127 cases) after autopsy. The cause of death in most cases was consumption of alcohol, agricultural chemicals, and antipsychotic intoxication. The cause of death by postmortem inspection changed in 24.3% of the cases (26 cases/107 cases) among cases of confirmed natural death after autopsy. The positive predictive value of cause of death by postmortem inspection was higher for cardiovascular disease (79.0%) and lower for chronic alcoholism and/or chronic liver disease (28.6%). This study shows that forensic pathologists could make considerable errors in determining the cause and manner of death without autopsy and emphasizes the necessity to refine medico-legal investigations in Korea by introducing the limited autopsy with toxicologic study and supportive postmortem imaging.
Agrochemicals ; Alcoholism ; Autopsy ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cause of Death ; Korea ; Liver Diseases

BACKGROUND: Livestock breeders including poultry workers are exposed to various agricultural chemicals including pesticides and/or organic solvents. Multiple myeloma is a rare disease in Korea, and few reports have investigated the influence of occupational exposures on multiple myeloma occurrence. CASE PRESENTATION: A 61-year-old male poultry farm worker presented with bone pain and generalized weakness. A bone marrow biopsy was performed, and he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. The patient had worked in a poultry farm for 16 years and was exposed to various pesticides and organic solvents such as formaldehyde without any proper personal protective equipment. Results of the work reenactment revealed that the concentration of formaldehyde (17.53 ppm) greatly exceeded the time-weighted average (0.5 ppm) and short-term exposure limit (1.0 ppm) suggested in the Korean Industrial Safety and Health Act. CONCLUSIONS: This case report suggests that poultry workers may be exposed to high levels of various hazardous chemicals including pesticides and/or organic solvents. Numerous previous studies have suggested an association between multiple myeloma and exposure to agricultural chemicals; thus, multiple myeloma in this patient might have resulted from the prolonged, high exposure to these chemicals.
Agrochemicals ; Biopsy ; Bone Marrow ; Formaldehyde ; Hazardous Substances ; Hematologic Neoplasms ; Humans ; Korea ; Livestock ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multiple Myeloma* ; Occupational Exposure ; Pesticides ; Poultry* ; Rare Diseases ; Solvents ; Threshold Limit Values

OBJECTIVES: To propose a feasible, valid and appropriate study designs and epidemiologic methods for evaluating the adverse health effects of Agent Orange-chemical defoliants used in Vietnam- in Korea. METHODS: A literature study was performed on Agent Orange, herbicides, pesticides and dioxins. The study subjects, study design, exposure assessment and health outcomes assessment were examined in each study. The potential data sources for the study subjects, study design, exposure assessment and health outcomes assessment in Korea were investigated. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In earlier Korean studies, research subjects for studying the effects of Agent Orange were identified from the patients or persons who claimed to have Agent Orange-related diseases due to the difficulties in identifying the entire population of Vietnam veterans in Korea. In this study, an attempt was made to identify the total number of Vietnam veterans in Korea. As a result, the addresses of 20,000 Vietnam veterans were obtained. It is proposed that a retrospective cohort design on a sample of the total number of Vietnam veterans is a feasible and appropriate study design. Self report questionnaires and military records were proposed to assess the exposure level. It is believed that measuring the plasma or tissue TCDD should be used only for a validation study assessing the level of exposure. For the health outcomes assessment, it is possible to obtain the mortality, cancer frequency, physical examination, screening and medical insurance record data.
Citrus sinensis* ; Cohort Studies ; Data Collection ; Defoliants, Chemical ; Dioxins ; Epidemiologic Methods ; Herbicides ; Humans ; Insurance ; Korea ; Mass Screening ; Military Personnel ; Mortality ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Pesticides ; Physical Examination ; Plasma ; Questionnaires ; Research Subjects ; Retrospective Studies ; Self Report ; Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin ; Veterans* ; Vietnam*

Adolescent ; Adult ; Atropine ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Foodborne Diseases ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Insecticides ; poisoning ; Male ; Muscarinic Antagonists ; therapeutic use ; Organophosphorus Compounds ; Pesticide Residues ; poisoning ; Pesticides ; poisoning ; Treatment Outcome

Ginseng has been widely used in Korea as a natural medicine due to its saponin contents. Although the total amount of ginseng stem and leaf saponins (GSLS) is 4~5 times higher than that of saponin in the root, the root is mainly used. This is due to two reasons: nervous system-stimulant activity of GSLS and pesticide residues in GSLS. In this study, residual agricultural pesticides were removed from GSLS using two types of bacterial treatments. Two GSLS treatment groups of chickens (GSLS-1 and GSLS-2) were established. The chickens were fed 0.4% GSLS-1 or GSLS-2 mixed with crop. We then evaluated the effects of GSLS on bodyweight and several immune parameters. At the end of the experiments, chickens fed GSLS-1 and red ginseng saponin had significantly higher growth rates (16.6% and 8.0%, respectively) compared to the vaccine control group treated with Noblis Salenvac-T. The group fed GSLS-1 also had the highest IgG titer that was significantly different at the end of experiments compared to the other groups. These findings imply that GSLS-1 is a good candidate feed additive for the chicken industry.
Chickens* ; Immunoglobulin G ; Korea ; Panax* ; Pesticide Residues ; Pesticides ; Saponins

The characteristics of pesticide residues were examined in 18,069 samples from 91 vegetable commodities collected in Seoul from 2007 to 2009, and the vegetable dietary intakes of Seoulites were estimated using the Korea National Health and Nutrition examination survey data from 2008. The hazard index was calculated using vegetable pesticide residues and dietary vegetable intake by Seoulites. Detection rates for pesticide residues in vegetables were 11.2 % in 2007, 8.6 % in 2008, and 12.0 % in 2009. Excess rate of Maximum Residue Limits tended to decline from 4.6 % in 2007, to 2.8 % in 2008, and 2.1 % in 2009. Daily vegetable intake for Seoulites was 288.12 +/- 214.8 g, and vegetable intake by males was more than that of females (p < 0.001). The hazard index was the highest at 2.76 x 10(-2) in 2007, and the lowest at 1.69 x 10(-2) in 2009. The risks caused by multiple pesticides in vegetables were very low and vegetable intake was safe considering the hazard index values.
Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Nutrition Surveys ; Pesticide Residues ; Pesticides ; Vegetables