The amount of pesticide residues in the soil was investigated in two fields. About 0.05-0.14μg/g-dry of fungicide procymidone (Sumirex^TM) were detected from the soil, where fuming with procymidone had been ceased for about a year.
Measurements have been carried out for the subsequent three years with the result that the second half-life of procymidone in the soil was estimated at about 1.5 years.
Procymidone residues ranging from 0.005 to 0.017μg/g-raw were detected in the vegetables grown in these fields, but not in strawberries.
These data suggested that procymidone falls under the category of long-lived organo-chlorine pesticides.
It is necessary to study further on the environmental behavior and the toxity of procymidone, as procymidone residues in foodstuffs are reported repeatedly and the chemical is still on the market.

The'Toyonoka' variety increased rapidly in the market of strawberry in southwest Japan. But this variety has no resistance to powdery mildew (Sphaerotheca hurnuli), and the farmers are at their wit's end, not knowing how to control the fungi.
Multi-residue analytical method was established for 3 dicarboximides (vinclozolin, procymidone and iprodione) and 7 fungicides to control powdery mildew (triadimefon, pyrifenox, chinomethionate, fenarimol, myclobutanil, bitertanol and triflumizole). The recovery rates of 13 chemicals were 76-93%, and detection limits were below 0.01μg/g-raw with HPLC-DAD and GC-ECD.
Nine fungicides except vinclozolin were detected in strawberries on the market, and 12 chemicals detected were qualified with HPLC-DAD and GC-MS. All the detected cases were below the maximum residue levels in Japan.
Dicarboximides were detected 60-70% of strawberry samples both in ‘Toyonoka’ and ‘Nyohou’. On the other hand, the fungicides to control powdery mildew were detected often and complexly in ‘Toyonoka’ than ‘Nyohou’. It is necessary to consider to exchange the 'Toyonoka' variety for more tolerant one to control powdery mildew.

While the importance of domestic agriculture is stressed, Japan's imports of agricultural products are increasing year by year. From the standpoint of public health, what matters most is pesticide residues in imported agricultural products, in particular, the residues of chemicals applied after harvest for long-distance transport and long-term conservation.
Recentv, we have completed a simultaneous analytical method to detect two sprout inhibitors-maleic hydrazide and chlorpropham-in potato chips. The recovery rates and detection limits of maleic hydrazide and chlorpropham by this method were worked out at 81±5, 79±4%, 0.1, 0.01μg/g-raw, respectively.
A residue survey was carried out in potato chips on the market. The detection rate of maleic hydrazide was 25% with the maximum amount of 0.3μg/g-raw. The detection rate of chlorpropham was 45% with the maximum amount of 0.11μg/g-raw.

Chronic adverse effects on human bodies from pesticide exposure are far-reaching. They eventually cause neuropsychological disorders, organ disorders, oncogenesis, unwonted pregnancy outcomes, developmental disorders, and so forth. This paper reviewed the literature published in recent years on the relationships between pesticide exposures and pregnancy outcomes.Many studies from North America and Europe documented a link between adverse pregnancy outcomes and exposures to pesticides used in agriculture, gardening, and in everyday life. The adverse pregnancy outcomes were birth defect, spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, preterm birth, depressed birth size, and the imbalanced male/female ratio of newborns. The majority of the reports described significant relations. Significant increases in the incidence of birth defect were reported also by the majority of the reports, and specific malformations such as anencephaly were significantly related to pesticide exposure. Hypospadias and cryptorchism were found to be significantly closely related to exposure to various kinds of pesticide and the residue of chlordanes rather than residual DDT.Two pieces of research carried out in the Philippines and South Africa revealed a close association between agricultural pesticide use and birth defect and spontaneous abortion. In the developing countries of the tropical and sub-tropical regions, the protect gears were scarcely used for the reason of climate and a high cost. Consequently, the risk of exposure was high. The situation in these regions needs further study from an epidemiological standpoint. Some activities and administrative measures are simultaneously necessary, including the education in order to decrease the risk of pesticide exposure and use pesticides with low toxicity.Regrettably, few epidemiological studies have been carried out in Japan, and the Japanese Association of Rural Medicine is responsible for promoting epidemiological research in this nation. Furthermore, it should contribute to the activities and administrative measures to lower the risk of pesticide exposure in Southeast Asian countries.
Pesticides ; Pregnancy Outcome ; seconds ; Risk ; epidemiologic

The use of pesticides has rapidly increased in Japan since the end of World War II, significantly reducing work burdens and boosting food production. In the meantime, pesticides, responsible for poisoning and environmental pollution, have for many years posed grave issues that have had to be tackled by scientists of rural medicine for a long period. The Japanese Association of Rural Medicine, founded by the late Toshikazu Wakatsuki, has grappled with those issues for many years. Above all, the association has fulfilled its social obligations, such as by bringing the toxicity of organic mercury to light in animal tests to prompt the government to prohibit its use, and by casting light on birth defects caused by defoliants aerially sprayed during the Vietnam War to urge U.S. military forces to break off herbicide warfare. As it has become possible to make less toxic pesticides available for farm work in recent years, death-inducing accidents have seldom occurred during the spraying of pesticides, and the association’s activities are now at a low ebb. Now that pesticides, which after all are biologically toxic compounds, are openly used on farms, there is the need to pay constant attention to their impacts on the human body and the environment. In the future, it is necessary to epidemiologically probe into chronic impacts on the human body and contribute to the prevention of pesticide poisoning in Southeast Asia.

　　The Gene testing techniques have made a remarkable development in recent years. The number of studies on an association between chronic effects rapidly of pesticide exposure and gene polymorphism has increased. This tendency is probably because some genes are related to the metabolism and transport through the cell membrane of the toxic chemicals.　　Many studies on the cancer risk have found the significant interactions between pesticide exposure and gene polymorphism. The cancers associated with pesticides included gallbladder cancer, prostate cancer, renal cell carcinoma, breast cancer, bladder cancer, childhood leukemia, childhood brain tumor and so forth. The interactive factors of the pesticide exposure have been given as follows: The serum DDT level, the agricultural use of malathion or dichlorvos, the pesticide exposure indices representing the job history, the history of prenatal or postnatal insecticide exposure, among others. The genes of significant interaction with polymorphism have been given as follows: Cytochrome P450, glutathione-S-transferase, P-glycoprotein, flavin-containing monooxygenase, quinone oxidoreductase, among others.　　The risk of Parkinson&rsquo:s disease was reported to have the interaction with pesticide exposure and paraoxonase or dopamine transporter polymorphism.　　Some studies on birth defect and nuerodevelopmental retardation have reported the significant interactive relations. For example: Preterm delivery with organochlorine pesticide exposure and cytochrome P450 polymorphism, reduction of head circumference or retardation of neurobehavioral development with organophosphorous insecticide exposure and paraoxonase polymorphism.　　When it comes to multiple chemical sensitivity, some gene polymorphisms were reported to have significant relations. Further research is needed to gain a deeper insight into multiple chemical sensitivity including the interaction between gene polymorphism and chemical exposure epidemiologically.

Sales of cut-flowers depend much on the outer appearance of the flowers. They are not intended to be used as foodstuffs; thus, pesticides are used more liberally for cut flower growing than for other agricultural products. Flower production is often carried out in greenhouses; therefore, pesticide exposure seems to reach not only the person spraying the pesticides, but also the non-spraying workers as well. In 2009, a special research project on pesticide poisoning, affiliated with the Japanese Association of Rural Medicine, developed a study that focused on cut-flower farmers’ exposure to pesticide, subsequent adverse symptoms experienced, and treatment modalities to relieve pesticide-related symptoms. In this group of farmers, the pesticide sprayers were almost entirely male, while the females did not do any spraying. The organophosphate metabolite level in the urine of the males was higher than that of the females. However, in the female group, a positive relation was found between average working times in the greenhouse, and urine concentration of dialkylphosphates. In 2 males of this group, the level of dimethylphosphate was detected at 1,000 times the median level. Their butyrylcholinesterase activity levels on the day of testing had declined to 64%, 72% of their average level of the proximate 4 years, respectively. Communication with these subjects regarding pesticide exposure and methods of prevention appeared to be an effective approach for reducing symptom severity. Among soil fumigants, chloropicrin and 1,3-dichloropropene were most often used. Difficulty breathing was one of the subjective symptoms associated with chloropicrin, as well as watery eyes, coughing, and runny nose. These symptoms were effectively suppressed by the preventative practice of wearing gas masks and goggles while using soil fumigants. It would be beneficial to strongly encourage use of suitable protective gear among farmers exposed to soil fumigants.

Objective: Paraquat poisoning occurs worldwide, and both the fatality rate and the number of deaths are out of the ordinary. Japan is one of the few countries in the world that have replaced 24% products with 5% products. This report is an attempt to introduce information about paraquat poisoning in Japan.
Methods: The Japanese Association of Rural Medicine has carried out extensive surveys on clinical cases of pesticide poisoning at its 122 member installations since 2007. Of all the findings, we have picked out and evaluated those concerned with paraquat poisoning.
Findings: Twenty-two out of 28 persons who attempted to commit suicide with paraquat died in 2007-2011. The rate of deaths from suicide attempts with paraquat stands at somewhere near 80% or so even with 5% products, so it appears that the attempts to reduce the death rate did not have the intended effect even with products having a lower concentration.
Conclusion: The “outcome prediction line” propounded in 1979 still stands today, while a wide variety of therapies have been studied. It seems that paraquat should at least be classified into Class Ib (highly hazardous) given that the mortality remains high and efficacious therapies remain elusive.

　　Clinical cases of pesticide poisoning from 2010 through 2012 were analyzed based on data collected from the hospitals affiliated with the Japanese Association of Rural Medicine.　　One hundred and thirty-seven cases of pesticide poisoning were reported from 37 hospitals. By gender, males and females made up almost the same number. By age group, those in the 70-79 age band accounted for 22% of the total number of the cases, followed by those in their 60s (18%) and those in their 80s (18%). By month, the incidence peaked in May, accounting for 16%. When it comes to occupational poisoning, the majority of the cases occurred in spring and summer, when pesticides were used frequently.　　By type of pesticide exposure, suicide accounted for 71%, followed by accidental ingestion (13%) and occupational exposure (12%).　　By type of clinical manifestation, acute poisoning was most frequent (83%), followed by dermatitis (6%) and ocular disorders (5%). When it comes to occupational exposure, the rate of acute poisoning decreased to 42%, and dermatitis and ocular disorders increased to 47% and 11%, respectively.　　Amino acid herbicides topped the list of agricultural chemical compounds causing poisoning (29%), followed by and organo-phosphate insecticides (29%) and bipyridilium herbicide (8%).　　As regards main ingredients, glyphosate was the most frequent inducer (38 cases), followed by fenitrothion (18 cases) and paraquat (12 cases).　　Twenty-two death cases were reported, of which eight cases were by paraquat and three cases by fenitrothion. The death rate from paraquat poisoning was far higher than those from any other pesticides. The death number has been decreased gradually, which was correlated with the downward trend of paraquat sales.

  Clinical cases of pesticide poisoning from 2007 through 2009 were analyzed based on data collected from the hospitals affiliated with the Japanese Association of Rural Medicine.
  Two hundred and twelve cases of pesticide poisoning were reported from 48 hospitals. By gender, males accounted for 54%. By age group, those in the 60-69 age band accounted for 23%, followed by those 70-79 years old (22%) and those 50-59 years old (19%). By month, the incidence peaked in May or August accounted for 12% respectively. When it comes to occupational poisoning, the majority of the cases occurred in spring and summer, when pesticides were used frequently.
  By type of pesticide exposure, suicide accounted for 77%, followed by occupation exposure (16%) and accidental ingestion (4%).
  By type of clinical manifestation, acute poisoning was most frequent (90%), followed by dermatitis (3%) and ocular disorders (2%). When it comes to occupational exposure, the rate of acute poisoning decreased to 70%, and dermatitis and ocular disorders increased to 11% respectively.
  Organo-phosphate insecticides topped the list of agricultural chemical compounds causing poisoning (32%), followed by amino acid herbicides (22%) and bipyridilium herbicide (10%). When it comes to main ingredients, glyphosate was the most frequent inducer (32 cases), followed by fenitrothion (25 cases) and paraquat (21 cases).
  Thirty-six death cases were reported, of which 16 cases were by paraquat and 9 cases by organo-phosphate insecticides. The death rate and number from paraquat poisoning were by far larger than those from any other pesticides. A ban on the use of paraquat must be considered.