The global burden of fatal self-poisoning with pesticides 2006-15: Systematic review

Abstract

There appears to have been a substantial decline in fatal pesticide self-poisoning in recent years, largely driven by a reduction in overall suicide rates in China. Nonetheless, pesticide self-poisoning remains a major public health challenge, accounting for at least one-in-seven suicides globally.

Method validation and simultaneous quantification of eight organochlorines/organophosphates in apple by gas chromatography

“…In spite of the tremendous uses of pesticides these are also fraught with alarming consequences related to human health and various other living creatures. Extensive and indiscriminate use of pesticides has affected the non‐target population particularly humans by directly or indirectly exposing them to serious ailments and diseases including mutagenesis, endocrine, dermatological and neurological dysfunction . Moreover, increased depositions of certain pesticides in the environment are directly related to carcinogenesis .…”

“…Extensive and indiscriminate use of pesticides has affected the non-target population particularly humans by directly or indirectly exposing them to serious ailments and diseases including mutagenesis, endocrine, dermatological and neurological dysfunction. 2,3 Moreover, increased depositions of certain pesticides in the environment are directly related to carcinogenesis. 4,5 The use of pesticides in large quantities and their remarkable persistence in the biosystem causes widespread presence in all levels of the food chain, which particularly involves water, vegetation and fish, etc.…”

Outcomes of Community‐Based Suicide Prevention Approaches That Involve Reducing Access to Pesticides: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Other strategies are more community-based and are typically driven by partnerships between local community members and other key stakeholders (World Health Organization, 2006). These "bottom-up" approaches involve educating the public about proper handling, storage and use of pesticides, appointing designated individuals in the community to store and distribute pesticides, and limiting access to pesticide through central communal storage facilities or household lockable storage boxes (Konradsen et al, 2003;Vijayakumar, Pirkis, & Whiteford, 2005).…”

Deliberate self-poisoning with long-acting anticoagulant rodenticides

“…Pesticide poisoning, in general, is a major contributor to the global burden of suicide and accounts for one in seven suicides worldwide. Data collected from the WHO Mortality Database from 2006 to 2015 show that the largest percentage of suicides is due to pesticides in low-income and middle-income countries, with the greatest burden in the Western Pacific region, and the lowest percentage in high-income countries, including the USA (48.3% vs 1.7%, respectively) 4. Socioeconomic development and restricting access to pesticides have likely contributed to the recent decline in the absolute number of deaths from pesticide self-poisoning, suggested by recent studies in China.…”