Lilli Stephenson, Corinna Van Den Heuvel, Melissa Humphries, Christine Nash, Roger W Byard
{"title":"南澳大利亚州摄入致命杀虫剂的特点。","authors":"Lilli Stephenson, Corinna Van Den Heuvel, Melissa Humphries, Christine Nash, Roger W Byard","doi":"10.1177/00258024231197914","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pesticides are used to kill, repel or control any animal or plant species which are considered pests, but have also been associated with intentional and unintentional human fatalities. A rapid increase in pesticide suicides was observed during 'The Green Revolution' after pesticides were introduced into low- and middle-income rural households without appropriate guidelines for safe use and storage. While national pesticide bans have contributed to a significant decrease in pesticide-related suicides, such cases still comprise a large proportion of all suicides around the world. The aim of the current study was to provide a profile of pesticide suicides in a high-income country as a point of comparison against studies from low- and middle-income countries. Statistical analyses were performed using R (version 4.2.3). Over the 20-year study period, there were a low, yet consistent number of pesticide suicides which were most common among males over the age of 40. Paraquat and methomyl pesticides collectively contributed to almost half (48.8%) of all fatalities. Consistent with the literature, such cases often occurred with little premeditation in response to an acute emotional crisis. While interpretation of autopsy findings was mostly limited, there were some pesticides that demonstrated findings consisted with previously reported characteristics (e.g., gastroesophageal erosions with paraquat). Given the high proportion of cases where paraquat and methomyl pesticides were implicated, it may be appropriate to review the availability and accessibility of such compounds to reduce the occurrence of pesticide suicides in South Australia and potentially the wider Australian population.</p>","PeriodicalId":18484,"journal":{"name":"Medicine, Science and the Law","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":"{\"title\":\"Features of fatal pesticide ingestion in South Australia.\",\"authors\":\"Lilli Stephenson, Corinna Van Den Heuvel, Melissa Humphries, Christine Nash, Roger W Byard\",\"doi\":\"10.1177/00258024231197914\",\"DOIUrl\":null,\"url\":null,\"abstract\":\"<p><p>Pesticides are used to kill, repel or control any animal or plant species which are considered pests, but have also been associated with intentional and unintentional human fatalities. A rapid increase in pesticide suicides was observed during 'The Green Revolution' after pesticides were introduced into low- and middle-income rural households without appropriate guidelines for safe use and storage. While national pesticide bans have contributed to a significant decrease in pesticide-related suicides, such cases still comprise a large proportion of all suicides around the world. The aim of the current study was to provide a profile of pesticide suicides in a high-income country as a point of comparison against studies from low- and middle-income countries. Statistical analyses were performed using R (version 4.2.3). Over the 20-year study period, there were a low, yet consistent number of pesticide suicides which were most common among males over the age of 40. Paraquat and methomyl pesticides collectively contributed to almost half (48.8%) of all fatalities. Consistent with the literature, such cases often occurred with little premeditation in response to an acute emotional crisis. While interpretation of autopsy findings was mostly limited, there were some pesticides that demonstrated findings consisted with previously reported characteristics (e.g., gastroesophageal erosions with paraquat). Given the high proportion of cases where paraquat and methomyl pesticides were implicated, it may be appropriate to review the availability and accessibility of such compounds to reduce the occurrence of pesticide suicides in South Australia and potentially the wider Australian population.</p>\",\"PeriodicalId\":18484,\"journal\":{\"name\":\"Medicine, Science and the Law\",\"volume\":null,\"pages\":null},\"PeriodicalIF\":1.5000,\"publicationDate\":\"2024-10-01\",\"publicationTypes\":\"Journal Article\",\"fieldsOfStudy\":null,\"isOpenAccess\":false,\"openAccessPdf\":\"\",\"citationCount\":\"0\",\"resultStr\":null,\"platform\":\"Semanticscholar\",\"paperid\":null,\"PeriodicalName\":\"Medicine, Science and the Law\",\"FirstCategoryId\":\"3\",\"ListUrlMain\":\"https://doi.org/10.1177/00258024231197914\",\"RegionNum\":4,\"RegionCategory\":\"医学\",\"ArticlePicture\":[],\"TitleCN\":null,\"AbstractTextCN\":null,\"PMCID\":null,\"EPubDate\":\"2023/9/4 0:00:00\",\"PubModel\":\"Epub\",\"JCR\":\"Q1\",\"JCRName\":\"LAW\",\"Score\":null,\"Total\":0}","platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Medicine, Science and the Law","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00258024231197914","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2023/9/4 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"LAW","Score":null,"Total":0}
Features of fatal pesticide ingestion in South Australia.
Pesticides are used to kill, repel or control any animal or plant species which are considered pests, but have also been associated with intentional and unintentional human fatalities. A rapid increase in pesticide suicides was observed during 'The Green Revolution' after pesticides were introduced into low- and middle-income rural households without appropriate guidelines for safe use and storage. While national pesticide bans have contributed to a significant decrease in pesticide-related suicides, such cases still comprise a large proportion of all suicides around the world. The aim of the current study was to provide a profile of pesticide suicides in a high-income country as a point of comparison against studies from low- and middle-income countries. Statistical analyses were performed using R (version 4.2.3). Over the 20-year study period, there were a low, yet consistent number of pesticide suicides which were most common among males over the age of 40. Paraquat and methomyl pesticides collectively contributed to almost half (48.8%) of all fatalities. Consistent with the literature, such cases often occurred with little premeditation in response to an acute emotional crisis. While interpretation of autopsy findings was mostly limited, there were some pesticides that demonstrated findings consisted with previously reported characteristics (e.g., gastroesophageal erosions with paraquat). Given the high proportion of cases where paraquat and methomyl pesticides were implicated, it may be appropriate to review the availability and accessibility of such compounds to reduce the occurrence of pesticide suicides in South Australia and potentially the wider Australian population.
期刊介绍:
Medicine, Science and the Law is the official journal of the British Academy for Forensic Sciences (BAFS). It is a peer reviewed journal dedicated to advancing the knowledge of forensic science and medicine. The journal aims to inform its readers from a broad perspective and demonstrate the interrelated nature and scope of the forensic disciplines. Through a variety of authoritative research articles submitted from across the globe, it covers a range of topical medico-legal issues. The journal keeps its readers informed of developments and trends through reporting, discussing and debating current issues of importance in forensic practice.