Biomaterial Database

Worker illness related to ground application of pesticide--Kern County, California, 2005. 2006

In California, suspected pesticide and work-related illnesses and injuries are reportable conditions. The Occupational Health Branch (OHB) of the California Department of Health Services (CDHS) conducts surveillance of work-related pesticide illness with support from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). On May 12, 2005, CDHS received a report from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) of a suspected pesticide incident in Kern County involving 27 farmworkers (age range: 21-61 years; median: 32.5 years) and six emergency responders (age range: 28-51 years; median: 33.5 years). CDHS investigated this incident by conducting a site visit; reviewing medical and meteorologic records; and interviewing affected workers, pesticide applicators, and the farmworker employer. Findings indicated that workers became ill from drift of a pyrethroid pesticide (cyfluthrin) that was being applied in a neighboring field. Pyrethroid pesticide applicators should always operate in a manner that ensures workers are not exposed.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007306	Insecticides	Pesticides designed to control insects that are harmful to man. The insects may be directly harmful, as those acting as disease vectors, or indirectly harmful, as destroyers of crops, food products, or textile fabrics.	Insecticide
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D009570	Nitriles	Organic compounds containing the -CN radical. The concept is distinguished from CYANIDES, which denotes inorganic salts of HYDROGEN CYANIDE.	Nitrile
D011722	Pyrethrins	The active insecticidal constituent of CHRYSANTHEMUM CINERARIIFOLIUM flowers. Pyrethrin I is the pyretholone ester of chrysanthemummonocarboxylic acid and pyrethrin II is the pyretholone ester of chrysanthemumdicarboxylic acid monomethyl ester.	Pyrethrin,Pyrethroid,Pyrethroids
D002140	California	State bounded on the east by Nevada and Arizona, on the south by Mexico and the Pacific Ocean on the south and west, and on the north by Oregon.
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328	Adult	A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available.	Adults
D000382	Agricultural Workers' Diseases	Diseases in persons engaged in cultivating and tilling soil, growing plants, harvesting crops, raising livestock, or otherwise engaged in husbandry and farming. The diseases are not restricted to farmers in the sense of those who perform conventional farm chores: the heading applies also to those engaged in the individual activities named above, as in those only gathering harvest or in those only dusting crops.	Agricultural Worker Disease,Agricultural Worker's Disease,Agricultural Worker Diseases,Agricultural Worker's Diseases,Agricultural Workers Disease,Agricultural Workers Diseases,Agricultural Workers' Disease,Disease, Agricultural Worker,Disease, Agricultural Worker's,Disease, Agricultural Workers',Diseases, Agricultural Worker,Diseases, Agricultural Worker's,Diseases, Agricultural Workers',Worker Disease, Agricultural,Worker Diseases, Agricultural,Worker's Disease, Agricultural,Worker's Diseases, Agricultural,Workers' Disease, Agricultural,Workers' Diseases, Agricultural