Acute fungicide self-poisoning - a prospective case series. 2022

Edward Nendick, and Fahim Mohamed, and Jacques Raubenheimer, and Indika Gawarammana, and Nick A Buckley, and Michael Eddleston
Academic Unit of Medical Education, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.

Pesticide self-poisoning is a global clinical and public health problem. While self-poisoning with insecticides and herbicides has been extensively studied, there is minimal literature on acute fungicide self-poisoning. We aimed to study the clinical course and outcome of fungicide self-poisoned patients recruited to a prospective cohort in Sri Lanka. We conducted a prospective study of patients presenting with fungicide self-poisoning to nine hospitals in Sri Lanka between 2002 and 2020. Patients were enrolled by clinical research assistants, with clinical outcomes being recorded at regular review for each patient. We identified 337 cases of self-poisoning with fungicides (alcohol as only co-ingestant), including 28 different fungicides across 5 different fungicide classes. Median time from ingestion to examination was 3.1 (1.8-5.7) h. Nearly all presented to hospital fully conscious (GCS 15, 15-15)- only 27 patients (8.0%) presented with reduced GCS (<15) and only 2 (0.6%) had GCS 3/15. Most patients (333/337, 98.8%) made a full recovery, of whom only eight (2.37%) required intubation and ventilation. Four patients died (case fatality rate: 1.2%; 95% CI 0.0-23.4) after ingestion of edifenphos (n = 2), propamocarb and pyraclostrobin. Fungicide self-poisoning appears to be less hazardous than insecticide or herbicide self-poisoning, with a substantially lower case fatality in the same cohort. Edifenphos is an exception to this 'less toxic' rule; as a WHO Class Ib highly hazardous pesticide, we recommend its withdrawal from, and replacement in, global agricultural practice. Propamocarb should be listed in the WHO hazard classification as propamocarb hydrochloride to reflect the higher toxicity of the common agricultural formulation. Pyraclostrobin currently has no WHO classification; one is urgently required now that its ingestion has now been linked the death of a patient. Additional prospective clinical data on fungicide self-poisoning is required to expand knowledge on the effects of these diverse compounds.

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
D010575 Pesticides Chemicals used to destroy pests of any sort. The concept includes fungicides (FUNGICIDES, INDUSTRIAL); INSECTICIDES; RODENTICIDES; etc. Pesticide
D011041 Poisoning A condition or physical state produced by the ingestion, injection, inhalation of or exposure to a deleterious agent. Poisonings
D011446 Prospective Studies Observation of a population for a sufficient number of persons over a sufficient number of years to generate incidence or mortality rates subsequent to the selection of the study group. Prospective Study,Studies, Prospective,Study, Prospective
D005659 Fungicides, Industrial Chemicals that kill or inhibit the growth of fungi in agricultural applications, on wood, plastics, or other materials, in swimming pools, etc. Industrial Fungicides
D006540 Herbicides Pesticides used to destroy unwanted vegetation, especially various types of weeds, grasses (POACEAE), and woody plants. Some plants develop HERBICIDE RESISTANCE. Algaecide,Algicide,Herbicide,Algaecides,Algicides
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D013188 Sri Lanka Country in southern Asia, an island in the Indian Ocean, south of India. The capital is Colombo. Ceylon

Related Publications

Edward Nendick, and Fahim Mohamed, and Jacques Raubenheimer, and Indika Gawarammana, and Nick A Buckley, and Michael Eddleston
February 2022, Clinical toxicology (Philadelphia, Pa.),
Edward Nendick, and Fahim Mohamed, and Jacques Raubenheimer, and Indika Gawarammana, and Nick A Buckley, and Michael Eddleston
February 2009, BMC clinical pharmacology,
Edward Nendick, and Fahim Mohamed, and Jacques Raubenheimer, and Indika Gawarammana, and Nick A Buckley, and Michael Eddleston
March 2022, The American journal of forensic medicine and pathology,
Edward Nendick, and Fahim Mohamed, and Jacques Raubenheimer, and Indika Gawarammana, and Nick A Buckley, and Michael Eddleston
January 2018, PloS one,
Edward Nendick, and Fahim Mohamed, and Jacques Raubenheimer, and Indika Gawarammana, and Nick A Buckley, and Michael Eddleston
December 2021, Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology,
Edward Nendick, and Fahim Mohamed, and Jacques Raubenheimer, and Indika Gawarammana, and Nick A Buckley, and Michael Eddleston
December 2010, Journal of medical toxicology : official journal of the American College of Medical Toxicology,
Edward Nendick, and Fahim Mohamed, and Jacques Raubenheimer, and Indika Gawarammana, and Nick A Buckley, and Michael Eddleston
January 2012, Clinical toxicology (Philadelphia, Pa.),
Edward Nendick, and Fahim Mohamed, and Jacques Raubenheimer, and Indika Gawarammana, and Nick A Buckley, and Michael Eddleston
January 2003, The Medical journal of Australia,
Edward Nendick, and Fahim Mohamed, and Jacques Raubenheimer, and Indika Gawarammana, and Nick A Buckley, and Michael Eddleston
December 2003, Annals of emergency medicine,
Edward Nendick, and Fahim Mohamed, and Jacques Raubenheimer, and Indika Gawarammana, and Nick A Buckley, and Michael Eddleston
February 1989, Israel journal of medical sciences,
Copied contents to your clipboard!