Abstract

GONZALEZ VALIENTE, María Luisa; CAPOTE MARRERO, Belina  and  RODRIGUEZ DURAN, Enma. Mortalidad por intoxicaciones agudas causadas por plaguicidas. Rev Cubana Hig Epidemiol [online]. 2001, vol.39, n.2, pp.136-143. ISSN 0253-1751.

Pesticides have been largely used in the world for more than 5 decades. One of the main problems derived from its use is the high incidence of acute poisonings and deaths that occur every year. Cuba is also affected by this problem so, a descriptive and retrospective research was made. The data sources were the Automated Mortality System of the National Statistics Division of the Ministry of Public Health and death certificates. All the deaths occurred in Cuba during 1995-1997 were analyzed . The pesticides caused 576 deaths. Male adults were the most affected (361). There were no significant differences in individuals under 15 of both sexes. In children, the highest risk was in those under 4. Marked differences were observed between men and women in almost every age group.The highest risks were found in men aged 25 and over and in women aged 15-25. The potentially lost years of life amounted to 17 551. The voluntary circunstances for suicide accounted for 88 % of this type of death. It was more frequent among agricultural workers, housewives and person who did not work. The most used products were the organophosphorus insecticides and the pyridylos derivates.

Keywords : PESTICIDES [epidemiology]; POISONING [mortality]; INSECTICIDES, ORGANOPHOSPHORUS [poisoning]; CUBA.

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