Evaluation of consumer uses of first aid recommendations on pesticide labels.

In order to evaluate consumer uses of first-aid recommendations on pesticide labels and the appropriateness of current label first-aid statements, callers to the University of California, Davis Regional Poison Control Center (RPCC) reporting pesticide exposures were questioned during the period from August 27 to September 30, 1987. Of 2,650 calls received by the RPCC during the study period, 160 (6.0%) of the calls related to pesticides. Eighty-nine (55.6%) of the callers in these cases participated in our label evaluation survey. Only 47 (53%) of the survey participants reported having a product container or label available at the time they called the RPCC. Of 15 participants identifying themselves as physicians or nurses inquiring about exposures to patients, only 1 (7%) reported having access to a product label, compared to 46 (63%) of 74 other callers, a difference in proportion which was highly significant (p less than 0.001). All calls received relating to pesticides were reviewed in order to identify product labels from the registration file at the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). Of the 160 calls received, 133 contained information sufficient to allow for identification of the product involved and an understanding of the exposure event. Label first-aid information in these cases was appropriate to the circumstances of exposure in 63 (47%) of these cases, completely or partially incorrect in 20 (12%), and missing from the label in the remaining 50 (37%) of the cases. Inappropriate first-aid advice was limited to cases involving ingestion while missing first-aid advice was common for all routes of exposure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A variant of mass (epidemic) psychogenic illness in the agricultural work setting.

California experiences episodes of suspected agricultural field worker poisonings annually. These episodes are not only disruptive to ongoing agricultural operations, but the prospect of such poisoning is a source of great concern to workers, employers, and government agencies alike. Three episodes of group illness are examined in which actual poisoning does not seem to be involved. Factors contributing to the generation of these episodes include fear, uncertainty, incomplete understanding of hazards, and social pressures. Physicians can minimize extended disability for workers by reassuring victims and waiting until circumstances are verified before issuing statements which may further alarm or add to already existing fears.