Data concerning clinical cases of pesticide poisoning from 1998 to 2002 from the hospitals affiliated with the Japanese Association of Rural Medicine were analyzed. 346 cases of poisoning by agricultural chemicals were reported from 65 hospitals. Suicides accounted for 70% of pesticide poisoning cases, followed by accidental exposures during spraying work (16%) and accidental ingestion (8%). Th...

Background: Glyphosate containing herbicides are widely used the world over. They are marketed as nontoxic to humans, but numerous studies have showed that these glyphosate-based herbicides (GlySH) can cause multiorgan damage.1 Recent reports of animal studies on rats have raised a doubt of liver damage after long term exposure to GlySH. Case Presentation: a young male had chronic exposure to G...

Four cases of self-poisoning with 'Roundup' herbicide are described, one of them fatal. One of the survivors had a protracted hospital stay and considerable clinical and laboratory detail is presented. Serious self-poisoning is associated with massive gastrointestinal fluid loss and renal failure. The management of such cases and the role of surfactant toxicity are discussed.

Pimelea poisoning is an ongoing, periodically serious problem for cattle producers in inland Australia. The annual native plants of the Thymelaeaceae family that cause the problem are widespread and animal management is currently the main means of minimizing poisoning. However, there are situations in the higher rainfall parts of the natural distribution area of these plants where farming and q...

Any errors or omissions from this report are the responsibility of Friends of the Earth. The introduction of genetically modified crops tolerant to glyphosate will lead to a significant increase in the use of this herbicide. Monsanto, the company producing these crops, claims that their introduction will be of benefit because of the low toxicity and environmental safety of the herbicide. Monsan...