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800-
400-
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1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987
Fig. 3. Cases of pesticide poisoning in the Philippines, 1980-1987
(Castaneda and Rola 1990).
poisoning cases from 1980 to 1987 showed a slight predominance of males
(54.0%) over females (46.0%) (Castaneda and Rota 1990).
Studies of civil registry information have also been carried out in the Philippines
to determine the relation between causes of mortality and pesticide use.
Strong evidence has been found linking a marked increase in mortality in
Central Luzon with occupational exposure to insecticides (Bantilan and Rola
1989). Municipalities with high levels of pesticide use generally have higher
mortality rates than those using smaller amounts.
In response to the findings of these studies, an occupational-health and
monitoring program has been initiated for workers who apply nematicide on
banana plantations. It is hoped that, in the future, the industry itself will
sustain the program.
In Thailand, the Division of Epidemiology in the Ministry of Public Health
monitors pesticide poisoning cases and deaths from unintentional causes.
Data for 1975-1987 show an increase in the number of reported pesticide
intoxication cases from 518 to 4 633, accompanied by a decrease in mortality
rate from 3.47 per 100 000 in 1975 to 1.00 per 100 000 in 1987. In 1981-1987, the
Ministry of Public Health reported 20 outbreaks of food poisoning attributed
to pesticides, involving 722 cases (Swaddiwuthipong et al. 1989).
Although the incidence of pesticide poisoning in the Thai agricultural cornmunities
of Rayong province can be as high as 8 268 per 100 000, only 2.4% of
this group spent time in hospital, emphasizing the possible extent of underreporting
in hospital statistics (Wongphanich et al. 1985). A 3-year study by
the Office of the National Environment Board (Sinhaseni 1990) determined
that organophosphate insecticides such as parathion were the leading
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