Guest guest Posted September 23, 2002 Report Share Posted September 23, 2002 fjftalk -- the e-mail forum for farmworker law advocates -- > > > >===== A message from the 'pestinform' discussion list ===== > >Health - Reuters > > Can Pesticides >Trigger Depression? Study Continues > Thu Sep 5, 6:04 PM ET > > NEW YORK (Reuters >Health) - Farm workers poisoned by industrial strength agricultural > pesticides >containing organophosphates face a nearly sixfold increased risk of >suffering > depression in the >months following their exposure, new study findings show. > > Organophosphates >are extremely toxic and easily absorbed into the bloodstream through the > skin, nose, eyes, >gut and lungs. Immediately after being poisoned, a person may experience > vomiting, abdominal >pain, fatigue, headaches and blurred vision, among other symptoms. > > There have also been >reports of organophosphate poisoning leading to neurological problems > such as anxiety, >depression, irritability and restlessness, according to study authors Dr. > Lorann Stallones and >Cheryl Beseler of Colorado State University in Fort . > > " In some states, >farmers have been reported to have higher rates of depression than other > population groups, " >the authors write in the August issue of the ls of Epidemiology. > However, " little >work has been done to describe the effects of exposure to organophosphate > compounds and >depressive symptoms among the farming population. " > > To investigate the >relationship, the two researchers interviewed 761 farm residents, > operators and their >spouses living in Colorado between 1992 and 1997. All participants > completed interviews >assessing various aspects of their physical and mental health, as well as > their >organophosphate exposure. > > Sixty-nine study >participants reported having been sickened by pesticide poisoning, the > report indicates. > > After accounting for >other known depression risk factors such as age, marital status, education > level and alcohol >use, farmers who reported organophosphate poisoning were 5.8 times more > likely to score high >on tests measuring level of depression than farmers who did not report > having been >poisoned, the authors found. > > " The findings >reported here provide further support for evidence of an association between > mental health and >pesticide poisoning, " Stallones and Beseler write. > > But further research >is needed to establish a causal link, they conclude. > > SOURCE: ls of >Epidemiology 2002;12:389-394. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.