1. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health/CDC
Pesticide – Related Activities

2. NIOSH Pesticides
Special thanks to Dr. Steve Olenchock and Dr. Geoff Calvert

3. Occupational Safety and Health
Regulation/Enforcement
Research, Training, and
Prevention Recommendations
Department of
Labor
Department of
Health and Human
Services
Centers for Disease
Control and
Prevention
Mine Safety
And Health
Administration
Occupational
Safety and
Health
Administration
National Institute for
Occupational Safety
and Health

4. NIOSH Mission
To provide leadership in research to prevent work-related illness, injury, disability, and death.

5. NIOSH Research – intramural and extramural Training
Technical assistance
Policy

6. NIOSH
NIOSH Staff: 1,400
FY02 Budget: $276.1M

7. State Partnerships Adult Blood Lead Surveillance SENSOR
National Occupational
Mortality Surveillance
Fatality Assessment and
Control Evaluation (FACE)
In-house FACE
State FACE
CDC/
NIOSH
SAFER l HEALTHIER l PEOPLE

8. Sensor-pesticides State-based surveillance
“Sentinel” case identification and follow-up
Timely opportunities for prevention/intervention
Develop state-based models for national implementation
Standardized case definition, variables, and severity index

9. Sensor-pesticides Funding provided by NIOSH and EPA
Funding began in 1987
NIOSH technical advisor:
Geoff Calvert, (p) , (f) ;

10. Sensor-pesticides Estimate of Magnitude
First aggregated data set was developed
Data provided by AZ, CA, FL, LA, NY, OR, TX
From , 1004 cases identified
Definite=96
Probable=258
Possible=540
Suspicious=110

11. Distribution of cases by industry, 1998-1999

12. Pesticide Functional Class, 1998-1999

13. Ten Most Common Active Ingredients Acute occupational pesticide-related illnesses, 1998-1999
Exposure Type Accounting
for 40% or more of Cases
Contact w/ treated surface
Drift
Indoor Air
Spill or other direct contact
Common Name
Sulfur
Cyfluthrin
Chlorpyrifos
Malathion
Pyrethrins
Mepiquat chloride
Propetamphos
Methyl bromide
Diazinon
Count* 89 74 64 61 52 50 49
Doesn’t include SURFACE or CONTACT
and active ingredients in reported products

14. Outbreaks/emerging Problems Recently Identified
Nosocomial pesticide poisoning-Georgia, 2000
Described 3 health care workers made ill by op-contaminated patient
MMWR 2001;49:
Poisoning associated with hydrogen cyanamide-Italy, 2001
23 cases; Label lacked adequate precautionary info
MMWR 2001;50:
Briefly discuss emerging problems recently identified (poisoning among working children, medfly, insecticide dispensers, WNV, etc.)
Limited resources: For example the California Dept to Health and Human Services has established criteria for when a field investigation should be conducted (e.g. deaths, hospitalizations, events that involve 4 or more workers). Over a 21 month period (3/99-11/00), 187 events met these criteria but only had resources to investigate 19.
Agenda of sister agencies is often different. In most instances, these investigations are conducted by the state agriculture department. However the ag depts may goal is to promote crop production and not to protect worker and community health. Therefore, their conclusions and recommendations may differ from those of the health dept

15. MMWR: Surveillance Related to West Nile Virus Control Efforts
New York State
1999 and 2000
May pose risk of acute, temporary health effects; however, the risk appears to be low.

16. Outbreaks/emerging problems recently identified
Acute pesticide poisoning among working youth,
Used data from SENSOR-pesticides, TESS, and California Dept of Pesticide Regulation
531 poisoned youth were identified
Working youth found to have higher risk of pesticide poisoning compared to adults (incidence rate ratio=1.71 [95%CI=1.53, 1.91])
Accepted for publication in AJPH
Briefly discuss emerging problems recently identified (poisoning among working children, medfly, insecticide dispensers, WNV, etc.)
Limited resources: For example the California Dept to Health and Human Services has established criteria for when a field investigation should be conducted (e.g. deaths, hospitalizations, events that involve 4 or more workers). Over a 21 month period (3/99-11/00), 187 events met these criteria but only had resources to investigate 19.
Agenda of sister agencies is often different. In most instances, these investigations are conducted by the state agriculture department. However the ag depts may goal is to promote crop production and not to protect worker and community health. Therefore, their conclusions and recommendations may differ from those of the health dept

17. Outbreaks - continued
Acute disinfectant poisoning among working youth,
Identified 308 youth poisoned by disinfectants
Working youth found to have higher risk of pesticide poisoning compared to adults (incidence rate ratio=4.14 [95%CI=3.66, 4.68])
Manuscript in preparation

18. Other Accomplishments
Finalized the severity index
Developed a webpage for sensor-pesticides
How-to guide for pesticide poisoning surveillance
Preparing responses to internal review comments on draft document
First guide on developing a state-based surveillance program
Guides for other conditions are now in development

19. NIOSH National Program in Agricultural Safety & Health
Intramural
Child Ag
SENSOR
Grants
Community
Partners
International
Ag Centers
Est. 1990

20. Centers for Agricultural Disease & Injury Research, Education, and Prevention

21. Community Partners for Healthy Farming

22. Childhood Agricultural Injury Prevention Initiative
Child Ag Center
Grants
Intramural

23. Reduction of Ergonomic Hazards in Harvesting Wine Grapes
Reduce weight to below 50 pounds
Outcome:
< back, neck, shoulder and knee pain
No decrease in productivity

24. Reducing Eye Injuries and Illnesses in Latino Farmworkers
Trained 18 Promotores
Culturally acceptable eye PPE
Custom-fit 640 Farmworkers