Citation

Pires DX, Caldas ED, Recena MC. Cad. Saude Publica 2005; 21(2): 598-605.

Vernacular Title

Uso de agrotoxicos e suicidios no Estado do Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil.

Affiliation

Departamento de Quimica, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Brazil. msquim2001@yahoo.com.br

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Escola Nacional De Saude Publica)

DOI

/S0102-311X2005000200027

PMID

15905923

Abstract

Prevalence of suicide with pesticides in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, was evaluated based on data from the Integrated State Center for Toxicological Surveillance under the State Health Department and reported from January 1992 to December 2002. Population and crop production data were collected from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, and suicide data were obtained from the State Health Department. During the period studied, 1,355 cases of pesticide poisoning were reported, including 506 suicide attempts, resulting in 139 deaths. The regions of Campo Grande and Dourados had the highest prevalence of suicide attempts, with Dourados having the most deaths. Dourados also had a high prevalence of suicide attempts overall, with an increasing trend in the previous 10 years. The results indicated that Dourados is a critical region in the State in terms of intentional ingestion of pesticides, showing the need for an epidemiological investigation to better evaluate and quantify these events among the rural population.