Citation

Krawczyk N, Meyer A, Fonseca M, Lima J. J. Occup. Environ. Med. 2014; 56(9): 993-1000.

Affiliation

From the Department of Preventative Medicine (Ms Krawczyk and Ms Fonseca), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY; Institute for Studies in Collective Health (Dr Meyer), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; and Department of Biochemistry (Dr Lima), Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/JOM.0000000000000214

PMID

25046321

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:: To investigate whether suicide risk among agricultural workers is higher in regions with heavier pesticide use and/or presence of tobacco farming.

METHODS:: Suicide mortality data were gathered from residents of the Brazilian state of Alagoas. Agricultural census data were used to arrange and classify Alagoas cities into distribution groups on the basis of variables concerning pesticide use and/or tobacco farming. Mortality odds ratio calculations were then used to compare suicide risk among agricultural and nonagricultural workers in different groups.

RESULTS:: Suicide risk was higher among agricultural workers than among nonagricultural workers, elevated in regions that used more pesticides, and greatest in regions that produced more tobacco.

CONCLUSIONS:: This is one of the first studies of its kind to suggest that combined effects of pesticide and tobacco exposure may be linked to higher suicide risk among agricultural workers.

Language: en