Citation

Hettiarachchi J, Kodithuwakku GC. Hum. Toxicol. 1989; 8(6): 507-510.

Affiliation

Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna, Galle, Sri Lanka.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1989, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group -- Palgrave-Macmillan)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

2591994

Abstract

Sri Lanka is a developing agricultural country with a high fatality rate due to self-poisoning with very toxic agrochemicals as the main poisoning agents. A prospective study of 97 consecutive admissions following self-poisoning reveals that easy availability of the agrochemicals together with the lack of knowledge regarding their lethality were the main causative factors determining the choice of poisoning agents. Developing community awareness of the lethality of these substances, educating the farmers with regards to proper storage and disposal of agrochemicals together with stricter legislation regarding their sale and distribution may reduce the incidence of self-poisoning due to these agents with a consequent reduction in mortality due to self-poisoning.

Language: en