Large-scale Pesticide Poisoning in Colombia

Abstract

This article reviews large-scale pesticide poisoning which has occurred in Colombia on three separate occasions up to 1998.The first one happened in Chiquinquirá (Boyacá) in 1967. More than five hundred people suffered from poisoning; one hundred and sixtyfive required treatment and sixty-three died.The second outbreak was in Puerto Lopez (Meta), in 1970, when one hundred and ninety people were intoxicated, one hundred and fifty seven required treatment and seven died. The third one occurred in Pasto (Nariño), in 1977, when more than three hundred people were intoxicated, one hundred and twenty of them required treatment and fitieen died. The pesticides producing poisoning in Chiquinquirá and Pasto were methyl-parathio~n and parathion respectively. In Puerto López it is only known that the intoxication was caused by an organophosphorus pesticide. All three large-scale poisoning cases were due to contaminated food ingestion. These three cases are analysed and compared with world-wide poisonings.This article is the first step in the discussion of the impact which large-scale poisonings had on national public health policies, the actual capacity to handle similar situations, the need to improve management and prevention of similar situations and the ability to train professionals in the areas of environmental health, such as epidemiologists and toxicologists.