Chapter 27 – Surveillance of Pesticide-Related Illness and Injury in Humans*

Publisher Summary Surveillance of pesticide-related illness and injury continues to be important because of public concern on pesticides toxicity and lack of perfectly safe form of pest control. Surveillance for pesticide poisoning identifies primarily two groups of cases, each of which requires different approaches for intervention. The first group consists of cases that are preventable by following the precautionary measures specified on product labels and in government regulation. The appropriate interventions for these cases include enhanced education and enforcement. The second group of cases occurs despite compliance with label instructions and regulatory measures, and therefore requires interventions aimed at changing pesticide use practices and/or modifying regulatory measures. This chapter describes state-based, national, and international surveillance systems for pesticide-related illness and injury. Surveillance systems are the network of individuals and activities that engage in the process of surveillance. The chapter also describes some of the tools of surveillance (for example, regulations that facilitate surveillance, efforts toward standardization of case definitions and variables, and guidelines for evaluating surveillance systems). In addition, the chapter provides a general discussion of the limitations and strengths of surveillance data, with specific reference to the surveillance of pesticide-related illness and injury. Finally, the chapter provides an exploration of the role played by epidemiologic studies in the surveillance of pesticide-related illness and injury.