<b>Intoxications by pesticides in children, adolescents and youngsters in Fortaleza (CE)</b> - DOI: 10.4025/cienccuidsaude.v8i1.7772

Abstract

In the present study it was aimed to analyze the intoxication by pesticides in children, adolescents and youngsters assisted in a hospital of emergency in the city of Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil, from 2000 to 2004. It is a retrospective study, of documental nature, in a quantitative approach of the Records of Notification of Toxicological Service, from 2000 to 2004. Data was collected from 1,569 selected records related to poisoning by pesticides. It was evidenced that the main poisonous agent - pesticide cause of the intoxications in children and adolescents is rat poison with 83.9% occurrences. The age groups of 16-20 and 0-4 years old presented the greatest number of occurrences with 83.9% and 68.2%, respectively. The female predominance associated with suicide attempt, was observed (94.0%) in the adolescence stage, while among children the predominant circumstance was the individual accident (96.8%). In both cases the home was the locus of such occurrences representing 96.2% cases. This study alerts for the continuation of the accidental intoxications in children, and the significant indexes of intention in adolescents, which indicates the need of educative and effective measures of prevention.