Ban lifted,more cases of poisoning

NST: THE National Poison Centre Universiti Sains Malaysia said the number of cases reported on paraquat poisoning has been rising steadily after the ban on the toxic herbicide was lifted in November 2006.
The government banned paraquat in August 2002.
"These are only the cases that have been reported to us," said an official.
"We do not know the outcome of the cases because there was no follow-up by the hospitals."
Exposure to paraquat, also known as dipyridylium, leads to a wide range of complaints such as rashes, vomiting, back pain, nausea, breathing difficulties, skin disorders, eye irritations and headaches.
A poison centre study in 2002 found that estate workers used backpack sprayers for an average of 262 days a year, many without protective clothing.
Irene Fernandez of Tenaganita had said that Malaysia's 30,000 women pesticide sprayers were being exposed to potentially toxic doses of the chemical.
While the greatest risk to workers is during the mixing of the concentrated paraquat and filling of the sprayers, prolonged contact with the toxic herbicide during spraying can also be fatal.
"Statistics from the (National) Poison Centre reveal that between 1987 and 1997, in 27 per cent of poisoning cases, death from paraquat came about through accidents and exposure during normal use by workers," she said.