Exposición al herbicida glifosato: aspectos clínicos toxicológicos

Mabel Burger; Salomé Fernández

Authors

Mabel Burger Profesor Director del Departamento de Toxicología. Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República. Montevideo, Uruguay
Salomé Fernández Asistente del Departamento de Toxicología. Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República. Montevideo, Uruguay

Keywords:

PESTICIDES

Abstract

Since 1990 there has been a progressive increase in the use of herbicides in Uruguay in agricultural work that caused glyphosate herbicide exposure, widely used according to the Centro de Información y Asesoramiento Toxicológico (CIAT) del Departamento de Toxicología. Clinical reports from 1997 to 2002 (n = 107) were analysed, considering the following variables: age, sex, exposure types, exposure ways, category and time symptomatology, progression and treatment. The equation exposure types (intentional, laboral and accidental) and symptoms showed important characteristics; symtoms varied according to exposure ways. Among the conclusions we notice: a) cause of exposure was, in most of the cases, involuntary (accidental and laboral); b) a numerous infant population was accidentally exposed, due to bad storage conditions and bad managment at work; c) skin-mucous absortion was proved by local and systemic symptoms; d) finally, there were neuroskeletal symptoms that we could not find so far a physiopathologic explanation.

References

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