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"Medical problems caused by pesticide exposure are often overlooked or misdiagnosed by health care providers."
-Lynn Goldman, M.D., pediatrician, professor at Johns Hopkins University's School of Public Health, and former Assistant Administrator of the Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, U.S. EPA.
Pesticide exposure is a critical public health issue.
Pesticides are substances created to destroy or repel pests. They can be used for many different purposes: insecticides kill insects, herbicides kill unwanted plants, fungicides kill fungi, rodenticides kill rodents, and disinfectants kill microorganisms. They commonly remain after use in and around homes, workplaces or schools, and as residues in food and water.
While further research is necessary, existing epidemiological studies link pesticides to a wide range of acute and chronic illnesses. Available data demonstrate a clear need to follow the Precautionary Principle noted below. Pregnant women, children, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems are especially vulnerable to overexposure.
"All pesticides are toxic to some degree...and most pesticides have not been adequately tested to determine their effects on people or the environment."
-U.S. EPA
"When an activity raises threats of harm to human health or their environment, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scientifically."
-Wingspread Statement on the Precautionary Principle, January 1998
Until pesticides have been proven safe for children and adults, it only makes sense to minimize exposure to the greatest extent possible.
1800 communities in Maryland are presently signed on to the Maryland Department of Agriculture's routine mosquito nuisance control program that includes the use of pesticides. Maryland residents are exposed to pesticides in their homes, on their lawns, for mosquito control and to residues in their food and water. The state of Maryland is increasing their use of pesticides in response to concern about such arboviruses as West Nile.
Maryland physicians and all health care providers need to better informed about the specific pesticides used in Maryland and to improve their skills in the recognition, management and prevention of health effects from pesticide exposures and poisoning. In light of this need, the Maryland Pesticide Network has been funded by the Beldon Fund, the Wallace Genetic Find, the Philanthropic Collaborative, and the CS Fund to develop and distribute a kit for Maryland health care providers on pesticides and public health.
Help us better assess the impact of pesticide exposures on public health!
Please report suspected pesticide injuries to the MPN at: www.mdpestnet.org/pesticide_injury_report.htm.
MPN will use the information from collected suspected injury reports to produce an annual report assessing pesticide injuries in Maryland. The report will not contain any individual patient information. Only the patient's initials, year of birth and zip code are required information to account for, and avoid, duplication of reporting. Patient's full name, phone number and address are optional. Reporting this information should only take several minutes and is critical to conducting more accurate impact analyses of pesticide exposure. Your help will be greatly appreciated.
Note: Please have your patient fill out and sign a form authorizing reporting their suspected pesticide injury to the Maryland Pesticide Network, to keep in your files. We have enclosed a model authorization form in this kit.