Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 24, 2026
Bioassays for Monitoring Insecticide Resistance
Published on: December 30, 2010
Acute pesticide-related illnesses among working youths, 1988-1999
Geoffrey M Calvert1, Louise N Mehler, Rachel Rosales
1Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, USA. jac6@cdc.gov
Objectives:
The goal of this study was to describe acute occupational pesticide-related illnesses among youths and to provide prevention recommendations.
Methods:
Survey data from 8 states and from poison control center data were analyzed. Illness incidence rates and incidence rate ratios were calculated.
Results:
A total of 531 youths were identified with acute occupational pesticide-related illnesses. Insecticides were responsible for most of these illnesses (68%), most of which were of minor severity (79%). The average annual incidence rate among youths aged 15 to 17 years was 20.4 per billion hours worked, and the incidence rate ratio among youths vs adults was 1.71 (95% confidence interval = 1.53, 1.91).
Conclusions:
The present findings suggest the need for greater efforts to prevent acute occupational pesticide-related illnesses among adolescents.
