The potential utility of animal poisoning data to identify human exposure to environmental toxins

The database of the National Animal Poison Control Center (NAPCC) was evaluated as a source for animal poison data indicating human health hazards in indoor and outdoor environments. From 14,150 calls in the 1985 database, 259 cases were identified with histories suggesting human exposure. A subgroup of 25 cases with known human exposure was found. Dogs were the most common sentinel animal, but bird cases represented the highest proportional selection from the total 1985 call list. Indoor exposures represented 43.2% of cases; the most common toxicants were insecticides, lead and toxic fumes. Exposures associated with lawns were mainly due to insecticides and herbicides and constituted 25.5% of cases. Other outdoor exposures composed the remaining 31.7% of cases, with insecticides, herbicides and unidentified toxins the leading categories. Many of the specific agents identified, such as organophosphate insecticides, lead, gas and fume toxins, and phenoxy herbicides are also risk factors in human diseases. This study indicates that databases such as NAPCC could serve as sources of sentinel animal intoxications for followup studies to evaluate known and potential human health hazards.