[Paraquat-induced acute dermatitis in a child after playing with a discarded container]

The improper use of pesticide waste containers is a significant risk in rural areas, especially where appropriate systems of draining off refuse are lacking. A case is reported of an eight-year-old child who had played with the abandoned Paraquat container. After contamination with the pesticide she showed several II degree caustic lesions on both thighs and knees, associated with a mild erythemato-desquamative cheilitis and a "strawberry tongue". Common laboratory findings did not reveal any kidney, liver and/or red/white cell alterations and the chest X-ray was normal even several months after the accident. No physical consequences ensued, except for hyperchromic pigmentation on the legs. Where empty pesticide containers are not properly collected, they can represent a risk of pesticide exposure for the general population. They can also be a potential source of pollution for superficial water and soil. In the district where the accident was reported it was estimated that empty containers made up 7% of the weight of the 146,330 kg of pesticides sold to local farmers in 1993, of which about 10,400 kg was burned, buried and dispersed in the soil. Within the framework of a global pesticide prevention programme launched by the Regional Government of Lombardy, local health authorities, with the contribution of farmers, are carrying out a project for the proper collection of empty pesticide containers.