• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2004

Purpose: A number of reports about the intoxicated patients have been introduced, but there were few multicenter studies. The purpose of this study was to analyse the patients with toxic exposure in the Daejon province. Methods: The patients who were presented to the four academic emergency departments in Daejon with toxic exposure were enrolled from January to June 2003. The collected variables were according to the form which modified from the Toxic Exposure Surveillance System (TESS) of the American Association of Poison Control Centers. Results: The toxic exposure patients were 362 cases which is $0.78\%$ of total patients presented to the emergency department. The most common exposure site was home ($84\%$). Eighteen percent of cases were exposed by two or more substances. The most common substance was the pesticides ($34.8\%$), and the non-prescription drugs ($32.6\%$) was followed. The suicidal attempt was the top reason for exposure ($67.1\%$). The route of exposure other than ingestion was $3.6\%$. Although the most patients left the hospital within a day, the average treatment period was 4.4 days. Thirty-one patients ($8.6\%$) were expired, and 22 among them were exposed to the paraquat. Conclusion: We reported the current status of toxic exposure in Daejon province by modified TESS style.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.250-256
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• 2002

The objective was to know if chinese cabbage growers in Gangwon alpine farmland control agricultural pests including weeds effectively and use pesticide properly. Examiners visited 185 farmers at Taebaek, Pyongchang, and Jeongseon and surveyed 33 questions on pest control methods pesticide use. Chinese cabbage farmers have noxious plant diseases such as clubroot, bacterial soft rot, downy mildew, anthracnose, and mosaic disease, and also noxious insects such as diamondback moth, aphid, beet armyworm, common cabbage worm, and Japanese native slug. In addition, farmers have noxious weeds such as common chickweed, marsh pepper, hairy crabgrass, common purslane, and horseweed. To control diseases and insects, 51.3% of farmers used many chemical agents, while 20.7% of farmers used chemical agents with too much emphasis on paraquat and glyphosate to control weeds: 87.2% of the answered farmers have a preference of the both non-selective herbicides. Farmers in the survey area selected pesticides on the basis of their own experience and sales managers' recommendation (84.2%) which results in the use of inappropriate pesticides such diniconazole. Many farmers have experienced phytotoxicities (46.7%) and pesticide poisoning (51.2%). We conclude that a systematic educational program for the proper selection and use of pesticides should be conducted for chinese cabbage growers in Gangwon alpine farmland.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.341-347
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• 2010

The majority of forensic autopsies in Korea are performed by the National Institute of Scientific Investigation (NISI), and the NISI has carried out about 4,000 cases annually. Total 4,578 autopsies were performed by NISI in 2009, among them 2,918 cases (64%) were carried out at main office of NISI in Seoul, which is in charge of Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi province. In this study we investigated pattern of drugs & poisons in autopsy cases for recent three years in Korea. Postmortem specimens (bloods, gastric contents, etc) from autopsy cases by main office of NISI during 2007~2009 were screened for drugs & poisons. Using laboratory information management system of NISI (iLIMS), the kinds of drugs & poisons and the frequency were investigated. As the results, 1,705 cases were negative to drugs & poisons, it occupied 58% of total 2,918 autopsy cases in 2009. During three years (2007~2009), the kinds of drugs & poisons detected in specimens were 206, 185 and 203, respectively, and top three drugs were atropine (anticholinergic), chlorpheniramine (antihistamine) and lidocaine (local anaesthetic/anti-arrythmic). These drugs were supposed to be used not so much for suicidal or homicidal purpose as for therapeutic purpose in hospital. Meanwhile cyanide showed the highest frequency of poisons during 2007~2009, and the frequency was 32 cases in 2009. In case of pesticides, poisoning by paraquat (herbicide, 17 cases) showed the highest frequency, and methomyl (insecticide, 9 cases) and glyphosate (herbicide, 7 cases) were followed. Finally we selected 62 drugs as target drugs for systematic toxicological analysis (STA) for Korea. Poisons such as pesticides, natural toxins, volatile compounds should be included for STA in further study.