ACUTE TOXICITY DUE TO OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO THE PLANT GROWTH REGULATOR HYDROGEN CYANAMIDE (CASE REPORT) | ||
| Egyptian Journal of Occupational Medicine | ||
| Article 2, Volume 44, Issue 1, January 2020, Pages 471-484 PDF (1015.51 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejom.2020.67632 | ||
| Authors | ||
| El Mahdy NM* ; Kharoub HS | ||
| National Egyptian Center of Environmental and Toxicological Research (NECTR), Cairo University | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Introduction: Pesticides are widely used throughout the world and around 1-5 million cases of pesticide poisoning are estimated annually among agricultural workers, most of them happens in developing countries. In the latter, the use of pesticides is about 20% of the total world consumption since 1980 and it has been increasing annually. Dermal exposure is the most relevant route of exposure for pesticide applicators. Dormex is a plant growth regulator with Hydrogen cyanamide (CH2N2) as an active ingredient. Despite its extensive use in agriculture, little is known about the health effects of exposure to hydrogen cyanamide. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) places hydrogen cyanamide, into the highest toxicity category (toxicity category I) because of its corrosive effects on the skin and eyes. In addition, it was experimentally proved that hydrogen cyanamide has systemic toxic effects on the liver, kidney and thyroid in addition to its effect on hemopoeitic system. Aim of work: The aim of this work is to provide awareness about the adverse health effects of hydrogen cyanamide. Case report: At Kasr Al Ainy hospital we reported a case of acute hydrogen cyanamide poisoning causing severe cutaneous reactions in a young male due to occupational exposure. The patient was managed under intensive care with supportive treatment as no specific antidote is available for this type of poisoning, and then the patient was referred to the dermatology department for management of skin injury that necessitated treatment for more than 2 months. Conclusion and recommendations: Rapid and aggressive management is crucial for cases of Dormex toxicity especially that there is no specific antidote for it. Lack of awareness of adverse health effects of hydrogen cyanamide and improper handling pose the risk of toxicity which can be prevented by taking appropriate precautionary measures against the exposure. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Pesticide poisoning; Developing countries; Hydrogen cyanamide; Dormex Occupational exposure and Cutaneous reactions | ||
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