Pick Your Poison

Pesticides up to no good, says new research

Posted at 5:08 PM on 18 Sep 2007

A decrease in pesticide availability led to an associated decrease in suicide rates in Sri Lanka, researchers publishing in the International Journal of Epidemiology have concluded. In 1995 and 1998, restrictions were put into place on importation and sales of highly toxic pesticides in Sri Lanka; in 2005, the country's suicide rate was half what it had been in 1995. "Changes in the availability of a commonly used method of suicide may influence not only method-specific but also overall suicide rates," says researcher David Gunnell. "Pesticides are readily available in most rural households in low-income countries and are commonly used by young people who impulsively poison themselves in moments of crisis." Pesticide self-poisoning may account for over one-third of global suicides. In other news, U.S. researchers report that pesticide exposure appears to increase the risk of asthma in farmers. So eat organic already.

sources: Medical Research News, Reuters, Agence France-Presse

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	Read more about: agriculture \| health \| news \| Sri Lanka \| toxics \| all of these topics Tools: print \| email \| write to the editor \| subscribe \| RSS Share: digg \| hugg \| stumbleupon \| reddit \| newsvine \| fark \| facebook Bookmark: del.icio.us \| google \| yahoo Pick Your Poison Pesticides up to no good, says new research Posted at 5:08 PM on 18 Sep 2007 A decrease in pesticide availability led to an associated decrease in suicide rates in Sri Lanka, researchers publishing in the International Journal of Epidemiology have concluded. In 1995 and 1998, restrictions were put into place on importation and sales of highly toxic pesticides in Sri Lanka; in 2005, the country's suicide rate was half what it had been in 1995. "Changes in the availability of a commonly used method of suicide may influence not only method-specific but also overall suicide rates," says researcher David Gunnell. "Pesticides are readily available in most rural households in low-income countries and are commonly used by young people who impulsively poison themselves in moments of crisis." Pesticide self-poisoning may account for over one-third of global suicides. In other news, U.S. researchers report that pesticide exposure appears to increase the risk of asthma in farmers. So eat organic already. sources: Medical Research News, Reuters, Agence France-Presse ADVERTISING POLICY < Previous \| Next > Comments: There are no comments. Be the first to post! You are not logged in. Thus, you cannot post a comment. If you have a Gristmill account, log in below. If you don't have a Gristmill account, well, by all means go make one! Meet you back here in five. Username: Password: Forgot your password? Enter your username and click: The comments of Grist users reflect the opinions of those individuals only, and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of Grist, its staff, its board members, their psychotherapists, or their aestheticians. Got it?	Also in Grist The Death of Environmentalist How to green your funeral. If By Clean You Mean Filthy Is clean coal an oxymoron? Umbra clears up the confusion. iSave When you're not guzzling iBeer, conserve gas with new iPhone apps. Water on the Brain Author Elizabeth Royte spills about the bottled water boom and backlash. The Week's Most Popular Viewed Commented Emailed Ask Umbra on sea-level rise Ask Umbra on storing produce If you're going to eat meat, you can't shy away from the whole beast Blogosphere responds reservedly to Gore's call for 100 percent renewable electricity Author Elizabeth Royte chats about the bottled-water boom and backlash Are biofuels a core solution? Time to stop using the phrase 'renewable energy' Animal rights group called out for repeatedly exploiting women A conversation with energy guru Amory Lovins Ask Umbra on storing produce As summer heats up, a tasting of six 'natural' white wines How to green your day job Author Elizabeth Royte chats about the bottled-water boom and backlash From the Archives With Friends Like These ... Bush administration push for drilling in Colorado angers GOP constituency. Put the Cure in Mercury. Mercury contamination in fish declines when emissions go down. Don't Worry, White Billionaires, We Haven't Forgotten You. Native Americans likely to be hit especially hard by climate change, says report. News Archives