Korean J Med.  2001 Apr;60(4):383-387.

Clinical observation of acute glyphosate intoxication

• Lee JY
• Hwang KY
• Nam IS
• Yim HJ
• Kim EN
• Jung JH
• Kim SK
• Lee EY
• Hong SY

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Although glyphosate, organophosphorus herbicide, has been used extensively in agricultural area, no clinical data of acute poisoning have been reported in Korea. The current study evaluated clinical characteristics of acute intoxication by glyphosate.
METHODS
We retrospectively collect and analysed the clinical data of 16 acute glyphosate poisoned patients admitted to the department of internal medicine, Soonchunhyang University Chunan hospital from January 1999 through June 2000.
RESULTS
1) Thirteen of sixteen poisoning were male and mean age was 44.2 year-old. 2) The main cause of glyphosate ingestion was suicide intent (12 cases, 75%), and clinical severity was divided into 3 categories : mild (14 cases), moderate (1 case) and severe (1 case). 3) Nausea and vomiting were the most frequent clinical features (each 6 cases) and dyspnea (4 cases), cough (3 cases), sputum (3 cases) and sore throat (3 cases) were followed. Leucocytosis, hepatotoxicity, anemia, hypoxia and renal toxicity were observed in 9,8,5,6 and 3 cases, respectively. 4) No fatal case and severe complication, except 1 aspiration pneumonia and 1 acute respiratory failure, were observed in acute glyphosate poisonings.
CONCLUSION
Our data supported that acute glyphosate poisoning dose not result in fatal in humans even after intentional ingestion of glyphosate.

Keyword

Organophosphorus compounds; Poisoning; Herbicides

MeSH Terms

Anemia
Anoxia
Chungcheongnam-do
Cough
Dyspnea
Eating
Herbicides
Humans
Internal Medicine
Korea
Male
Nausea
Organophosphorus Compounds
Pharyngitis
Pneumonia, Aspiration
Poisoning
Respiratory Insufficiency
Retrospective Studies
Sputum
Suicide
Vomiting
Herbicides
Organophosphorus Compounds