Jellyfish are a common cause of injury throughout the world, with fatalities and severe systemic events not uncommon after tropical stings. The internet is a recent innovation to gain information on real-time health issues of travel destinations, including Southeast Asia.
The availability of antidotes may be considered essential and lifesaving in the management of certain poisonings. Surveys carried out in a number of countries have demonstrated inadequate availability of a variety of poisoning antidotes.
Pollutants, especially heavy metals like cadmium, Chromium, lead and mercury, play a significant role in causing various water-borne diseases to humans. This study evaluates the sorption properties of bioactive constituents of Moringa oleifera seeds for decontamination of cadmium at laboratory scale. The performance of the bioactive constituent extracted by salt extraction method was enhanced by process optimization with various concentration of bioactive dosages, agitation speed, contact time, pH and heavy metal concentrations. Statistical optimization was carried out for evaluating the polynomial regression model through effect of linear, quadratic and interaction of the factors. The maximum removal of cadmium was 72% by using 0.2 g/l of bioactive dosage.
In this study, the kinetics of adsorption of Pb(II) from aqueous solution onto palm shell-based activated carbon (PSAC) were investigated by employing ion selective electrode (ISE) for real-time Pb(II) and pH monitoring. Usage of ISE was very appropriate for real-time adsorption kinetics data collection as it facilitated recording of adsorption data at very specific and short time intervals as well as provided consistent kinetics data. Parameters studied were initial Pb(II) concentration and agitation speed. It was found that increases in initial Pb(II) concentration and agitation speed resulted in higher initial rate of adsorption. Pseudo first-order, pseudo second-order, Elovich, intraparticle diffusion and liquid film diffusion models were used to fit the adsorption kinetics data. It was suggested that chemisorption was the rate-controlling step for adsorption of Pb(II) onto PSAC since the adsorption kinetics data fitted both the pseudo second-order and Elovich models well.
Matched MeSH terms: Lead Poisoning/prevention & control
Worldwide prohibitions on lead gasoline additives were a major international public health accomplishment, the results of which are still being documented in parts of the world. Although the need to remove lead from paints has been recognized for over a century, evidence reported in this article indicates that lead-based paints for household use, some containing more than 10% lead, are readily available for purchase in some of the largest countries in the world. Sixty-six percent of new paint samples from China, India, and Malaysia were found to contain 5000 ppm (0.5%) or more of lead, the US definition of lead-based paint in existing housing, and 78% contained 600 ppm (0.06%) or more, the limit for new paints. In contrast, the comparable levels in a nearby developed country, Singapore, were 0% and 9%. In examining lead levels in paints of the same brands purchased in different countries, it was found that some brands had lead-based paints in one of the countries and paints meeting US limits in another; another had lead-free paint available in all countries where samples were obtained. Lead-based paints have already poisoned millions of children and likely will cause similar damage in the future as paint use increases as countries in Asia and elsewhere continue their rapid development. The ready availability of lead-based paints documented in this article provides stark evidence of the urgent need for efforts to accomplish an effective worldwide ban on the use of lead in paint.
Matched MeSH terms: Lead Poisoning/prevention & control*
Insect resistance to toxins exerts not only a great impact on our economy, but also on the ecology of many species. Resistance to one toxin is often associated with cross-resistance to other, sometimes unrelated, chemicals. In this study, we investigated mushroom toxin resistance in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster (Meigen). This fruit fly species does not feed on mushrooms in nature and may thus have evolved cross-resistance to α-amanitin, the principal toxin of deadly poisonous mushrooms, due to previous pesticide exposure. The three Asian D. melanogaster stocks used in this study, Ama-KTT, Ama-MI, and Ama-KLM, acquired α-amanitin resistance at least five decades ago in their natural habitats in Taiwan, India, and Malaysia, respectively. Here we show that all three stocks have not lost the resistance phenotype despite the absence of selective pressure over the past half century. In response to α-amanitin in the larval food, several signs of developmental retardation become apparent in a concentration-dependent manner: higher pre-adult mortality, prolonged larva-to-adult developmental time, decreased adult body size, and reduced adult longevity. In contrast, female fecundity nearly doubles in response to higher α-amanitin concentrations. Our results suggest that α-amanitin resistance has no fitness cost, which could explain why the resistance has persisted in all three stocks over the past five decades. If pesticides caused α-amanitin resistance in D. melanogaster, their use may go far beyond their intended effects and have long-lasting effects on ecosystems.
A retrospective review of medical records was carried out to determine the pattern of drug and chemical poisoning cases admitted to a teaching hospital in Malaysia. Medical records of patients admitted during the period January 1987 to December 1995 were reviewed. They accounted for 0.2% of total admissions during the period. While all ages were represented, there was predominance of children, which showed little change throughout the nine-year period. Of all cases of poisoning, 77.8% were unintentional, 12.6% intentional and 9.6% were undetermined. Kerosene, pesticides and medicinal substances remained the common agents associated with poisoning. A significant number of patients sought treatment elsewhere before being admitted to the hospital. Of those who came directly to the hospital, many were presented late in the course of their poisoning. Only seven patients died and none were children. This study supports the need for greater emphasis on prevention of poisoning in children and among farmers in the state.
In 1997, the Ministry of Health Malaysia introduced a surveillance programme for occupational and work-related diseases including poisonings for cases seen in government health facilities. Between June 1997 and November 1998, there were 36 cases of respiratory disease and 95 cases of poisoning by chemicals and pesticides notified while skin diseases were 108 cases. Respiratory diseases reported were predominantly occupational asthma (25%), pneumoconiosis (17%) and infections (39%). The commonest reported skin disease was contact dermatitis (87%). The commonest causes of occupational poisonings were paraquat (19%), organo-phosphates (16%), agro-chemicals excluding pesticides (15%) and gases (10%). The number of cases reported is still relatively few compared to data from other countries, suggesting that there is still considerable under reporting.
Organophosphorous poisoning causing isolated laryngeal paralysis has only been rarely reported before. We describe a case of difficult extubation in a patient with organophosphorous poisoning, the cause of which was found to be bilateral vocal fold palsy. This is a type of intermediate paralysis that recovers with time. Such a condition should be thought of as a cause of dyspnoea or difficult extubation in patients with organophosphorous poisoning.
In a case control study, 70 children consecutively hospitalized for acute ingestion of poisons were compared with 140 other hospitalized children matched for age. Children aged less than 3 years and boys were most often the victims. Univariate analysis identified Indian race, having a parent younger than 21 years, residing at present address for less than 1 year and living in a household with more than five occupants as significant risk factors. Experience of a recent stressful event in the family barely failed to reach the level of significance. Logistic regression analysis confirmed that Indian race, having a parent younger than 21 years and residing less than 1 year at the present address were independent predictors of acute poisoning. Positive interactions were noted between Indian race and duration of residence and between parental age and duration of residence. Knowledge of risk factors and their interactions may be useful in planning preventive measures against childhood poisoning.
In October 1988, 13 Chinese children died of acute hepatic encephalopathy in the northwestern state of Perak in peninsular Malaysia. The acuteness of the illness differed from previously reported outbreaks described in Kenya, India, and Thailand. Epidemiologic investigations determined that the children had eaten a Chinese noodle, loh see fun, hours before they died. The attack rates among those who had eaten the noodles were significantly higher than those who had not (P < 0.0001). The cases were geographically scattered in six towns in two districts along the route of distribution of the noodle supplied by one factory in Kampar town. Aflatoxins were confirmed in postmortem samples from patients. This outbreak has important public health implications for many developing countries.
There is evidence to show that paraquat poisoning is alarmingly common in Malaysia. This paper reviews 30 cases of paraquat poisoning seen at the General Hospital, Kuala Lumpur from 1978 to 1979 inclusive. Preventive measures and management are discussed. It is felt that tighter legislation to control its use in agriculture should be implemented now.
A total of 306 patients were admitted to the University Hospital in Kuala Lumpur in 1989 after attempting suicide. Fourteen of them succumbed to injuries. Psychosocial data of 296 patients out of the 306 survivors are reported. Suicidal behaviour is more common in the young and especially amongst the females. Nearly 45.0% of them are from social class IV and V. Persons of Indian ethnic origin are overrepresented, while in Malays suicidal behavior seemed to be less common. Self-poisoning was reported to be the commonest method in attempting suicide. Diagnosis of adjustment disorder was made in 58.5% of the patients. Two-thirds of the patients had an intention score of less than 10 on the Pierce's Scale.
Publication year=1992-1993
Ninety-five cases of suicide and 134 cases of parasuicide that occurred between October 1973 and September 1984 in the hill resort district of Cameron Highlands in Malaysia were analysed. Eighty-one per cent of suicides and 78% of parasuicides were of Indians, although they only form 25% of the population. The average annual suicide rate for Indians (over 10 years of age) was 157 per 100,000. About 94% of suicides and 66% of parasuicides were by ingesting agricultural poisons. The age- and sex-specific suicide rates for women were highest in the 20-24-year-old age group. Some possible reasons for high suicide rates among Indians are discussed.
The puffer fish belongs to the family Tetraodontidae and has one identifying characteristic which is the ability to inflate itself by gulping in large quantities of air or water. They are commonly found in estuarine and inshore water. The viscera (ovaries, testes and liver) of puffer fish contain varying amounts of extremely potent toxins [tetraodontoxin). The most violent form of fish poisoning is produced by ingestion of tetraodontoid or puffer-like fishes and this has been reported. The putftoad, Tetradon maculatum, has caused fatal poisoning? Despite the high toxicity of this group of fish, the meat is commonly consumed by some fisherman in Sabah without much morbidity. In Japan, puffer fish, called "fuqu" commands the highest prices in food fish and are prepared and sold in special restaurants where specially trained cooks are employed to prepare the "fuqu". Nevertheless it is still the primary cause of food poisoning in Japan especially among the lower socio-economic classes who fail to take the necessary precautions. In Sabah, four cases of puffer fish poisoning resulting in one death have been documented." We report herewith another incidence of puffer fish poisoning in which 18 persons from seven families were affected with nine deaths from two families.
The study investigated the extent of acute pesticide poisoning in selected agricultural communities in Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Thailand, as well as the contributing factors, because it is believed that this type of poisoning is a major problem in developing countries, but not in the industrialized countries, despite their extensive use of pesticides. The study confirmed the existence of this problem, which was found to be due to inadequate knowledge of the safe practices in the use of pesticides among users and to the lack of suitable protective clothing for use by agricultural workers in hot and humid climates.
Accidental organophosphate poisoning may occur in persons coming in close contact with animals being treated toitb organophosphate pesticides. The poisoning may manifest itself as a severe systemic disorder, but can be diagnosed by an alert physician and confirmed by specific tests of reduced cholinesterase activity in the blood, plasma and red blood cells. Treatment is with intravenous atropine. Supportive measures may be necessary.