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Research helps prevent thousands of deaths from pesticide poisoning20 November 2008Research to tackle the problem of pesticide self-poisoning in rural Asia - the most significant means of suicide worldwide, according to the World Health Organization - has been given a boost thanks to funding from the independent medical research charity, the Bupa Foundation. Organophosphorous (OP) insecticides are the most common pesticides used in Asian agriculture and kill around 300,000 people every year. Medical management of OP poisoning is difficult, with death rates as high as 40 percent and many patients requiring ventilation for several weeks. Dr Michael Eddleston, lecturer in clinical pharmacology, University of Edinburgh, devised a study to gain a better understanding of the problem and to explore ways to improve the prevention and treatment of pesticide poisoning. These issues represent some of the major challenges in clinical toxicology today and it is this focus that has been recognised by the Bupa Foundation, winning the medical research charity's Research Award 2008. In 2004, Dr Eddleston established an observational study of acute poisoning in two district hospitals in Sri-Lanka. The programme now includes over 10,000 people with pesticide poisoning. As part of the study, he set up two clinical trials with the aim of examining the commonly used antidotes for this condition, pralidoxime and activated charcoal. Dr Eddleston said: "Unfortunately, our studies showed that neither treatment saved lives and, in some cases, may even harm patients. "OP pesticide poisoning is less relevant in the West but is still important, particularly with the concern about the terrorist use of these agents. Such an event could result in hundreds of casualties being treated by clinicians with little experience of this potentially lethal poisoning. "Our current studies are about us understanding better the mechanisms of this type of poisoning so that they can be translated into new treatments as quickly as possible. Our work is done in a relatively obscure area of medical research. Bupa's acknowledgement reaffirms the importance of our work and gives us encouragement. Hopefully our research will begin to save thousands of lives every year." Bupa's group medical director and vice chairman of the Bupa Foundation, Dr Andrew Vallance-Owen, said: "This work has not only highlighted the number of deaths occurring year by year in rural Asia from pesticide poisoning but it has also brought the issue into the forefront of global public health." Dr Eddleston received his Bupa Foundation award at a ceremony at Lincoln's Inn in London on the evening of 12 November 2008. For more information about the Bupa Foundation awards, visit www.bupafoundation.com Back to the latest press releases
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