Table 4.
Root causes for acute paraquat- and diquat-related illness: SENSOR, PISP, and IDS data, 1998–2011.
| Paraquat | Diquat | |
|---|---|---|
|
| ||
| (n=300) | (n=144) | |
|
| ||
| Root causea | n (%) | n (%) |
| One or more root causes identified | 258(86) | 129(90) |
| Required PPE not worn:b | 100(33) | 10(7) |
| Required eye protection not worn or inadequate | 56(19) | 6(4) |
| Required respirator not worn or inadequate | 28(9) | 1(1) |
| Required gloves not worn or inadequate | 27(9) | 3(2) |
| Other required PPE not worn or inadequate | 23(8) | 2(1) |
| Drift from application site | 43(14) | 12(8) |
| Spill/splash of liquid or dust | 42(14) | 23(16) |
| Application equipment failure | 36(12) | 25(17) |
| Label violations not otherwise specified | 20(7) | 10(7) |
| Decontamination not adequate or timely | 19(6) | 3(2) |
| Intentional harm | 15(5) | 13(9) |
| Improper storage | 12(4) | 13(9) |
| Applicator not properly trained or supervised | 8(3) | 0 |
| No label violation identified but person still ill | 7(2) | 8(6) |
| People were in the treated area during application | 3(1) | 2(1) |
| Notification/posting lacking or ineffective | 1(<1) | 3(2) |
| Early re-entry into treated area | 1(<1) | 2(1) |
| Excessive application of pesticide | 0 | 1(1) |
| Mixture of incompatible products | 0 | 2(1) |
| Unknown | 42(14) | 15(10) |
PPE=personal protective equipment.
a
Cases can have more than one root cause.
b
Row represents individual cases that did not wear one or more of the required PPE.