(Based on the paper “”) Leah Utyasheva Michael Eddleston September 3, 2021 1,337 What is the extent of states’ obligation to protect its residents from self-inflicted harm and suicide? In the question of suicide prevention, the burden is usually placed on health care and mental health professionals, police, and school councilors to ensure mental health support and protection of life...
This report provides a synthesis of the discussions held during the Berlin Forum. It is intended to complement the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) reports and other materials available on the Berlin Forum’s website (https://www.bmu.de/en/berlin-forum-on-chemicals-and-sustainability/). 1. Participation Some fifty high-level speakers contributed to the Forum. These included UN Secretary-General Antó- nio Guterres, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Virginijus...
Ban on hazardous pesticides can save lives without affecting agricultural output A53-years-old laboratory assistant at a reputed hospital in Kathmandu recently bought aluminium phosphide tablets and ingested three of them. He started vomiting immediately, and had to be rushed into emergency. Because of his poor cardiopulmonary status and low mentation, he was intubated and transferred to the...
One in every 100 deaths is a suicide: campaigners say criminalisation deters people seeking the help they needSarah Johnson Suicide is still considered a crime in 20 countries, punishable by fines of thousands of pounds and up to three years in prison, research has revealed. In many nations children can be prosecuted for attempted suicide and in...
Group B: Health-care workersLocation: Anuradhapura, Sri LankaParticipants’ background: OccupationNo. of experiences in health services (in years)Provincial Health Education officer22Nurse – Secondary-care hospital30Nurse – complementary medicine24Public Health Inspector – Non-communicable disease27Public Health Inspector – General26Public Health Midwife14 Key discussion points and summary of findings: Pesticide self-poisoning: Participants reported that pesticide suicides are less common now due to HHPs...
Abstract Background: Nepal recorded 5754 suicides in 2018-19 - a high number for a relatively small country. Over 24% of these suicides were by poisoning, most by ingestion of highly concentrated agricultural pesticides. Nepal has actively regulated pesticides to reduce their health impacts since 2001. We aimed to analyse Nepal's history of pesticide regulation, pesticides responsible for...
Intentional pesticide poisoning is a major clinical and public health problem in agricultural communities in low and middle income countries like Nepal. Bans of highly hazardous pesticides (HHP) reduce the number of suicides. We aimed to identify these pesticides by reviewing data from major hospitals across the country and from forensic toxicology laboratories. Read more ...
https://youtu.be/uLyGlXxs_k4 Tens of thousands of people, like teenager Shashikala from Sri Lanka, died from poisoning by a lethal pesticide made in the UK. Hundreds of secret documents and a whistleblower raise questions about whether manufacturer Syngenta put profit before people. The weedkiller Gramoxone, with its active ingredient paraquat, has helped farmers grow food cheaply for decades. But...
A former Syngenta scientist alleges lives could have been saved with tweaks to the formulation of weedkiller paraquat Around the world, the deadly dangers of a weedkiller called paraquat are well known. When working with the highly toxic herbicide, farmers and other users take care not to splash or spill even small amounts of the product, heeding...
JON HEYLINGS WAS 34 when he found the notebook that would upend his life. A junior scientist at Imperial Chemical Industries, Heylings happened upon it in 1990 as he was trying to solve a mystery. Trained in toxicology, he had been brought to the company three years earlier to lead a team that would work to...
