Fungicides
摘要
Fungal plant diseases include molds, mildew, and blights. Fungi destroy billions of dollars’ worth of food crops each year worldwide, either by ruining the seeds or killing the mature plant. Fungicides have been used for decades to attempt to prevent or control crop fungal diseases. In the past, highly toxic fungicides containing mercury or aromatics were common. Fortunately, the newer classes of fungicides are significantly less dangerous to workers. However, many fungicides can cause self-limited symptoms of the skin or respiratory tract, and a few can cause more serious medical complications, especially if the exposure is highly concentrated or long-term. This chapter reviews documented symptoms from occupational dermal or respiratory exposures and, in a few cases, from high-dose ingestion of some of the more common fungicides available in the United States.