Analysis of acute occupational poisoning eventss in China,2004 - 2009

Objective To analyze and study the characteristics of acute occupational poisoning events reported in China from 2004 to 2009 and provide scientific evidences for the development of control and prevention strategies. Methods The descriptive analysis was conducted on the data of reported occupational poisoning events obtained from the Public Health Emergency Reporting System. Results A total of 288 acute occupational poisoning events were reported during 2004 - 2009, and 3,828 workers were poisoned. The overall case fatality was 9.09%. Averagely 48 (range: 23-66) occupational poisoning events were reported annually, and more events occurred in the second and third quarters of a year. The number of occupational poisoning events reported varied by province. The highest reporting rate (25.69%) was from Shanghai (74 events), and no occupational pensioning event was reported in 5 provinces The acute occupational poisoning events were mainly caused by asphyxiant gas and irritant gas, accounting for 60.41% of the total. Conclusion The threaten of acute occupational poisoning events is still serious in China. The quality of the reporting of acute occupational pensioning events should be improved.