Epidemiological analysis of reported acute glyphosate poisoning in Malaysia: identifying risk factors and high-risk groups (2006-2023).

Objective: Glyphosate is widely used in Malaysian agriculture but poses a significant under-reported public health concern due to poisoning. This paper aims to study the epidemiology of glyphosate poisoning in Malaysia, assessing severity, identifying risk factors, and high-risk groups.

Setting: All glyphosate-related data of the Malaysia National Poison Centre from 2006 to 2023.

Participants: Telephone inquiries of incidents involving glyphosate made by healthcare professionals across Malaysia. Information received was recorded according to WHO guidelines.

Outcomes: The outcome is to provide an overview of national glyphosate poisoning epidemiology, including identifying risk factors and high-risk groups to strategise appropriate measures.

Results: A total of 4548 glyphosate poisoning cases were reported, with males comprising 67.3% of cases. The most affected age groups were 21-30 years (25.5%) and 31-40 years (23.5%). Ingestion was the primary exposure route (93.0%). Intentional poisonings, mainly suicides, accounted for 68.4% (n=3078) of cases. Among the 1420 unintentional cases, 78.2% resulted from ingestion exposures. The incidence rate declined from 1.17 per 100 000 in 2011 to 0.61 in 2023. Significant associations were found between intentional ingestion and sociodemographic factors. From 2013 to 2023, 73.7% of cases were minor, 11.5% moderate, 0.8% severe and 0.1% fatal.

Conclusions: In Malaysia, the reported intentional glyphosate poisoning most commonly affects young adults, resulting in generally minor to moderate symptoms. The study highlights the need for stricter regulations on glyphosate use and improved mental health support, to mitigate poisoning risks. Continued surveillance and public education are essential to address this public health issue.