Exposição de crianças do meio rural a agrotóxicos em um município da Região das Missões, RS

Abstract

Brazil has an intense use of agricultural inputs in its national production, among which pesticides stand out. In turn, Rio Grande do Sul (RS) occupies the third place in the ranking among the Brazilian states that most commercialize pesticides. Considering the growing consumption of these substances, the economy based on agriculture, the complexity of the health and pesticides theme and scientific studies showing the potential risk to human health, and particularly the sensitivity in the child age group, the present study aims to verify the forms of exposure of children living in rural areas to pesticides, in a municipality in the Region of the Missions, RS. This study has a cross-sectional design, of a quantitative nature, with a descriptive and analytical approach. The study scenario was a municipality located in the Missions Region - RS. The participants were children aged between 0 and 14 years old who live in the rural area of the municipality, whose parents are farmers and who use pesticides. Data were produced through the application of a standardized questionnaire to parents of children, after approval by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Fronteira Sul (UFFS). Statistical analysis was performed using software R (3.4.3), using the chi-square test and Fisher's exact test, to verify the association between exposure factors and main variables (presence of symptoms, need for medical attention, work activity of the mother), considering the 5% level of significance. As a result of this research, it was found that children living in rural areas are exposed to pesticide compounds due to their parentes labor ocupation, the location of homes close to the areas where pesticides are applied, recreation habits and the place where they usually play. In addition, possible environmental factors of exposure are the ingestion of food and water captured in a rural supply well, and the use of water bodies on the properties for recreation, animal desendentation and the creation of fish for own consumption. Still, associations of factors of exposure to pesticides were observed with the presence of symptoms that may be related to the use of pesticides and the perception of the need for medical care, which, in most cases, were not statistically significant. Finally, there was a need to implement strategies for the assessment and management of exposure factors, which are fundamental for the health surveillance of children and the population in general.