Os impactos dos agrotóxicos na saúde humana: estudo dos estados brasileiros com produção agrícola expressiva

Abstract

The Brazilian economy is directly linked to agribusiness. Therefore, in recent decades, investments have been made in research aimed at increasing the productivity of the main crops of agricultural interest. As a consequence, there has also been a significant increase in the use of pesticides in crops, aiming at controlling pests that attack these crops. However, this increasing use has often occurred in an inappropriate and excessive manner, representing potential risks to human health. In view of this, this research analyzed the records of compulsory notifications of exogenous poisoning by pesticides in Brazilian states with a focus on agricultural production, with the aim of better understanding the occurrence of these poisonings. The study was conducted in three phases: (1) bibliographic survey and descriptive analysis; (2) documentary research in the legislation on epidemiological surveillance in health and in the Information System for Notifiable Diseases (SINAN); and (3) quantitative data collection on the TabNet platform, covering the period from 2012 to 2022, in the states of Pará, Rondônia, Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Goiás, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Norte and Bahia. The results show the underreporting of cases in the states analyzed, which coincide with the largest pesticide traders. Most of the people poisoned are men, white or brown, with low levels of education. Most poisoning occurs accidentally and in the workplace. It is also worth highlighting the need for more effective epidemiological surveillance, with the aim of minimizing the impacts of pesticides on human health, both in the states evaluated and, in the others, thus contributing to the reduction of cases of poisoning