Plan De Contingencia Ambiental

Rev Saúde Pública 2009;43(2)

Neice Müller Xavier FariaI José Antônio Rodrigues da RosaI Luiz Augusto FacchiniII

Poisoning by pesticides among family fruit farmers, Bento Gonçalves, Southern Brazil

ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To describe the occupational exposure to acute poisoning by pesticides, especially organophosphates, and its incidence. METHODS: A descriptive study was carried out on 290family fruit farmers in the municipality of Bento Gonçalves, Southern Brazil, conducted in two stages in 2006. Two hundred and forty-one of these workers completed the two stages, which corresponded to periods of low use and intense use of pesticides. Data on the property, occupational exposure to pesticides, sociodemographic data and frequency of health problems were gathered using a standardizedquestionnaire. Poisoning was characterized by reports of episodes, symptoms relating to pesticides and plasma cholinesterase examinations. Cases were classified according to the matrix proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO). RESULTS: On average, each property used 12 different types of pesticides, consisting mainly of glyphosate and organophosphates. Most of the workers used tractors forpesticide application (87%), set aside the containers for selective garbage collection (86%) and used protective equipment during activities involving pesticides (≥ 94%). Among these family farmers, 4% reported occurrences of poisoning by pesticides over the 12 months preceding the investigation, and 19% at some time during their lives. According to the criterion proposed by WHO, 11% wereclassified as probable cases of acute poisoning. Among the workers who had used organophosphates over the tenday period preceding the examination, 2.9% presented two or more symptoms relating to pesticides and a 20% reduction in cholinesterase. CONCLUSIONS: The poisoning occurrences according to the workers’ perceptions were within what was expected, but the estimate based on the WHO classification picked upa larger proportion of the cases. A fall in the harvest reduced the use of insecticides and may explain the low occurrence of abnormalities in the laboratory results. The criteria for defining pesticide poisoning, as well as the official monitoring parameters, should be reevaluated in order to increase the workers’ protection. DESCRIPTORS: Poisoning, epidemiology. Pesticides, poisoning. OccupationalExposure. Accidents, Occupational. Occupational Risks. Occupational Health. Epidemiology, Descriptive.

I

Serviço de Vigilância Epidemiológica. Secretaria Municipal de Saúde de Bento Gonçalves. Bento Gonçalves, RS, Brasil Departamento de Medicina Social. Faculdade de Medicina. Universidade Federal de Pelotas. Pelotas, RS, Brasil

II

Correspondence: Neice M X Faria R. República, 80/1401,Cidade Alta 95700-000 Bento Gonçalves, RS, Brasil E-mail:neicef@italnet.com.br Received: 1/2/2008 Revised: 8/3/2008 Approved: 9/15/2008

INTRODUCTION The use of pesticides is intensive throughout Brazil, which is one of the largest markets for these products in the world.17 Among family farms in the Serra Gaúcha region, 95% of them use pesticides frequently.8

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Poisoning by pesticidesamong family fruit farmers

Faria NMX et al

Despite the intensive consumption of pesticides, the official records regarding poisoning are limited to acute cases and they are almost nonexistent for cases of chronic poisoning. Although the National System for Disease Notification (Sistema Nacional de Notificação de Agravos, Sinan) is the official notification system for pesticide poisoning, inpractice the system most used is the National Toxicological-Pharmacological Information System (Sistema Nacional de Informações Tóxico-Farmacológicas, Sinitox). Sinitox mainly picks up the more severe cases, with an approximate coefficient of eight cases per year/100,000 inhabitants, among which suicide attempts predominate.9 In Bento Gonçalves (Rio Grande do Sul, RS), from the municipal information...