Used to protect crops from the destructive effects of insects, larvae, fungi and ticks, pesticides are synthetic chemical health-detrimental products, which silently become part of most Brazilians’ everyday life. In a country that shows its strong agricultural vocation through impressive numbers in the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) calculation, pesticides are increasingly more closely studied. And the magnifying glass is over the Amazon this time. The region which historically had not been focused on agricultural activities, has seen the numbers of pastures for livestock and areas for agricultural crops increase in recent decades at an unexpected high speed.
With the advance of soybeans and cattle-management practices in regions such as the south of the State of Pará and the north of the State of Mato Grosso, attention turned to the increase in the rate of deforestation and the number of provoked fires in areas which turn into pastures and plantations. But the rampant use of pesticides also draws attention. The North of Brazil recorded 5,104 intoxication cases and 211 deaths from pesticide ingestion between 2007 and 2020. Researcher Ruy Bessa, one of the authors who gathered and publicized these data, believes that the numbers are underreported.
"It is not a momentary impact, as if we were to eat something and be contaminated by pesticides and be taken to the hospital. In fact, it is a long-term exposure, which takes years of eating certain foods until poisoning symptoms are manifested. In addition to the acute and serious problems, chronic diseases can also occur. This goes beyond the ingestion of pesticides, because you spray the substances on the crop, but only 5% of the spraying will actually have an effect on the target organism. Another 95% of this spraying will reach non-target populations, including humans. And it gets worse over time. The data are worrisome and the alert is even more so, as we know that we also have underreporting of contamination by people exposed to pesticides in exogenous poisoning forms filled out in health units", says Bessa, who works as a professor at the Federal University of Western Pará (Ufopa).
Bessa recalls that it is no coincidence that pesticide packages have the image of a skull with two crossed bones. Continuous intoxication by these products can cause several types of cancer, including leukemia; neurological disorders, such as Parkinson's disease; liver, skin and lung lesions; allergies, hormonal changes, behavioral and mental health issues and also kidney disease.
NOTIFICATIONS
Published in the first semester this year, a study by the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS) associated agricultural expansion between 2001 and 2016 with an increase in the incidence of cancer in eight cities in that state, due to prolonged exposure to chemical products used in crops. Nearly 75,000 cases of cancer were reported over a 15-year period. The researchers pointed out that most municipalities in Mato Grosso produce agricultural commodities for export, and, therefore, concentrate a significant contingent of people involved in agriculture and livestock activities, with a lower education level and precarious individual protection. These factors impair the proper management of pesticides and cause greater occupational and environmental exposure to these products.
Bessa points out that in western Pará, alone, there are more than 700 rural communities scattered around agricultural production areas, adopting no type of security, buffer zone or defense against the use of toxic substances. These buffer zones are pesticide-free spaces between communities and productive areas, understood as an effective way to control these risks. In addition, Bessa recalls that it is important to implement planting areas between communities and large plantations, as they work as a physical barrier against substances carried by the wind that can be inhaled or come into contact with the skin.
“A very intense advance in the use of pesticides is seen with the arrival of temporary soy farming, which has increased by about 200% in the last 15 years. This growth generates important impacts, as the Amazon region has a wide range of biodiversity, that is, more organisms that inhabit forest areas but are classified as agricultural pests. As a lot of agrochemicals and pesticides are already used in traditionally agricultural areas in the Center-South of Brazil, in the Amazon it will be used even more, because there are less known agricultural pests, in a much more humid region and with less favorable soil for this economic practice. It is a huge challenge, as it does not pose a risk only to humans: it contaminates water, the environment, organisms and even depresses the soil microbiota", he argues.
Brazilian legislation eases up on the use of chemicals banned in Europe
While the rest of the world has adopted stricter legislation against pesticides, Brazil has been going through the opposite process in recent years. Scientific studies show that 44% of pesticides banned in European countries are used on a large scale in Brazilian states. In addition, there is greater permissiveness in relation to the amount of application of these chemical products in crops. The consequence are laws that allow greater amounts of pesticide residues in foods considered suitable for human consumption. The 2,4D, for example, is used on a large scale in rice cultivation. It can be sprayed twice as much in Brazilian crops compared to European countries. In the case of glyphosate, a herbicide widely used in soy plantations, the law is even more flexible. In Brazil, the amount allowed for use in crops is 200 times greater than in the nations that make up the European Union. When it comes to detecting these agents in drinking water, the numbers allowed are even higher: 300 times more in the case of 2,4D and five thousand times more in the case of glyphosate.
"Most people who live in rural areas suffer without adequate assistance from the companies that supply treated water. As a result, they start to consume water drawn from artesian wells, which offer more health risks. It represents a direct impact, because, depending on the proximity with areas of temporary crops, these artesian wells can be contaminated by pesticide residues. There is a lot of permissiveness regarding legislative tolerance in Brazil compared to Europe. If you are in a rural area, close to a temporary crop with great dependence on the relationship between profit and pesticides, and if you drink two liters of water every day, you are exposed over 30, 40 years to high amounts of pesticides", says Professor Ruy Bessa, from the Federal University of Western Pará.
DEPENDENCE
Professor Bessa emphasizes that, from the 1970s onwards, there was a wave of tax incentives for the expansion of agriculture and livestock in search of a greater occupation of the Amazonian territory, including the abolition of taxes for purchasing of pesticides. "It was very common to combine the purchase of seeds with pesticides. This incentive was intense, especially during the military dictatorship. So, a culture of dependence on pesticides was created among small and large rural producers. In the 1970s, there were 500 permitted active ingredients that generated about 3,000 derivatives. Today, there are 5,500 active ingredients and 166,000 formulated products registered in Brazil. An absurd growth in 50 years. 2,4D is one of the most commercialized products in Brazil, which is banned in several countries", he points out. (E.L.)
Family farmer does not have access to technologies to combat pests
A professor at the Institute of Biological Sciences at the Federal University of Amazonas (Ufam), Andrea Waichmann has been monitoring the environmental risks related to the use of pesticides since the 1990s. When Andrea began to research more deeply, she noticed that it was not just large farmers who used pesticides. Small Amazonian communities that work on family farming and sell to local consumer markets also depend on the use of these chemicals. For the professor, this increases the challenges of handling pesticides in Brazil, as many of the modern solutions are still far from the reach of those ones with less purchasing power.
"We have to think about several perspectives, including those ones who are producing. I'm always afraid to judge, because we have to see which technologies are being developed to reduce the dangers of pesticides and who has access to them. Due to diversity and climate, the Amazon has many possibilities for plague. The family farmer or the large rural producer will use the necessary tools to reduce the economic losses of those ones who invest in the crop, of those ones who make a living from it. But it is a fact that we need more technology and more integrated management of pests with biological control. Today we have, through drones, the possibility of applying pesticides in more specific parts of the crop. It is an innovation within the so-called precision agriculture. It is important to go beyond criticism and multiply knowledge through dialogue that points out solutions with the help of governments, universities and research institutes", she says.
AGROECOLOGY
Andrea recalls that the most modern and expensive technologies are not available to family farmers, but that there are other possibilities based on agroforestry systems, such as agroecology. The professor also highlights that, due to the pressure related to environmental impacts and human health, companies that produce herbicides and derivatives are investing more and more in less harmful and less persistent products, but which end up not arriving quickly and at affordable prices in Brazil much less likely in the Amazon. "This is one of the causes of the high use of obsolete products, with more than 30 years of regular use in Brazil and which were banned in the European Union a long time ago", emphasizes the professor. (E.L.)
Legislation and inspection must be stricter, says researcher
For Professor Andrea Waichmann, from the Institute of Biological Sciences at the Federal University of Amazonas (Ufam), Brazil needs to reassess the legislation and regulatory framework on the use of pesticides. The current legislation dates from 1989 and needs some adjustments to be considered, such as the specific environmental risk assessment for the climate, weather and soil conditions in each Brazilian region. "In terms of climate, the country has regions with different levels of rainfall and heat intensity. All this changes the chemical process of these pesticides in the environment.
And it's not enough having just a law. We need to intensify inspection. The Amazon is huge, with a small number of people in the regulatory agencies in various parts of the region. And it's a matter of education too. We have to educate farmers. We need to talk about good practices and strategies to reduce risks. Our research found that farmers do not use personal protective equipment, either because of high prices or because of the unfavorable climate. We have to find alternative ways for the applicator to protect their health. And it is necessary a training system for the farming people so that we do things the right way", she argues.
FOOD SAFETY
The importance of professional training is one of the points highlighted by Roberto Araújo, Sustainability and Stewardship leader at CropLife Brasil, an association that brings together specialists, institutions and companies that work in the research and development of technologies for sustainable agricultural production. For him, teaching about the correct and safe use of chemical and biological pesticides is one of the ways to ensure safety in agricultural production.
But, at the moment, "the use of pesticides is essential to minimize losses caused by insect attacks, diseases and weeds on crops", he points out. "Without them, it would be necessary to increase agricultural production areas and deforestation. Furthermore, the cost of production would be much higher, which could increase food prices and even threaten food security in some regions", emphasizes Araújo.
For the future, however, the CropLife spokesperson believes that alternative technologies can contribute to reducing the need to apply chemical pesticides. These initiatives, according to him, are already receiving investments in the Brazilian agricultural sector. "The use of genetically modified seeds and plants, the growth in the use of bio raw materials, precision agriculture and the integrated management of pests and diseases are examples of this search for a more sustainable agribusiness", he points out.
RESTRICTIONS
Professor Ruy Bessa, from the Federal University of Western Pará (Ufopa), believes that it is necessary to create an independent observatory focused on the risks of using pesticides in the Amazon region. He also points out that European legislation should serve as a basis for adopting greater restrictions in relation to the products used and the amounts applied. "The Amazon has more than 400 species of stingless bees that produce quality honey and they are disappearing due to the excessive use of pesticides. Pollinating insects are responsible for more than 80% of pollination. These are occurrences that unbalance the environment. I always tell my students that the richness of the region is not in the exploration of the soil, but it is in the forest itself, which stores carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus... Our productivity is lower in the region than in other historical spaces in Brazil dedicated to agriculture. So, we use more pesticides and occupy more hectares for something that is not the natural vocation of the region. There are so many ecological relationships in a complex space like the Amazon that these environments are more vulnerable to aggression. It is very easy to break a chain in the nature. On the other hand, the temporary farming fields are simple relationships, totally artificial and managed by man. So, the responsibility for managing this in a more balanced way lies with the man himself", reinforces Bessa. (E.L.)
(*) With the collaboration of journalist Alice Martins, special for O LIBERAL.
