RESUMO
BACKGROUND: 4-hydroxychlorothalonil (HCT, R182281), a transformation product of the fungicide chlorothalonil, was recently identified in human serum and breast milk. There are indications that HCT may be more toxic and environmentally persistent than chlorothalonil. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to investigate serum concentrations of HCT in pregnant women in Sweden and Costa Rica. METHODS: We developed a quantitative analytical method for HCT using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. We measured HCT in 1808 serum samples from pregnant women from the general population in Sweden (1997-2015) and in 632 samples from 393 pregnant women from an agricultural population in Costa Rica (2010-2011). In Swedish samples, we assessed time trends and investigated seasonality. In the Costa Rican samples, we evaluated variability between and within women and explanatory variables of HCT concentrations. RESULTS: HCT was detected in all serum samples, and the limit of detection was 0.1 µg/L. The median HCT concentration in the Swedish samples was 4.1 µg/L (interquartile range [IQR] of 2.9 - 5.8 µg/L), and 3.9 times higher in the Costa Rican samples (median: 16.1 µg/L; IQR: 10.6 - 25.0 µg/L). We found clear seasonal variation with higher concentrations in the first half of each year among Swedish women. In the Costa Rican study, women working in agriculture and living near banana plantations had higher HCT concentrations, whilst higher parity and having a partner working in agriculture were associated with decreased HCT, and no clear seasonal pattern was observed. IMPACT STATEMENT: For the first time, this study quantifies human exposure to the fungicide chlorothalonil and/or its transformation product 4-hydroxychlorothalonil (HCT, R182281) and finds higher serum concentrations in women from a tropical agricultural setting as compared with women from the general population in Sweden.
RESUMO
The article contains an analysis of the marketing authorizations and the consumption of pesticides in the last decade, as well as their effects on human health and the environment. In the period between 2010 and 2018, the amount of pesticides sold in Brazil increased more than twice as much as the cultivated area in the country. The permissiveness of pesticide governance in Brazil is illustrated by the fact that, of the total chemical active ingredients with register in the country in July 2020, 121 (30.0%) had no use allowed in the European Union (EU). The reason for the ban on the use in the EU of products authorized in Brazil, in the referred period, is associated with the adverse effects on humans and other organisms resulting from exposure to chemical ingredients of pesticides, already described in the scientific literature. Soybean, corn, cotton and sugar cane are among those that had the largest number of new pesticides authorized for use in Brazil between January 2019 and June 2020. Another lack of rigor in pesticide governance is illustrated by the drift, which causes acute and chronic damage to third parties. Another weakness of the Brazilian standard refers to the establishment of a dose value, below which, they would be safe. However, experimental results from studies have shown, for example, that pesticides based on glyphosate, melation and pyriproxifem caused the death of fish embryos in just 24 hours of exposure, regardless of the concentration used, challenging the hypotheses that there is safe dose for exposure to such pesticides. Thus, it is urgent that there is a need not only to increase the scientific rigor of the studies on the subject, but also to promote the public participation in decisionmaking process ensuring the access to all information contained in the dossiers accompanying requests for registration and authorization
artigo contém uma análise das autorizações para a comercialização e o consumo de agrotóxicos no país na última década, bem como os seus efeitos na saúde humana e no meio ambiente. No período entre 2010 e 2018, a quantidade de agrotóxicos comercializados no Brasil aumentou mais do que o dobro do que cresceu a área cultivada no país. A permissividade da gestão de agrotóxicos no Brasil é ilustrada pelo fato de que, do total de ingredientes ativos químicos com registro no país em julho de 2020, 121 (30%) não tinham uso permitido na União Europeia (EU). A razão da proibição do uso na EU dos produtos autorizados no Brasil, no período referido, está associada aos efeitos adversos a humanos e a outros organismos resultantes da exposição aos ingredientes químicos de agrotóxicos, já descritos na literatura científica. Soja, milho, algodão e cana-de-açúcar constam entre as culturas que tiveram o maior número de novos agrotóxicos com uso autorizado no Brasil entre janeiro de 2019 e junho de 2020. Outra falta de rigor na gestão de agrotóxicos é ilustrada pela deriva, que causa danos agudos e crônicos a terceiros. Adicionalmente, a fragilidade da norma brasileira refere-se ao estabelecimento de um valor de dose, abaixo da qual eles seriam seguros. Contudo, resultados experimentais de estudos mostraram, por exemplo, que os agrotóxicos à base de glifosato, melation e piriproxifem causaram a morte de embriões de peixes em apenas 24 horas de exposição, independentemente da concentração utilizada, desafiando assim a hipótese de que existe dose segura para a exposição a tais produtos. Dessa forma, é urgente não só aumentar o rigor científico dos estudos sobre o tema, mas também promover a participação pública nas tomadas de decisão, garantindo o acesso a todas as informações contidas nos dossiês que acompanham as solicitações de registro e de autorização dos agrotóxicos.
RESUMO
This paper exploits variations in aerial spraying across time and space in Colombia and employs a panel of individual health records in order to study the causal effects of the aerial spraying of herbicides (glyphosate) on short-term health-related outcomes. Our results show that exposure to the herbicide used in aerial spraying campaigns increases the number of medical consultations related to dermatological and respiratory illnesses, as well as the number of miscarriages. These findings are robust to the inclusion of individual fixed effects, which compare the prevalence of these medical conditions for the same person under different levels of exposure to the herbicide used in the aerial spraying program over a period of 5 years. Also, our results are robust to controlling for the extent of illicit coca cultivation in the municipality of residence.
Assuntos
Controle de Medicamentos e Entorpecentes , Glicina/análogos & derivados , Nível de Saúde , Herbicidas/efeitos adversos , Aborto Espontâneo/induzido quimicamente , Aborto Espontâneo/epidemiologia , Aeronaves , Coca , Colômbia/epidemiologia , Atenção à Saúde/estatística & dados numéricos , Controle de Medicamentos e Entorpecentes/métodos , Controle de Medicamentos e Entorpecentes/organização & administração , Serviço Hospitalar de Emergência/estatística & dados numéricos , Feminino , Glicina/administração & dosagem , Glicina/efeitos adversos , Herbicidas/administração & dosagem , Hospitalização/estatística & dados numéricos , Humanos , Masculino , Doenças Respiratórias/induzido quimicamente , Doenças Respiratórias/epidemiologia , GlifosatoRESUMO
Este artigo objetiva discutir os riscos decorrentes da pulverização aérea de agrotóxicos, fazendo uma análise, ainda, de considerações sobre a nomenclatura desse tipo de produto e de sua contribuição para a configuração e o agravamento de uma sociedade de risco. Apresenta a legislação brasileira pertinente, propondo, em decorrência do princípio da prevenção, a necessidade urgente de proibir a modalidade de aplicação de agrotóxicos por meio de pulverização aérea.
This article aims at discussing the risks of aerial spraying of pesticides, analyzing the concerns about the designation of these products, and their contribution to establishment and aggravating a society at risk. This article presents relevant Brazilian legislation, and proposes, as a result of the precautionary principle, the urgent need to ban pesticide application via aerial spraying.