Environmental Effects In Areas With Intensive Pesticide Application: Risk For Exposure At State Of Ceará, Northeast Of Brasil

Abstract

Indiscriminate use of pesticides, their exposure and disorders to human health are present discussion even today. This paper aims to study the situation of pesticide use and its environmental outcomes in the State of Ceará, Northeast Brazil. The research studied environmental effects and the risk of intensive use of pesticides in the 184 municipalities of the State of Ceará, from 2010 to 2017. The results show that the environmental issues of pesticide use are reveal of the current state status. The map of vulnerability of the State of Ceará designate 146 municipalities considered critical and 38 hold to be vulnerable concerning environmental and public health conditions. People are being exposed to a significant amount and variety of pesticides, of which health damage is becoming known, such as the intensive use of pesticides in Chapada do Apodi, where glyphosate has been found in the atmosphere (ranging from 0.31 to 2.93 μg/m3) in the municipality of Limoeiro do Norte/Ceará/Brazil. The results indicate that the inspection actions, from 2010 to 2017, were able to identify transgressions in the indiscriminate use of pesticides with high risks to the environment and human health. In the State of Ceará the use of pesticides in large quantities, in different crops and in most municipalities, has changed the environmental quality with potential water, soil and air contamination. The conflict between increased pesticide use and environmental consequences was crucial for the government to establish, together with civil society, a joint action plan to curb indiscriminate use and non-compliance with relevant legislation. It is necessary to redefine public policies that guarantee safety and minimize the risks associated with the intensive use of pesticides.