2023-10-30 21:00:05
In recent decades, Brazil has become the world’s main soybean producer, but also the main consumer of pesticides. Despite concerns about potential public health consequences, little is known about the effects of pesticide exposure in the general population.
«When Pesticides Are Not Used Correctly, There Are Health Implications», warns Marin Skidmore, lead author of the study published in ‘PNAS‘.
During the introduction of pesticides to soybean crops, Skidmore notes, cases of pesticide poisoning of farm workers have been documented and “chemicals have been identified in the blood and urine samples of non-farm workers in surrounding communities. “This indicates that the incorporation of this crop occurred in a potentially dangerous way as it left people exposed.”
Researchers investigated the public health consequences of pesticide exposure, focusing on children as the most vulnerable population.
Specifically, they specifically analyzed deaths from acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common blood-borne childhood cancer.
The researchers analyzed a health database in areas of the Amazon and the Cerrado region. The sample was primarily composed of areas classified as “rural” and having at least 25% agricultural land cover.
Our results show a significant relationship between the expansion of soy in Brazil and child deaths from ALL in the region.
Marin Skidmore
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Soy production in the Cerrado area tripled from 2000 to 2019, and in the Amazon region it multiplied by 20, from 0.25 to 5 million hectares. Pesticide use in the study region also increased three to ten times over the period. Brazilian soybean farmers apply pesticides at a rate 2.3 times higher per hectare than in the US.
“Our results show a significant relationship between the expansion of soy in Brazil and child deaths from ALL in the region,” says Skidmore. “The results suggest that approximately half of pediatric leukemia deaths over a ten-year period may be related to agricultural intensification and pesticide exposure.”
The study shows that an increase of 10 percentage points in soybean production is associated with 0.40 additional deaths of all children under 5 years of age and 0.21 additional deaths of children under 10 years of age per 10,000 inhabitants. In total, they estimate that 123 children under the age of 10 died from ALL associated with pesticide exposure between 2008 and 2019, out of a total of 226 deaths reported from ALL in the same period.
Bond
Now, the researchers caution that their study does not provide a direct causal link between pesticide exposure and cancer deaths.
However, to rule out other possible explanations, they take a number of measures: They found no correlations between all deaths and soy consumption, changes in socioeconomic status, or the prevalence of crops with lower rates of pesticide applications.
Researchers also investigated contamination of water sources as a primary method of pesticide exposure.
«Our concern is that our results are just the tip of the iceberg. We measure a small and very precise stage. “Exposure to pesticides can also result in non-fatal cases of leukemia, and there is a risk of community impacts on adults and adolescents,” he says.
ALL is a treatable disease, but requires access to quality medical care. In the entire Amazon region, researchers identified only two high-complexity pediatric oncology centers, although other facilities may also provide treatment. They found that the increase in pediatric ALL deaths seen after soy expansion was limited to municipalities that were more than 100 kilometers from a treatment center.
«We want to highlight that when changes happen quickly, there are risks associated with that, and this is not limited to Brazil. Around the world, much attention is paid to agricultural intensification for global food security. “We need to find a balance where we reap the productive benefits while mitigating the potential risks.”
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