Rural workers` health related to the use of pesticides in developing and developed countries

Abstract

This review aims to examine the issue rural workers' health and the use of pesticides in its various aspects, especially emphasizing how that is doing in developing and developed countries. We found than the rural workers pesticide contamination problems occur both in developing countries as in developed countries. We concluded than to ensure the rural workers' health when they use pesticides becomes necessary to increase the training of workers. It is also important to build political agendas and actions in the health of agricultural workers, with implementation of preventive health programs with greater oversight and monitoring on pesticide use. IntroductionThe indiscriminate application of pesticides affects both human health and natural ecosystems. The use of pesticides in agriculture can be justified by the need to increase agricultural production, but behind the use of these substances are the risks of occupational diseases confirmed by studies that focus primarily on specific types of substances (SILVA & SADI, 2006). The epidemiology of the use of pesticides in agriculture should be seen not only in terms of consumers, but in view of occupational hazard among farmers or rural workers. DOI: 10.19180/1809DOI: 10.19180/ -2667 In general, there is a false thought that in the developed countries there is no problem related to poisoning of farm workers by pesticides. According to the "Centers for Disease Artigo de RevisãoControl and Prevention" of the United States, agriculture is the most dangerous industry for American workers, affecting mainly the younger ones. It was found that 76% of agricultural workers suffered fatal accident were under 16 years and worked in an agricultural family business that was exempt from child labor laws (CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION. NIOSH, 2003).Pesticides have been widely used to control pests and diseases related to agriculture, fisheries, forestry and food industry. Throughout history it was necessary to create laws that establish safety rules regarding the use of pesticides in order to reduce their impact on the environment and the health of farm workers. Leaflet and label are examples of this and are the main sources of information for rural workers, helping to prevent accidents and consequently poisoning (ZAMBRONE & CORREA, 2008).This review aims to examine the issue rural workers' health and the use of pesticides in its various aspects, especially emphasizing how that is doing in developing and developed countries. MetodologyWe utilized the site periodic capes (www.periodicos.capes.gov.br) and the key words utilized were: "segurança and agrotóxico" and "rural work and pesticide". The time was the last 10 years. We found 75 citations and selected 35 than talked about rural workers` health related to the use of pesticides. These 35 citations, 14 were in Portuguese language: 11 papers, 1 dissertation, 1 book and 1 technical bulletin and 21 were in English language: 18 papers, 2 books and 1 technical bulletin. We found mainly citations of the last five years (...