Pesticides

Pesticides, pesticides, pesticides or agrochemicals are synthetic chemical substances used to kill pests, insects, bacteria, fungi and other plants.

The use of these products in agriculture becomes very important as they prevent damage to plantations. However, it is important to note that they are toxic and poisonous.

Types of pesticides

The main types of pesticides used are:

• Insecticides : used to control plantation insects and pests. Examples: aluminum phosphate and calcium arsenate.
• Herbicides : used to kill plants that are considered harmful to plantations. Examples: sodium arsenite and sodium chloride.
• Fumigants : used to control soil bacteria that can affect crops. Examples: methyl bromide and chloropicrin.
• Fungicides : used to control fungi that grow at planting sites. Examples: phenylmercury acetate and cyclohexamide.
• Acaricides : used to control mites. Examples: Dicofol and Tetradifon.
• Nematicides : used to control nematodes. Examples: Diclofention and Fensulfotion.
• Insecticides : used to combat ants. Examples: Citromax and Maldrex.

Classification of pesticides

The most common classification of pesticides is in relation to the effects on health, distributed between numbers from I to IV, with I being highly toxic and IV being slightly toxic.

This framework is performed with tests in laboratories, with dosages of pesticides exposed to animals so that it is established which dosage is lethal.

Another way of classifying them is in relation to environmental hazard, distinguished in classes also from I to IV, with I being highly dangerous to the environment and IV as not very dangerous. In order to reach this classification, the compositions of pesticides, physical-chemical properties and interaction with the environment are analyzed.

Advantages and disadvantages in the use of pesticides

The main advantage of using these products is the control of diseases and pests. Thus, the result presented is the collaboration with the increase of the productivity of the cultivated products.

Another advantage is in relation to the price of products grown with pesticides, which are lower in the market. Foods grown without pesticides are classified as organic.

Regarding disadvantages, pesticides cause environmental imbalance and also the development of several diseases.

Pesticides and the environment

The use of pesticides directly pollutes the soil, water and can cause irreversible damage to the environment. This implies the imbalance of ecosystems, be it fauna or flora.

Pesticides in Food

Once pesticides are used directly in agricultural systems, pesticides remain in food, even after washing.

Therefore, we ingest a large part of these substances. Note that the continuous consumption of these products causes disorders and several diseases.

Pesticides in Brazil

In Brazil, the registration of pesticides is regulated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Anvisa – National Health Surveillance Agency. The use of pesticides in the country has grown significantly in recent years.

Of the products grown and which have a high concentration of pesticides, vegetables and fruits stand out, such as: pepper, grape, cucumber, strawberry, lettuce, carrot, etc.

Data from the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) show that Brazil is the largest consumer of these products in the world, since 2008.

Although it is a gigantic and profitable business, currently there are other possibilities, such as organic fertilizers and pesticides. This explains the growth of the “organic products” market, as they do not use pesticides, but insecticides of organic origin.

The law responsible for the use of pesticides in Brazil is Federal Law No. 7,802, which was proposed in 1989. According to her:

“ Pesticides are the products and agents of physical, chemical or biological processes, intended for use in the sectors of production, in the storage and processing of agricultural products, in pastures, in the protection of forests, native or implanted, and other ecosystems and also urban, water and industrial environments, whose purpose is to change the composition of flora or fauna, in order to preserve them from the harmful action of living beings considered harmful . ”

Pesticides in Brazilian foods

The country still has a big problem with the lack of inspection, either due to the quantity allowed or the illegal sale of these products.

Pesticide residues in food is a concern related to the use of pesticides. Food quality is assessed and monitored by the Program for the Analysis of Pesticide Residues in Food (PARA).

The main function of PARA is to ensure that the amount of pesticides used in food is in accordance with the Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) allowed.

Diseases Caused by Pesticides

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 20 thousand deaths are registered per year due to the consumption of pesticides.

Pesticide poisoning can generate several diseases, of which the following stand out:

• Cancer and paralysis;
• Neurological and cognitive problems;
• Respiratory difficulties;
• Skin irritations and allergies;
• Abortion and malformation of the fetus.

It is worth remembering that rural workers suffer too much from pesticides. That’s because they handle these products and, for the most part, without adequate protection.

History of Pesticides

Pesticides were developed in the mid-19th century by the Austrian chemist Othmar Zeidler (1850-1911). However, its pesticidal properties were only discovered in the 20th century, in 1939.

In the second world war, they were used to prevent the proliferation of diseases caused by insects, especially malaria, as it affected a large part of the soldier population.

Later, these substances started to be used in agriculture due to the result that they caused in pests, insects and plants called “weeds”.