PH24 Environmental Assessment, Environmental Toxicology
Exhibit Hall
8:00 AM - Thursday
(PH269) A proposal for pesticides risk assessment program for the Brazilian Amazon.
Waichman, A1, Lucas, A1, Ferreira, J1, Chaves, M1, Oliveira, M1, Amorim, R1, Morais, M1, 1 Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
ABSTRACT- The increase of the human population in the Brazilian state of Amazonas has caused the need for additional food production and forced the state government to establish programs aimed at increasing and intensifying agricultural output. These programs have resulted in indiscriminate and incorrect use of pesticides with negative effects on both the environment and the health of farmers and consumers. Since agricultural practices in floodplain areas are based on family labor, with the participation of wives and older children, most households also being threatened by pesticide poisoning. In addition, there is a high vulnerability of aquatic ecosystems because of strong interactions between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in floodplain areas. Meanwhile, fruit and vegetable cultivation associated with extensive use of pesticides are jeopardizing other essential activities to the livelihood of farmers and riverine populations, and threatening the ecological integrity of floodplains. As a result, the implementation of a pesticide control program is urgently needed to diminish risk poisoning among farmers and consumers. Therefore, we are proposing a monitoring program to: determinate the exposure situation, measure the environmental fate of the most important pesticides, and undertake an Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) to establish a set of practical recommendations to abate potential collateral effects brought by the inadequate use of pesticides and to propose guidelines for the appropriate risk management of pesticides in the Brazilian Amazon region.
Key words: Amazon, Pesticides, Brazil, risk assessment