<p>Pesticides are used mostly in rural areas for agriculture, but urban pest control, public health campaigns, and household and veterinary products can also be important sources of these contaminants. This aim of this study was to estimate household pesticide contamination in sediments of two urban estuaries due to pest control: Cocó and Ceará rivers located in the metropolitan area of Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. Cypermethrin and malathion were found in both rivers. Cypermethrin levels had the same magnitudes as other studied urban areas and were highest in the estuary, while malathion was similar in both fluvial and estuarine zones.</p>

The first diagnosis of risk of environmental contamination was conducted for an area of intense agricultural activity in the semiarid cearense (Baixo Jaguaribe and Litoral de Aracati area). We verified the use of 201 rural products (pesticides) in the region, comprising 151 active ingredients. Regarding the active ingredients evaluated, 15.9% were associated with sediment and 29.8% were dissolved in surface water. The study showed that 13.2% to 36.4% of the active ingredients evaluated were classified as potential contaminants of groundwater resources. The study also revealed the most abundant pesticides and which environmental compartment must be evaluated.