Cancer in children and adolescents is reported as the second cause of death in the population between 0 and 19 years in Brazil, only behind the accidents. Among environmental factors, in addition to genetic issues, epidemiological studies have linked exposure to pesticides and childhood tumors, especially leukemia. Inside the state of Mato Grosso, the increase in grain cultivation and export has been accompanied by increasing use of pesticides. To analyze the association between the agricultural use of pesticides and cancer morbidity and mortality in children under 20 years, it was conducted ecological study of the average time series of morbidity (2000-2005) and mortality (2000-2006) from cancer at the age 0-19 years and the use of pesticides in municipalities in the state of Mato Grosso. It was observed that the average use of pesticides in the counties showed a statistically significant association for both morbidity (p=0.021), as for mortality (p=0.005) for cancer children and adolescents, with 95% confidence interval. The results indicate that exposure to pesticides is associated with morbidity and mortality from cancer in children and adolescents. It is recommended as a preventive measure to prevent cancer to reduce the intentional use of pesticides.
neoplasms; mortality; morbidity; pesticides