Economic activities related to pesticides and work: beyond agriculture

Abstract

Introduction  farmers are workers known to be exposed to pesticides. However, there are non-agricultural economic activities that are also exposed to these substances.

Objective  to identify classes of economic activities with potential for occupational exposure to pesticides.

Methods  the Brazilian National Classification of Economic Activities - CNAE 2.0 was used to identify economic activities related to pesticides, classifying them into agricultural and non-agricultural activities. To resolve inconsistencies, the subclass of CNAE 2.0 and the Brazilian Code of Occupations - CBO 2010 were used.

Results  33 classes of economic activities were identified with the potential to expose workers to pesticides, 27 were classes of agricultural activities and six classes of non-agricultural activities. The six classes of economic activities not related to agriculture were (1) the manufacture of pesticides; (2) of sanitizers and disinfectants; (3) of medicines for veterinary use; (4) immunization and urban pest control in the private sector; (5) landscaping activity; (6) the regulation of health activities, education, cultural services and other social services.

Conclusion  the identification of economic activities not linked to agriculture that expose workers to pesticides allows the improvement of public policies that are inclusive of worker safety and health for the professional categories that comprise them.

Economy; Pesticides; Occupational Health; Occupational Risk; Environment

Resumo

Introdução  agricultores são trabalhadores reconhecidamente expostos aos agrotóxicos. Entretanto, existem atividades econômicas não agropecuárias que também implicam em potencial exposição a essas substâncias.

Objetivo  identificar as classes de atividades econômicas com potencial de exposição ocupacional aos agrotóxicos.

Métodos  foi utilizada a Classificação Nacional de Atividades Econômicas (CNAE) 2.0 para identificar as atividades econômicas relacionadas aos agrotóxicos, classificando-as em atividades agropecuárias e não agropecuárias. Para dirimir inconsistências, foram utilizadas a subclasse da CNAE 2.0 e o Código Brasileiro de Ocupações (CBO 2010).

Resultados  foram identificadas 33 classes de atividades econômicas com potencial para expor trabalhadores aos agrotóxicos, sendo 27 classes de atividades agropecuárias e seis classes de atividades não agropecuárias. As seis classes de atividades econômicas não relacionadas à agropecuária foram: (1) a fabricação de defensivos agrícolas; (2) de desinfestantes domissanitários; (3) de medicamentos para uso veterinário; (4) a imunização e o controle de pragas urbanas no setor privado; (5) a atividade paisagística; (6) a regulação das atividades de saúde, educação, serviços culturais e outros serviços sociais.

Conclusão  a identificação das atividades econômicas que expõem aos agrotóxicos não ligadas à agropecuária permite o aprimoramento de políticas públicas inclusivas de segurança e saúde do trabalhador para as categorias profissionais que as compõem.

Economia; Agrotóxicos; Saúde do Trabalhador; Risco Ocupacional; Meio Ambiente

Introduction

Farmers and ranchers are workers who are known to be occupationally exposed to pesticides. However, in addition to rural workers, there are others in urban areas who may also be exposed to these chemical agents. Most public policies for epidemiological surveillance, prevention and notification of accidents and diseases related to pesticides are orienteded toward agricultural activities, both for family farm workers and agro-industry workers, with less emphasis on non-agricultural activities.

The high consumption of pesticides in Brazil can contribute to the impact of the incidence, lethality, and mortality of reported cases of acute poisoning and of diseases related to chronic exposure in humans¹. The National Health Surveillance Report on Populations Exposed to Pesticides (SVS/MS) showed that from 2007 to 2015, there was a 139% increase in notifications of acute poisonings, totaling 84,206 cases in this period¹. Of this total, 28.8% of the cases were attributed to agricultural and related workers, 78.8% were cases of single acute poisoning and 1.4% were chronic exposure cases. In 2015, the fatality rate was 4.38% and mortality rate was 0.05 per 100,000 inhabitants¹. The low reporting of cases resulting from chronic exposure to pesticides may, in part, be linked to the lack of knowledge about diseases related to these chemicals, as well as the economic activities involved.

Acute pesticide poisoning can range from mild symptoms such as headache, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting to serious and possibly lethal conditions such as cholinergic poisoning. This spectrum of manifestations may vary depending on the route of exposure and the chemical and toxicological classification of the agent. Sub-acute neurological conditions, such as organophosphate-induced delayed neuropathy, are also described in the literature, but the great challenge is to recognize the diseases related to chronic exposure to pesticides. Pesticides can contain organic solvents and metals, which increases the difficulty in their clinical management and epidemiological investigation. Numerous systems can be compromised, particularly the dermatological, endocrinological, hematological, neurological, and respiratory systems. Congenital malformations, disorders of the reproductive and genitourinary systems, cellular alterations, and cancer have also been described²,³.

In this context, the aim of this work was to identify the classes of economic activity with potential occupational exposure to pesticides, drawing attention to the universe of workers beyond agricultural activities.

Methods

This note was based on documentary research using the National Classification of Economic Activities (CNAE – Classificação Nacional de Atividades Econômicas) version 2.0 to identify economic activities with potential occupational exposure to pesticides⁴.

In order to resolve any inconsistencies regarding the economic activities occupationally related to pesticides, we used the Brazilian Code of Occupations - 2010 (CBO 2010 – Código Brasileiro de Ocupações 2010)⁵, and the CNAE 2.0 subclass (Res 02/2010 Subclasses 2.3)⁶. These were used whenever the main economic activity did not make their potential occupational exposure to pesticides clear.

Economic activities occupationally related to pesticides were classified into agricultural and non-agricultural economic activities. We analyzed the CNAE 2.0 five levels of categories, 21 sections, 87 divisions, 285 groups, and 673 classes of economic activities⁴.

In order to substantiate the selection of economic classes, the subclasses of support activities for non-agricultural production were added.

Results

After analyzing the CNAE, 33 classes of economic activities with potential occupational exposure to pesticides were identified, 27 of which were related to agricultural activities (Table 1) and six to non-agricultural activities (Table 2).

Table 1
Economic activities related to pesticides according to economic class, defined by the National Classification of Economic Activities (CNAE version 2.0)*

Agriculture, animal agriculture, and forestry production	Class
Cultivation of cereals	01.11-3
Cultivation of herbaceous cotton and other temporary crop fibers	01.12-1
Cultivation of sugar cane	01.13-0
Cultivation of tobacco	01.14-8
Cultivation of soybean	01.15-6
Cultivation of temporary oilseed crops, except soybeans	01.16-4
Cultivation of temporary crops, not previously specified	01.19-9
Horticulture	01.21-1
Cultivation of flowers and ornamental plants	01.22-9
Cultivation of oranges	01.31-8
Cultivation of grapes	01.32-6
Cultivation of fruit in permanent crops, except oranges and grapes	01.33-4
Cultivation of coffee	01.34-2
Cultivation of cocoa	01.35-1
Cultivation of permanent crops not previously specified	01.39-3
Production of certified seeds	01.42-3
Production of certified seedlings and other forms of plant propagation	01.42-3
Cattle breeding	01.51-2
Other large animals breeding	01.52-1
Goat and sheep breeding	01.53-9
Suwine breeding	01.54-7
Poultry breeding	01.55-5
Animal breeding, not previously specified	01.59-8
Agricultural support activities	02.10-1
Forestry production - planted forests	02.20-9
Forestry production - native forests	02.30-6
Support activities for forestry production	01.61-0

Table 2
Economic activities related to pesticides according to economic subclass, defined by the National Classification of Economic Activities (CNAE version 2.0)*

Manufacturing industries	Class	Subclass	Description
Manufacture of pesticides	20.51-7	2051-7/00	Manufacture of pesticides
Manufacture of sanitizers and disinfectants	20.52-5	2052-5/00	Manufacture of pesticides for domestic, institutional, and industrial use
Manufacture of medicines for veterinary use	21.22-0	2122-0/00	Manufacture of antiparasitics, larvicides, sarnicides, vermifuges, bernicides, carrapaticides
Administrative activities and complementary services
Immunization and urban pest control	81.22-2	8122-2/00	Combating and controlling urban pests
Landscape activities	81.30-3	8130-3/00	Garden service and maintenance
Public administration, defense and social security
Regulation of health, education, cultural and other social services	84.12-4	8412-4/00	Promotion of federal, state and municipal health programs

Discussion

The agricultural activity in Brazil uses a large amount of pesticides, related to the growing demand and production of the domestic and foreign markets. It is part of the national macroeconomic tripod, accounting for approximately 26.6% of Brazil’s gross domestic product, which in 2020 totaled R$ 7.45 trillion⁷. Brazil is one of the world’s leading producers and exporters of commodities, accounting for around eight percent of the world’s grain and meat exports⁸. The main pesticide exporting countries in the world are China, the United States of America (USA), European Union countries such as Germany, France, and Belgium, the United Kingdom, and India⁹. In 2022, the most marketed pesticides in the country were: glyphosate and its salts, 2,4-D, atrazine, mancozeb, acephate, chlorothalonil, diquat dibromide, glufozinate - ammonium salt, chlorpyrifos, and methomyl¹⁰.

CNAE version 2.0 is an important tool for codifying economic and socio-economic activities in Brazil, used in registers and records of legal entities⁴. It is managed by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) and interfaces with the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MTE – Ministério do Trabalho e Emprego) and the National Institute of Social Security (INSS – Instituto Nacional de Seguridade Social)⁴.

The 27 classes of economic activities related to agriculture, animal agriculture, and forestry production (Table 1) are those that are generally associated with a higher level of occupational exposure to pesticides. This is due not only to the economic importance of these activities for the country, but mainly to the number of workers involved in these activities. The last Agricultural Census carried out by the IBGE in 2017 counted 5,073,324 agricultural establishments and 15,105,125 people employed in this economic sector¹¹. These activities account for most recorded cases of acute and chronic poisoning which are treated at the various complexity levels of public and private healthcare¹.

They have different forms of employment and working relationship, ranging from agrobusinessmen and workers to family farmers who own their land, to sharecroppers¹¹. They usually have varying educational levels and perception of the risk of pesticide use, and often work in different roles on the same property. The different workers’ risk perception, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and collective protective equipment (CPE) and the crops environmental management are important factors to consider in environmental and occupational safety and health aspects¹¹. From a toxicological point of view, the time, frequency and intensity of exposure, environmental factors, types of pesticides, genetic factors such as the ability to metabolize xenobiotics, and predisposition to developing certain diseases can directly impact on the workers’ health.

The Ministry of Health, in its Manual of Work-Related Diseases¹², published in 2001, already considered aplastic anemia, leukemia, hepatic steatosis, polyneuropathy, cardiac arrhythmia, secondary arterial hypertension, allergic contact dermatitis, leukoderma, allergic urticaria, and cystitis as diseases related to occupational exposure to pesticides, especially those in the organochlorine, organophosphate, carbamate and arsenic chemical groups. Just as organochlorines and arsenicals are no longer on the Brazilian market and other chemical classes of pesticides have been introduced, the update of this list of diseases in 2023 added other systems and chemical groups. It is known that most systems of the human body can be targeted by pesticides, making it necessary to review the way in which these workers are monitored. Research into biological indicators of effect, such as the dosage of cholinesterases in workers exposed to organophosphates and carbamates, is part of the periodic occupational medical examination. However, in the light of current scientific knowledge, it is necessary to re-evaluate occupational health routines for workers exposed to pesticides, given the chronic and multi-systemic action of these substances on human health.

The three classes of non-agricultural economic activities related to the processing industries involve the manufacture of pesticides, sanitizers and disinfectants, and medicines for veterinary use (Table 2). The production of pesticides is directly related to both agricultural productivity in the country and state public policies. The number of establishments using pesticides in the reference period of the 2017 Agricultural Census was 1,681,740 (33.1% of all establishments), which, compared to the 2006 census, represented an increase of 20% in the number of establishments reporting the use of pesticides in Brazil¹¹.

The main pesticide-consuming states in Brazil are Mato Grosso, São Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná, Goiás, and Minas Gerais¹. The state of Rio de Janeiro has the highest ratio related to the amount of pesticides sold per hectare in the country¹. The production of pesticides in Brazil is growing. There are factories, processing plants, and distributors spread across several states, especially in the Southeast, South, and Central-West regions, where the largest number of pesticide manufacturing companies are concentrated.

The two classes of non-agricultural economic activities related to administrative activities and complementary services represent the sectors of immunization and control of urban pests and landscaping activities (Table 2). The use of insecticides, larvicides, and rodenticides to control urban pests leads to occupational exposure for workers in pest control companies and they must be included in the social security profile (PPP – perfil profissiográfico previdenciário). This document came into force through INSS Normative Instruction No. 99, of December 5, 2003. The gardening and landscaping sector interfaces with over-the-counter pesticides for amateur gardening. Formicides are among the chemicals most widely used in gardening, mainly in the form of bait and dry powder¹⁰. In 2022, 11.08 tons of anticides were sold in the country¹⁰. The application of powdered anticides, like herbicides for weed control, requires specialized labor and an agronomic prescription. Since 2010, the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) has banned chemical weeding in urban areas. Herbicides are the best-selling pesticides, with a wide range of applications, and glyphosate is their main representative¹⁰. In 2022, herbicides accounted for 61.5% of pesticide sales in the country and are used both on the main agribusiness crops and to control weeds in gardens¹⁰.

The sixth class of non-agricultural economic activity consists of Regulation of Health, Education, Cultural Services, and Other Social Services, which is included in the Public Administration, Defense, and Social Security section, in the division of the same name as its section, and in the State Administration and Economic and Social Policy group of CNAE 2.0 (Table 2). It represents the professional category of endemic disease control agent (CBO 5151-20), also known as endemic disease combat agent (CBO 5151-40) or sanitary visitor (CBO 5151-20)⁵. They are usually linked to the Epidemiological Surveillance Department of Health Surveillance Secretariat from municipalities and states throughout the country. These workers combat different species of vectors of notifiable diseases and play an important role in national public health.

The CNAE 2.0 is a classification focused on economic activity and not occupational health. The Brazilian Classification of Occupations (CBO) is a more suitable instrument for this purpose. The analysis of CNAE subclasses was an important tool for fine-tuning the economic classes potentially related to occupational exposure to pesticides. Greater integration between these databases associated with occupational and toxicological variables could result in a better substantiated analysis. This is one of the potential outcomes of eSocial^b, but it would need more time to be implemented and access to its database would need to be made available to research centers.

Conclusion

CNAE 2.0 identified 33 classes of economic activities occupationally exposed to pesticides, divided into 27 classes of agricultural activities and six classes of non-agricultural activities. Special attention should also be paid to workers in non-agricultural economic activities, such as the manufacture of pesticides, sanitizers and disinfectants, medicines for veterinary use, landscaping activities, and immunization and control of urban pests in the public and private sectors. By identifying economic activities with potential for occupational exposure to pesticides beyond agriculture, it is possible to improve public policies, including health surveillance for these workers, and the prevention of illnesses and diseases related to chronic exposure to pesticides.

References

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• Availability of data:
  The author declares that the entire dataset supporting the results of this study has been published in the article itself.
• Presentation of the study at a scientific event:
  The author informs that the study has not been presented at a scientific event.
• b
  Digital Bookkeeping System for Tax, Social Security and Labor Obligations (eSocial): A system through which employers communicate to the government information about their employees, such as employment relationships, social security contributions, payroll, workplace accident reports, and others.

• Funding:
  The author declares that the study was not subsidized.

Edited by

• Editor-in-Chief:
  Eduardo Algranti

Data availability

The author declares that the entire dataset supporting the results of this study has been published in the article itself.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  02 Dec 2024
• Date of issue
  2024

History

• Received
  10 Oct 2022
• Reviewed
  14 Apr 2024
• Accepted
  17 Apr 2024