LAUSR

Objectives To characterize the occupational exposure to pesticides, risk perception, safety practices and factors associated with the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during the handling of pesticides in a municipality in southeastern Brazil. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out with a representative sample of 550 farmers from Santa Maria de Jetibá, the main agricultural municipality in the state of Espírito Santo/Brazil. The sociodemographic and occupational characterization of farmers with direct exposure to pesticides and the analysis of the chemical and toxicological characteristics of the products used were carried out. Results There were 106 brands of pesticides totaling 45 chemical groups and 77 different active ingredients. Glyphosate diammonium salt was the most active active ingredient and was used by 66.4% of the farmers (n = 339), followed by the fungicide mancozeb (58.4%, n = 298) and the herbicide paraquate dichloride (58% , n = 296). Of the farmers evaluated, approximately 90% (n = 453) reported use of highly toxic agrochemicals, 56.3% (n = 276) used more than five pesticides and 51% (n = 274) worked 20 years ago in direct contact with these products . Approximately half of the farmers reported not reading the pesticide label (49.4%, n = 254), more than a third did not observe the time required to harvest, reapply and re-enter the crop and 71.4% (n = 380) did not use PPE or used it incompletely. The most cited reason for not using protective equipment was because they were uncomfortable (41.4%, n = 48). Several factors were associated with non-use, such as low socioeconomic class (P = 0.002), low educational level (P = 0.05), lack of technical support (P < 0.001) and no reading of the labels (P < 0.001). Conclusions This study confirms the severity of occupational exposure to agrochemicals among Brazilian farmers. It was identified a population of rural workers exposed cumulatively to multiple pesticides, most of them of high toxicity. Unsafe handling practices such as the non-use of PPE and non-compliance with the grace periods for re-entry, reapplication and harvesting were also observed, posing a risk to the farmer's health and the food safety of consumers. Funding Sources Foundation for Research Support of Espírito Santo (FAPES). Supporting Tables Images and/or Graphs