Avaliação da exposição ambiental a agrotóxicos anticolinesterásicos em uma comunidade na fronteira agrícola Amazônida

Abstract

The objective of the study is to evaluate the environmental exposure to anticholinesterase agrochemicals, at the time of their intensive use, in individuals from a community located at the agricultural border of PA-370, in the Amazon. The study participants (n=32) are from the rural community of Boa Esperança, municipality of Santarém. Epidemiological data were obtained through the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) biomarker to assess the intensity of enzyme inhibition by a standardized kit from Sigma-Aldrich, and by applying a sociodemographic and chemical risk perception questionnaire. The study is descriptive and cross-sectional, and was approved by the Ufopa's Research Ethics Committee. The intensity of AChE inhibition was defined as weak (<30%) in seven individuals and not statistically significant in the sample (p>0.05). The sociodemographic profile was mostly composed of individuals between 18 and 28 years old (37.51%), with incomplete elementary school education (28.13%) or complete high school education (28.13%), single (50%), self-employed (40.63%) or with another activity (40, 63%), employed without a signed labor contract (37.51%), with a monthly income of 1 minimum wage (43.75%), living in the community for 10 years or more (68.75%), living more than 200 and less than 500 meters from soybean production (37.50%). The perception in front of the chemical risk, in short, described the habit of smoking (53.13%) and that individuals marked as very important the questions related to awareness of the risk of pesticides and yes the knowledge about the application of the compounds in the surroundings (75%). The clinical manifestations most reported as felt immediately after application of pesticides were headache (14.16%), eye irritation (9.81%), abdominal pain (6.91%), cough (6.18%), cramps (6.18%), blurred vision (4.45%), diarrhea (5.45%) and dyspnea (5.45%). There was no statistical significance (p>0.05) between the level of schooling and the concept that the respondents have of what pesticides are, nor between the number of symptoms reported and the variables age range, time living in the community, distance from residence to soybean production, considering it important to report symptoms and knowing the periods that the surrounding farms apply pesticides. There was statistical significance (p<0.05) between smoking or not and the number of symptoms. It is difficult to establish cause and effect associations between the use of pesticides and chronic effects resulting from environmental exposure. The data obtained bring scarce information about the agricultural frontier of PA-370, being a useful tool to approach the panorama of environmental exposure to anticholinesterase agrochemicals in the region.