The harmful effects of pesticides on the rural workers' health have been causing concern within the Occupational Health area. Due to this fact, our research aims not only at getting acquainted with the rural producers' daily routine in an agricultural co-operative society located in the countryside of São Paulo, but also at evaluating the amount of pesticide they are exposed to while carrying out their tasks. We hope the results will offer a contribution to the discussions on this issue. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews conducted either individually, or in groups. Fifty coffee, soy, wheat and corn producers were researched. The resulting datum were classified in five categories and analyzed qualitatively. They show the features of the rural activities in the area, the use of Personal Protective Equipment, the different techniques in applying pesticides, psychological damages, rural production, ways of dealing with poisoning and warning the involved governmental and non-governmental organizations about under-reporting.
workers' health; poisoning by pesticides; under-reporting on heath damages