Pesticide use and cancer deaths in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Abstract

This study characterizes the health regions of the Rio Grande do Sul State regarding pesticide use and mortality by prostate cancer, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and leukemias. Total volume of pesticide used, volume used per planted area, the proportion of crops using pesticides, the proportion of family farming and the degree of inequality in land distribution were estimated for each region. Mortality from the three types of cancer was described by proportional mortality and age-adjusted mortality rate. Association between variables was estimated using Spearman’s correlation coefficient. Prostate cancer mortality was associated with intense agricultural production, high volume of pesticide use and a lower proportion of family farming. Mortality from Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and leukemias, in turn, was positively associated with the proportion of family farming. Proportional mortality and age-adjusted mortality rate were positively correlated for the three types of cancer. In conclusion, in the health regions of Rio Grande do Sul, mortality by the three types of cancer investigated is associated, albeit at different intensities, with pesticide use and the type of agriculture practiced.

Keywords:
Exposure to Pesticides; Neoplasms; Chronic Intoxication