EXPOSURE TO PESTICIDES AND CANCER DEVELOPMENT IN COLLECTIVE HEALTH CONTEXT: ROLE OF AGROECOLOGY AS A PUBLIC POLICY FOR CANCER PREVENTION

Abstract

Brazilian agriculture is characterized by the growing consumption of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, forming part of the production model based on the fundamentals of agribusiness. The new farming techniques based on agribusiness resulted in the expansion of monocultures over natural ecosystems, with the consequent deforestation, imbalance and loss of biodiversity; and increased contamination of soil, water and air by pesticides. With regard to human health, the scientific literature has shown that chemical contamination resulting from the use of pesticides in agriculture implies the illness of rural workers occupationally exposed to pesticides, of rural residents, in addition to consumers of food containing pesticide residues. Among the effects on human health associated with exposure to pesticides, the most worrying are chronic intoxications, characterized by infertility, abortions, congenital malformations, neurotoxicity, hormonal dysregulation, immunotoxicity, genotoxicity and cancer. Therefore, in this essay, we will present a narrative review with data from the national and international scientific literature regarding the association between exposure to pesticides and the development of cancer in the context of public health and the role of healthy eating and agroecology as public policy in cancer prevention.