OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO MALATHION IN PHYTOSANITARY CONTROL

Abstract

Human exposure to chemical pesticides is linked to chronic diseases such as cancer and heart, respiratory and neurological diseases. The group of organophosphates (OP) stands out, which are irreversible inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase, the accumulation of this molecule causes toxic effects on different organs and systems, such as changes in the nervous system, immunological, endocrine and others. Malathion is an OP used in various crops to control unwanted species and is often used to control insects. The objective of this study is to analyze the use of malathion in the control of agricultural and urban pests, emphasizing the health risks of workers exposed to this agrochemical. A form was prepared with 22 direct, indirect and objective questions on the subject and based on the current regulatory standards. After collecting the public's responses, the form was closed and the data were processed, in order to extract the information we wanted to elucidate. After applying the online questionnaire on google forms, it was identified that 79.5% of the respondents were male and 20.5% were female, respectively. In the research in question, only 32.5% have no idea about the positive association of malathion with genotoxic and carcinogenic effects and 67.5% are aware of the risk of exposure. The handling of OP pesticides such as malathion unhealthiness is classified as medium grade, ensuring the worker the legal right to the perception of an additional 20% and not 10% as stated in this survey, being represented by 75% of the public consulted.