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30 June 2011 | News | Food Sovereignty
Poisonous
Brazil: official figures show risks of agrotoxics for the health of human beings
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What the Brazilian social movements have been warning has been now confirmed by official authorities. According to information published this week by the National Agency of Health Control (Anvisa) many food products consumed in Brazil contain hazardous residues due to the use of agrotoxics in the countryside.
This is what Leticia Silva, Anvisa’s Director, said in an interview, according the website of the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST). Brazil is the world’s largest consumer of agrotoxics and this information was published amid a series of denunciations related to the rise of the illegal traffic of agrotoxics.
According to Silva, during 2009, Anvisa detected the presence of dangerous chemicals in several products available in supermarkets, such as rice, potato, onions and pepper. 80% of toxic residues were found in the pepper produced in Parana state while in products such as strawberries, the presence of chemicals amounted to 50%, said Silva.
The expansion of agribusiness and its technology package has caused unprecedented events: a study conducted by Anvisa in Lucas do Rio Verde municipality, Mato Grosso, one of the largest areas planted with soy in the country, showed the presence of toxic residues even in rainwater.
“This concern about water pollution is a serious issue to be addressed. The studies conducted in that city even concluded there was an agrotoxic percentage in breast milk”, said Silva.
Meanwhile, MST leader, Joao Pedro Stedile, said that the agricultural model used in Brazil is unviable because it is mainly focused on economic profits. “This is generating commodities, and that’s why there are no limits for the indiscriminate search for profit”, he added.
A few days ago, local newspaper Estadao reported that the government made the decision to ban some agrotoxics that are considered “extremely dangerous”, among them endusolfan. It also reported that this ban would come into force in October and that the decision was made at the latest meeting of the Rotterdam Convention signed by Brazil in 2004.
Despite these governmental initiatives, one of the largest problems faced by Brazil is the increase of the illegal trade of these products. Valor Economico reported on June 28th that during the first half of 2011, 20 thousand tons of agrotoxics were seized in Brazil, 52% more than in the first half of 2010.
Photo: www.mst.org.br
