[Influence of socioeconomic factors on the pesticides poisoning, Brazil]. / Influência de fatores socioeconômicos na contaminação por agrotóxicos, Brasil.

OBJECTIVE: The indiscriminate use of pesticides has been contributing for the environmental quality degradation, as well as it increases the occupational exposures to these products, determining a serious public health problem in rural areas. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the exposures of rural workers of Rio de Janeiro State to anticholinesterasic pesticides, through the analyses of the acetylcholinesterase from red cells (AChE) and plasmatic butyrilcholinesterase (BChE) levels. Social-economic factors, such as the educational level of these workers, can strongly influence this situation, reason why the impact of some social-economic indicators and practices of pesticides' use in the human contamination status for rural areas were also evaluated. METHODS: The evaluation of rural workers exposure to pesticides was performed to a random sample of 55 workers among the 300 inhabitants of the study area - five communities of Magé county, RJ. The AChE and BChE activities were determined to these workers. The enzymatic activities were evaluated according to the Ellman's method modified by Oliveira-Silva. Social-economic and pesticides use data were collected by a structured interview. The possible role of social-economic and pesticide use indicators as determinants of the worker's contamination was estimated by multivariate statistic techniques, using the enzymatic activity as the dependent variable and the social-economics pesticides use indicators as independent variables. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The data showed distinct results concerning the incidence of excessive exposure, according to the enzymatic indicator used. In the studied sample, a result of 3.0 % was found for the BChE values, and 41.8 %, according to AChE. Individuals with at least one positive enzymatic indicator result were considered as "intoxicated". When these data were compared to the social-economic and pesticides use factors, it was showed the importance of educational level in the prevalence of intoxication. The others indicators studied did not showed any significant and evident correlation.

[Communication related to pesticides use in a rural area of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil]. / Comunicação relacionada ao uso de agrotóxicos em região agrícola do Estado do Rio de Janeiro.

OBJECTIVE: To assess communications aspects related to pesticide use in a rural area of the Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. METHODS: The study was carried out in the area of São Lourenço stream. It was based on methodological triangulation comprising: semi-structured interviews and observation of a local population sample (about 600 inhabitants); structured questionnaire to collect data on the local community; and records of lectures given by argonomic engineers, pesticides traders and other public service professionals. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: This study pointed out to the historical misinformation on pesticides in rural areas; the emphasis on technical language in educational and training activities available which constitutes a barrier for rural workers knowledge acquisition and empowerment; and the industry/commerce's pressure to legitimate pesticide trading, reinforcing the existing communication process, resulting in unfavorable inclusion of the rural worker into a broader market economy.

Cholinesterase activities determination in frozen blood samples: an improvement to the occupational monitoring in developing countries.

1. Studies were carried out on rural workers in Brazil to determine the decrease in the activity of plasma butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), erythrocyte cholinesterase (AChE) associated with exposure to organophosphorus pesticides (OP). The goal of this work is to help prevent injury to these workers. 2. In developing countries the distance between area of pesticide use and reference laboratories is a drawback for analytical techniques, since cholinesterase activity determinations require fresh blood samples. Field methodologies can be a useful alternative to laboratory tests, however they are not as sensitive as those found in laboratories. 3. The modification of Ellman's Method presented in this paper allows blood samples to be frozen and maintain enzymatic stability: 7 days for AChE and 3 days for BChE. The proposed method is also more sensitive than Ellman's Method Modified by Magnotti (EMMM). 4. The results suggest that the Ellman Method Modified by Oliveira-Silva (EMMOS) is valid for monitoring procedures. This method represents an important contribution to the process of monitoring OP exposures, since the evaluations no longer have to be conducted near the site of OP use.