Understanding Pesticide Mortality and Poisoning in Brazilian Children: Informing Policy and Enhancing Communication on Childhood Exposures
Brazil's intensive pesticide use, weak regulatory enforcement, and continued use of highly toxic chemicals have created critical environmental and public health concerns, particularly affecting children—a key health equity issue given their heightened vulnerability. Despite Brazil's Universal Health System (SUS) maintaining mandatory reporting of pesticide-related morbidity and mortality data, this critical information remains significantly underutilized by policymakers, health professionals, and the public. Moreover, substantial gaps in reporting and data quality exist—with previous studies showing a 1:50 reporting gap where 50 cases go unreported for every one notified—hindering effective health surveillance and prevention strategies.
This project aims to conduct an exploratory analysis of pesticide mortality and poisonings among children (0-14 years) in São Paulo state—Brazil's most populous state and second largest pesticide consumer—to inform and strengthen communication strategies and policy regarding pesticide exposures. Using data from multiple national information systems over a 10-year period (2015-2024), the project will quantify and describe the current burden of pesticide poisonings, analyze patterns by sociodemographic and economic characteristics including sex, age, race/ethnicity, educational level, and occupation, and calculate critical metrics such as morbidity and mortality frequencies, incidence rates, and years of life lost. Through cross-validation collaboration with local stakeholders, including policymakers, health professionals, educators, farmers, and workers' representatives, the team will co-create targeted informational materials and policy briefs that translate complex epidemiological findings into actionable, easy-to-understand resources tailored to specific audiences.
Expected outcomes include comprehensive data on pesticide exposure burden among children in São Paulo state; identification of vulnerable subpopulations and high-risk patterns; co-created communication material, including policy briefs and reports designed to strengthen health surveillance, improve notification practices, and enhance prevention strategies; and preliminary data to support expansion across other Brazilian states and eventually throughout Latin America. The project seeks to contribute to health equity by empowering decision-makers, healthcare professionals, and communities with actionable information to protect children from pesticide exposure, strengthen regulatory frameworks, and ensure that vulnerable populations benefit from safer environments and improved health outcomes regardless of socioeconomic status.s