The deadline for contributions to Public Consultation 728/2019, which deals with the toxicological re-evaluation of the active ingredient, abamectin, in agrochemical products in the country, ended on 23rd December, 2019.
The agency’s proposal, which is the outcome of a careful evaluation carried out by the institution’s technicians based on current scientific evidence, aims to ensure the availability of abamectin in the national market. However, it could also lead to the adoption of restrictive measures that aim to protect the health of workers and people living in nearby areas where the product may be applied.
Based on the evaluation of available evidence, Anvisa concluded that abamectin does not have mutagenic, carcinogenic, toxic to reproduction, or teratogenic (fetal malformation) characteristics. In addition to related studies, Anvisa also analyzed a series of national pesticide data.
Among the information evaluated are the most recent monitoring statistics on pesticide residue in foods. The agency discovered the presence of abamectin in 8,498 samples of 21 types of foods collected since 2013, and its presence was identified in 0.3% of samples. These results led to the conclusion that the dietary risk related to food intake with abamectin residue is below the level of concern.
Data from the Notification Disease Information System (Sinan) were also analyzed, which revealed the profile of abamectin poisoning in Brazil.
Rural workers
Anvisa also concluded that abamectin presents a considerable risk to the health of workers who work with crops, as well as to people living near affected areas. Therefore, preventive measures related to the handling of the product during its application and dispersion were proposed, such as:
• Prohibiting manual or motorized and stationary or semi-stationary costal applications on certain crops.
• Inclusion of a requirement to use drift reduction technology in at least 50% of all types of tractor applications on all crops.
• Including the requirement to use a closed mixing and supply system for aerial applications on all crops.
Source: Agropages
Image source: “Brasil” by ruifo is marked with CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
