<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Pesticides have been used for a long time in agriculture to prevent the growth of undesired organisms. However, depending on the type of production (i.e., conventional, organic, and regenerative), they might not be applied. Adequate types and uses of pesticides should not cause any damage to any non-target species or environments due to the exposure to it, especially if all farming operations have been done properly. Reversely, when pesticides are applied in inappropriate time, amount or technique, they may cause several impacts, among which is water contamination. Brazil stands out worldwide for its agricultural potential, but it is exposed to risks concerning the water supply security to its population. The current study is a comparison of the Maximum Permissible Concentrations (MPC) for pesticides in potable water supply in Brazil with the values set in the United States, Canada, European Union countries, Japan, and the guidelines issued by the World Health Organization. The regulations of each country were used, as well as the trading, consumption and agricultural production data. The Brazilian regulation is the one accounting for the largest number of pesticides. However, their MPC is 5,000 times more permissible than that from the European Union for the herbicide known as glyphosate, 300 times than that for 2,4-d and 20 times than that for atrazine. Finally, it was possible to observe the relevance of revising the regulation and public policies in place to minimize the indiscriminate use of pesticides in Brazil and adapt these compounds to the standards in a global level.</p>
</abstract>

Pesticides have been used for a long time in agriculture to prevent the growth of undesired organisms. However, depending on the type of production (i.e., conventional, organic, and regenerative), they might not be applied. Adequate types and uses of pesticides should not cause any damage to any non-target species or environments due to the exposure to it, especially if all farming operations have been done properly. Reversely, when pesticides are applied in inappropriate time, amount or technique, they may cause several impacts, among which is water contamination. Brazil stands out worldwide for its agricultural potential, but it is exposed to risks concerning the water supply security to its population. The current study is a comparison of the Maximum Permissible Concentrations (MPC) for pesticides in potable water supply in Brazil with the values set in the United States, Canada, European Union countries, Japan, and the guidelines issued by the World Health Organization. The regulations of each country were used, as well as the trading, consumption and agricultural production data. The Brazilian regulation is the one accounting for the largest number of pesticides. However, their MPC is 5,000 times more permissible than that from the European Union for the herbicide known as glyphosate, 300 times than that for 2,4-d and 20 times than that for atrazine. Finally, it was possible to observe the relevance of revising the regulation and public policies in place to minimize the indiscriminate use of pesticides in Brazil and adapt these compounds to the standards in a global level.

A Comparison of Maximum Permissible Concentrations for Pesticides in Brazilian Water Supply

State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), Brazil Faculty of Civil Engineering, Federal Institute of Science, Education and Technology of Sao Paulo (IFSP)

Department of Sustainability and Climate Change

Department of Agricultural and Environmental Science DiSAAT

Pontifical Catholic University of Parana (PUCPR)

Rural Sustainability Research

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Pesticides have been used for a long time in agriculture to prevent the growth of undesired organisms. However, depending on the type of production (i.e.,...

A Comparison of Maximum Permissible Concentrations for Pesticides in Brazilian Water Supply

Publié en ligne: 22 janv. 2024

Pages: 1 - 15

Reçu: 11 juil. 2023

Accepté: 29 nov. 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/plua-2023-0011

Mots clés
Water quality parameters, drinking water, contamination, pesticide

© 2023 Luan Carlos Octaviano Ferreira Leite et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

A Comparison of Maximum Permissible Concentrations for Pesticides in Brazilian Water Supply

Publié en ligne: 22 janv. 2024

Pages: 1 - 15

Reçu: 11 juil. 2023

Accepté: 29 nov. 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/plua-2023-0011

Mots clésWater quality parameters, drinking water, contamination, pesticide

© 2023 Luan Carlos Octaviano Ferreira Leite et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Mots clés
Water quality parameters, drinking water, contamination, pesticide