Brazil tops the list of the countries that import and consume the most pesticides in the world. At the end of 2023, Bill 1459/2022, known among environmentalists as the “Poison Bill,” was approved, making the use of pesticides more flexible throughout the country. More than 3,000 agrochemicals are registered in Brazil today, a figure that doubled between 2010 and 2021. Of this total, 49% are considered highly dangerous, as shown by data published in the recently released Atlas of Pesticides, published by the Brazilian branch of the German Heinrich Böll Foundation. By compiling unprecedented data on effects of certain products in the soil, air and water, the atlas sheds light on mainly community issues, such as food insecurity, poverty and the influence of companies in the industry on public policies — as well as studies on the impact of pesticides in various fields, such as economic, ecological and social. The graph above shows that pesticide residues were found in more than half of the samples of 14 foods; 23% are above the maximum residue limit allowed by Anvisa, the Brazilian Regulatory Health Agency. Among the most contaminated are peppers, carrots and tomatoes. Image reproduced from the Atlas of Pesticides. “One of the objectives of the map is to make the work of researchers from all over the country visible,” says Marcelo Montenegro, coordinator of the foundation’s socioenvironmental justice programs and projects in Brazil. For him, the paradigm shift can happen when the regional perspective is taken into account. “We have…This article was originally published on Mongabay
The post Agrochemicals take a big toll on Global South, new Atlas of Pesticides shows appeared first on EnviroLink Network.