Pesticides Concentrations in the Atmosphere of an Urban Area in Brazil - Risk Assessment for Human Health

ALEINNYS YERA, University of São Paulo

     Abstract Number: 530
     Working Group: Aerosol Exposure

Abstract
In the last few years, different types of pesticides have been detected in the atmosphere in rural and urban areas around the world. These, are chemical compounds used in agriculture to avoid the plague, rodents, fungi, and unwanted plants. Besides that, they are often used in public health to kill vectors of disease, such as mosquitoes. Some studies have shown the relationship between pesticide exposure and some diseases, such as autoimmune and cardiovascular diseases, and respiratory problems. An attempt to investigate the composition of PM in the neighboring atmosphere of an industrial complex has been proposed in the last few years due to the high rate of thyroid diseases in the population living near this region. In this work was determined the concentrations of pesticides in samples collected between 2015, 2016, and 2017 in an industrial and urban area. The assessment of the risk caused by the inhalation of these compounds was calculated. Samples (n=42) were extracted and 11 pesticides were determined by gas chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer. Samples collected in 2017 showed higher concentrations. Pesticides such as malathion and permethrin, used in the control of domestic pests, presented the highest concentrations (537 pg m^-3 and 625 pg m^-3 respectively) due to their wide use in this area. The highest values of daily inhalation exposure were for heptachlor in infants, 2 x 10^-4 mg kg^-1 day^-1. All values of the hazard quotients are lower than 1.0 indicating that there is no danger to human health by inhalation. Cancer risk was found for heptachlor in adults, infants, and children in the three years.