Pesticides and nicotine

The indiscriminate use of pesticides is a serious public health problem. The fast-growing Brazilian market for these products contributes to the country being considered the world leader in the consumption of these substances. The number of people exposed to the harmful effects of pesticides on their health is high, as is the environmental damage. In tobacco farming, farmers are at risk of poisoning from these poisons and from the nicotine in the tobacco leaf. Brazil is one of the world's largest tobacco producers, a worrying fact given the number of people who frequently handle two products that are harmful to health. This book provides relevant information on the characteristics of tobacco farmers' exposure to nicotine and pesticides and the negative impacts on their health and the environment. It also presents data on tobacco production and the occupational profile of these rural workers, which can be used by health professionals in their practice of services with this group, especially in the adoption of technologies that favor the prevention of damage to health.