Abstract

POLANCO RODRIGUEZ, Angel Gabriel; MAGANA CASTRO, Teresa Virginia; CETZ LUIT, Jorge  and  QUINTAL LOPEZ, Rocío. Use of carcinogenic agrochemicals in the agricultural region of Yucatan, Mexico. Ctro. Agr. [online]. 2019, vol.46, n.2, pp. 72-83. ISSN 0253-5785.

The indiscriminate use of highly toxic agrochemicals and especially the herbicide glyphosate, are of global concern nowadays, since they produce high pollution impacts for the aquifer and public health. The karstic soils of Yucatan, Mexico, are extremely vulnerable to contamination of the aquifer, due to the easy filtration of pollutants. There is evidence of contamination of the Yucatan aquifer, Mexico, by organochlorine pesticides, as well as its bioaccumulation in blood of women with cancer and breast milk, due to agricultural activities. In order to characterize the knowledge on the handling of agrochemicals, interviews were conducted, aimed at farmers and housewives in the municipalities of Tekáx, Oxkutzkab and Dzán, in the agricultural area at Yucatan. To the information process were used the STAT, SPSS, ArcMap, and Ethnograph programs were used. The results indicate the use of 69 classes of agrochemicals, among them, organochlorinated pesticides such as lindane and endosulfan 23 %, DDT 13 %, heptachlor 10 %, aldrin 10 %. Likewise, 55 % of the farmers reported using the glyphosate herbicide for the production of soybeans. In the backyard production, women use agrochemicals for the production of vegetables and pest control of small animal species. The results show the use of pesticides banned and / or restricted by international organizations, as well as glyphosate for the production of soybean, representing high impacts for human health and the aquifer. It is recommended to apply the international norms, as well as educational programs with agroecological basis on sustainable agriculture, avoiding applying carcinogenic agrochemicals.

Keywords : water; agrochemicals; Mexico; social environmental; health.

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