Researchers publishing in Proceedings of the Royal Society B examined public pesticide approval records for Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico and Uruguay up to December 2020. They identified 523 active ingredients used on the region's ten main crops; of these, 256 (48.9 per cent) are banned or not authorised in the European Union. Grecia de Groot of Argentina's National Scientific and Technical Research Council described the findings as showing "a profoundly unequal regulatory framework between the two regions."
The report gives examples of specific compounds such as acetochlor (a herbicide), bifenthrin (an insecticide) and carbendazim (a fungicide). It also lists which countries had the highest numbers of such approved ingredients: Costa Rica (140), Mexico (135), Brazil (115), Argentina (106) and Chile (99).
The study notes that high-value, export-oriented crops — including soybeans, maize, wheat and rice — tend to contain a higher concentration of substances not permitted in the EU. Regional pesticide consumption rose about 500 per cent between 1990 and 2019, and the authors warn of direct effects on rural workers and nearby communities and indirect exposure through residues in food, water, air and soil.
Health research cited includes a study from Paraná state, Brazil, that linked chronic occupational exposure to more aggressive breast tumours, and a 2024 study that detected pesticides in breast milk in at least ten Latin American countries. Rafael Junqueira Buralli of the University of Se3o Paulo said these compounds can accumulate and cause hormonal disruption, infertility or cancer. To reduce risks, the authors call for an immediate ban on highly hazardous active ingredients, stronger local and regional risk-management systems, updated approval protocols and monitoring; they add that a free trade agreement signed in January between Mercosur and the EU could help introduce standards that restrict such substances.
- soybeans
- maize
- rice
- sugarcane
- wheat
- apples
- avocados
- coffee
- sunflowers
- grapes
Difficult words
- regulatory — relating to rules or official controls
- active ingredient — chemical in a product that does workactive ingredients
- authorise — give official permission for somethingauthorised
- residue — small amount left after a processresidues
- occupational — connected with a person's job or work
- accumulate — to collect or increase over time
- risk-management — plans and actions to reduce health risks
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How might different pesticide approval rules between regions affect farmers and consumers in Latin America?
- What challenges could governments face when trying to implement stronger risk-management and monitoring systems?
- The article mentions a trade agreement between Mercosur and the EU. How could such an agreement help reduce hazardous pesticide use, in your view?
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