Seizures of Illegal Pesticides

To obtain a pesticide to be used on crops, other components are intentionally added to the formulation to improve the characteristics of the final product. There may also be “unintended” or “contaminant” components in the formulations. Care in the synthesis and formulation processes guarantees the quality and safety of the technical product and the formulated pesticide. With illegal pesticides, these precautions are not guaranteed.

Thus, the use of illegal pesticides can have major adverse consequences for fauna, flora and ecosystems, in addition to intoxicating workers, producers and rural residents, contaminating food and water supplies and affecting the health of the population.

The negative economic effects of using an illegal pesticide can be significant, as the agronomic efficacy may be lower than expected, not effectively controlling the pest, disease or weedy plant, in addition to causing toxicity to cultivated plants and compromising the crop.

In 2016, there was a seizure carried out by the Civil Police of Medianeira, in Paraná, of cargo initially described as an “unidentified granulated substance”. A sample of the seized product was sent to the Paraná Institute of Technology - TECPAR, for analysis. The result surprisingly showed that 25 active pesticide ingredients, from different chemical groups and classes of use, were present. There were insecticides, acaricides, anticides, termiteicides, fungicides, and a growth regulator and a herbicide in the same seized product. Given this, it can be anticipated that the use of this illegal pesticide would compromise agronomic effectiveness, in addition to the dangers to human health and the environment.

Given the large number of active ingredients, their possible chemical interactions are unpredictable. This situation is even more dangerous if we also consider the interactions involving impurities and other components of the formulation.

A survey carried out as part of a master's thesis at the University of Brasília – UnB showed that, while in 2008, 126 reports were written by the Federal Police involving pesticides, in 2009 the total was 150 reports, representing an increase of 19% in one year. In 10% of the illegal pesticides seized, there was no identification of what they contained.

In the same dissertation, the results of chemical analyzes of illegal pesticides showed some very diluted liquid samples and solid samples with concentrations of the active ingredient above any formulated product registered in Brazil.

As noted in the dissertation, the divergences between the concentrations of these active ingredients in illegal pesticides and those duly registered are worrying.