AGRISHOW SPECIAL: Work from the IAC-Quepia Program to reduce exposure to pesticides is presented at Agrishow 2017

The IAC-QUEPIA Program, which unites the Agronomic Institute with the protective clothing industry, was at the center of a recent meeting of the World Committee of ISO – International Standardization Organization – held in the city of Leeds, in the United Kingdom. Scientists from ISO, the entity responsible for assigning quality standards to different areas of the global industry, received a proposal from the IAC-QUEPIA Program that aims to increase the quality of protective clothing used in the application of pesticides.

The details of this project, which positions Brazil among the most advanced countries in the world in adopting efforts to protect rural workers, will be known today at the IAC-SP stand at Agrishow. Called the IAC Program for the Quality of Protective Equipment in Agriculture, “QUEPIA” is coordinated by scientific researcher Hamilton Ramos, from the IAC Engineering and Automation Center (CEA-IAC) in Jundiaí-SP.

In Brazil, the IAC/QUEPIA Program is responsible for certifying the quality of rural protective clothing produced by the national industry. Brazilian companies that submit their products for evaluation by the agency, and obtain approval in safety tests, receive the IAC-QUEPIA Quality Seal.

According to Hamilton Ramos, the proposal taken to the ISO Committee meeting in Leeds results from a technological cooperation agreement maintained between the CEA-IAC and the University of Maryland, in the United States, represented by scientist Anugrah Shaw. Shaw is the researcher-coordinator for the development of ISO 27065, the global base guideline for the quality certification of protective clothing used in crops.

The two scientists, explains Ramos, work to promote changes in the ISO 27065 standard, applicable to the assessment of the quality of rural clothing used by workers when applying pesticides. Ramos and Shaw are also dedicated to developing a specific ISO quality standard for protective gloves, accessories also used in the management of pesticides.

In over ten years of operation, Ramos highlights, the IAC PPE Quality in Agriculture Program (QUEPIA) has made Brazil the pioneer country in adopting legislation based on ISO standards, to provide safety for workers who deal with pesticides. IAC calculations indicate that around 2 million people perform this role in the country today.

According to Hamilton Ramos, the data protocol taken to the ISO Committee in Leeds will be the subject of new analyzes and studies carried out in laboratories around the world. It is possible, says the researcher, that a conclusion regarding this trial will be considered at the next meeting of the International Consortium for PPE Safety in Agriculture, which will take place in Brazil in October this year.