**1. Introduction**

Brazil is one of the main countries in the world in the production and export of products from the agricultural sector. It uses fertilizers and standing out as the main world consumer of pesticides [1]. This fact is due to its extensive planting area, which results in large areas dedicated to monocultures. In turn, it results in increasing pests in plantations, cultivation of transgenics, the imposition of the policy of the green revolution, and the absence of reduction policies and monitoring the use of pesticides and encouraging ecological agriculture [2].

The use of pesticides started to become popular during the Second World War when it emerged as a revolution in pest control. This product is classified as efficient and with an advantageous cost/benefit ratio, which caused new organosynthetic compounds to be produced, thus strengthening the agrochemical industry until today. The use of these chemical products added to the process of developing modern varieties with a high capacity to use these inputs became known as "the Green Revolution". Recently, the increase in the consumption of pesticides is closely related to the use of transgenic cultivars [1, 3, 4].

This process, linked to the modernization of agriculture, inserted pesticides and fertilizers into the country's technological package, where the expansion of capital in the countryside forced small producers and farmers to enter the new model of agricultural production. In this perspective, the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers has become a constant, since the land was forced to produce more in less time, paying attention only to market needs, exponentially increasing productivity per hectare and the frequency of harvests [5, 6].

Pesticides interfere with the physiological mechanisms of human beings and, therefore, are harmful to health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are three to five million acute poisonings in the world each year, with approximately 200 thousand deaths annually, mainly in developing countries. The high toxicity of some products, the ease of access, and the increase in the number of products containing these substances are factors related to pesticide poisoning, causing serious public health [7–11]. Exogenous autointoxications are directly involved (about 70%) with pesticides and medications, since hospital admissions, according to the Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), is related to self-inflicted violence, by pesticides, chemicals, and medicines [12].

In agricultural terms, the state of Bahia stands out nationally and internationally, mainly in irrigated agriculture, showing an increase in exports and favoring population growth. However, with this highlight, it was also possible to observe an increase in the number of notifications for poisoning with pesticides [13]. Therefore, this study aimed to describe and analyze the spatial distribution and epidemiological profile of confirmed cases of pesticide poisoning in the state of Bahia - Brazil, from 2007 to 2017.

## **2. Methodology**

This is an ecological and retrospective study of a time series, based on secondary data collected through SINAN (Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação) linked to DATASUS. For this purpose, an analysis of confirmed cases of pesticide poisoning was carried out and data collection of estimates and projections of the population of the state of Bahia in the period from 2007 to 2017. To search for the data, we used the option of Disease and Notifiable grievances from SINAN: Exogenous pesticide infection, with the following variables: sex, age group, education, and area of residence. Data processing was performed using Excel software, in which the calculations of absolute and relative frequencies were performed, in addition to the arithmetic mean.

This research follows the rules of the National Ethics Council of Resolution no. 466/2012, using data available to the public through the DATASUS digital platform.

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*1*

**Table 1.**

*Analysis of Exogenous Poisoning by Pesticide in the State of Bahia-Brazil during the Period…*

Therefore, authorization from the Research Ethics Committee was not required,

In Bahia, there recorded about 1671 notifications of exogenous poisoning by agricultural pesticides between 2007 and 2017. Where, there confirmed about 1155, of which 96 died. Of the investigated periods, the year 2013 had the highest number of reported cases (240), unlike in the year 2008, where the lowest number was registered (59). The average number of cases during the analyzed period was also verified, which was 151.9 notifications. Regarding the number of confirmed cases (1155) of pesticide poisoning, 2013 had the highest number (195) and 2008 the lowest (42). Also, the investigated period showed an average of 105 confirmed cases

In **Table 2**, it is possible to observe the overview of cases of exogenous poisoning by pesticides in cities (health regions) in the state of Bahia, during the years 2007 to 2017. The highest percentage of notifications and confirmed cases were in the city of Salvador, in which there were 268 notifications and about 238 confirmed cases, followed by Juazeiro with 234 notifications and 165 confirmed cases, Feira de Santana with 155 notifications and 140 confirmed cases, and Paulo Afonso with 114 notifications and 93 confirmed cases. The other health regions can also be seen in

The epidemiological profile of intoxication confirmed by pesticides in the state of Bahia (2007 to 2017) was divided according to the following criteria: sex (Male and female), age group (<1 to 9 years, 10 to 19 years, 20 to 39 years, 40 to 59 years, > 60 years and white/ignored), area of residence (Urban, Rural, periurban, and ignored), and education (Illiterate, complete/incomplete elementary school, complete/incomplete high school, complete/incomplete higher education,

**Years Population Notified cases Confirmed case** 14.080.670 103 71 14.502.575 59 42 14.637.364 89 66 14.021.432 107 62 14.097.534 149 106 14.175.341 181 138 15.044.137 240 195 15.126.371 234 158 15.203.934 203 136 15.276.566 168 109 15.344.447 138 72 **TOTAL — 1.671 1.155 MEAN1 — 151,9 105**

*Calculated arithmetic mean. Source: Authors based on data from DATASUS (2019).*

*Distribution in the period from 2007 to 2017 of notified and confirmed cases in the state of Bahia.*

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.94213*

**3. Results**

(**Table 1**).

**Table 2**.

as no identification data was used for individuals.

Therefore, authorization from the Research Ethics Committee was not required, as no identification data was used for individuals.
