Exposure of tobacco farmers to pesticides

Brazil has become the largest consumer of pesticides in the world accounting for 86% of these products in the Latin American market. Tobacco is one of the crops that uses pesticides on a large scale to increase its quality and productivity. Exposure to pesticides without the necessary care and over the long term can cause acute or chronic poisoning triggering a series of illnesses. In this respect the identification of biomarkers that may indicate a potential physiological impairment of the organism and preventive measures are extremely important for the health of rural workers exposed to these substances.