Ecotoxicology as a tool for soil sustainability: Agrochemicals and Veterinary Pharmaceuticals in Brazil

Abstract

Brazil is considered the world's granary, as consequence there is the use of the use of some agricultural inputs as agrochemicals and veterinary pharmaceuticals. These compounds may represent a risk to the environment and so to the soil. This review presents an overview of the scientific research on agrochemicals and veterinary pharmaceuticals products conducted in Brazil, especially regarding to soil ecotoxicology as a tool for soil conservation. Currently there are 3149 documents available in the Scopus Database using the keywords “soil ecotoxicology” where Brazil represents around 4%. Concerning the publications on soil ecotoxicology in Latin America Brazil has been publishing the most. Regarding the agrochemicals, Brazil is ranking the 8 th place with 69 documents of 1190. About the veterinary pharmaceuticals, Brazil is ranking the 11 th place, where the 1st publication was 21 years after the 1st paper published from Denmark. Anyway, the Brazilian Network of Terrestrial Ecotoxicology now a days consists of almost 292 people twice bigger than was in 2016, they are mostly situated in South and Southern of Brazil. Agriculture and livestock farming intensification increase the use of pesticides and veterinary pharmaceuticals in Brazilian soils, so they are gaining relevance in the studies due the extent to which they are practiced. Therefore, it should be the major environmental concerns for researchers and the governmental.