Suicide Mortality Correlates With Heavier Pesticide Use And Tobacco Farming In Southern Brazil

Abstract

Previous studies have found that pesticide exposure may play a role in the high suicide rates observed among agricultural workers. Tobacco farming involves heavy pesticide use in addition to nicotine exposure, which may exert additional neurotoxic effects on workers. In this study, we investigated if suicide risk was higher among agricultural workers than non-agricultural workers in areas of heavy pesticide use and tobacco production in the Southern region of Brazil. Suicide mortality data between 1996 and 2005 was obtained for agricultural and non-agricultural workers from each city in Brazil's Southern region. Data on pesticide use and tobacco production was gathered for all cities and Mortality Odds Ratio (MOR) was used to compare suicide mortality risk among agricultural workers in cities with varying rates of pesticide use and tobacco production and against a reference group of non-agricultural workers. Higher suicide mortality risk was observed among agricultural workers than non-agricultural workers, with female agricultural workers exhibiting highest relative suicide rates compared to female non-agricultural workers. Risk of suicide was significantly higher in cities with heavier pesticide use and highest in cities with greater tobacco farming. These findings suggest that pesticide exposure and tobacco farming may be linked to the higher rates of suicide observed in agricultural workers in Southern Brazil, and that women may be especially impacted by risk factors related to agricultural work. Further investigation is necessary to address the issue of suicide among agricultural workers in Brazil and other regions worldwide.