Dados do Resumo

Título

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL PROFILE OF WORK-RELATED CANCER IN THE STATE OF PARANÁ BETWEEN 2018 AND 2023

Introdução

Brazil is one of the largest agrotoxics consumers in the world, with Paraná occupying third place in the country. These substances are widely used to control harmful organisms and vegetation growth. However, prolonged exposure to these products is associated with the development of neoplasms, especially among farmers, the main risk group. Inadequate protection, packaging reuse and inappropriate disposal further increase the incidence of this condition.

Objetivo

Describe the epidemiological profile of work-related cancer in the population that inhabits the state of Paraná in the given period.

Métodos

Ecological epidemiological study, including data from the period of 2018 to 2023. After preliminary reading of the topic, the portion affected by occupational cancer was selected throughout the state of Paraná - Brazil. The data was collected through a research conducted in the Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN), sourced from DATASUS and organized in a “google sheets” spreadsheet - a google drive extension - for analysis and selection of the most pertinent informations. Additionally, for the literature base, available content from INCA (Instituto Nacional de Câncer) was used, alongside with data from the virtual libraries LILACS and SCIELO, using the descriptors “occupational cancer”, “epidemiology”, and “agrotoxics”; after checking the results, the most recent articles were selected - considering 2008 as the oldest data from this current research - leading to the identification of the three articles deemed as the most relevant to the chosen topic.

Resultados

From the analysis of the data obtained in the research, it was noted that between the years from 2018 to 2023, the total number of people diagnosed with occupational cancer in Paraná was 1.186. Where, 826 (69%) were male, 966 (81%) identified themselves as white, 396 (31%) were aged between 60 and 69 years old, and 396 (33%) reported to be multipurpose agricultural producers. It is also noteworthy that 52% of these declared to be smokers or ex-smokers. The data obtained corroborates the literature, indicating that the exposure to agrotoxics is associated with an increase of neoplasms such as leukemia, lymphoma, and stomach cancer. Agricultural producers were contaminated during inhalation, products applications, equipment and cloth cleaning; moreover, the absence of PPE’s increase the risk. The population’s food insecurity increases the consumption of food contaminated with agrotoxic residues; combined with smoking habits, the risk factors for neoplasm development are heightened.

Conclusões

Based on the data, the importance of conducting new studies to obtain more information regarding the correlations between occupational cancer and lifestyle is evident. In addition to the need of bigger investments in lectures/campaigns in order to spread information about the risk of agrotoxic’s exposure, especially about food and the importance of using PPE’s during labor activities in the agricultural sector, in order to protect the affected population.

Palavras Chave

Epidemiology; Agrotoxics; Occupational cancer