(In)visibilização das causas de câncer na zona rural do município de Limoeiro do Norte-CE: a vulnerabilização das comunidades rurais e os riscos dos usos dos agrotóxicos

Abstract

Introduction: With an increase in reprimarization of the economy has come an increase in cancer cases in rural communities where the chemical-dependent production model of agribusiness has been imposed. In these communities, cancer has become the third leading cause of work-related disability claims, according to the National Institute of Social Security (INSS). How does INSS distribute cancer-related disability benefits in the Brazilian state of Ceará? What is the context for pesticide exposure in the rural area of Limoeiro do Norte, in Ceará (Limoeiro do Norte-CE)? General objective: To raise awareness about the relationship between environmental and occupational exposure to pesticides and cancer morbidity in Ceará. Method: comparison of the rates of cancer-related INSS disability benefits granted to rural and urban recipients in Ceará between 2004 and 2014. Case study of 24 individuals with cancer who are residents of the rural area of Limoeiro do Norte-CE, via clinical occupational anamnesis. Results: Data on rural agribusiness workers (rural employees) were hidden in the INSS database. Rural recipients received 5 times more cancer-related disability benefits than urban recipients. Hematological cancers were the second leading cause of disability for rural male recipients, if skin cancer is excluded. The health regions of Icó, Limoeiro do Norte and Russas had the highest rates of cancer-related disability benefits for rural recipients. The interviews revealed a complex context of exposure to pesticide contamination that puts the rural communities of Limoeiro do Norte-CE in the category of Areas of Sacrifice, through the imposition of infernal alternatives which force residents to engage in precarious works that threatens their health, destroys natural resources, and contaminates ecosystems. Conclusion: The epistemological and methodological difficulties to establish a relationship between pesticides and cancer cases are compounded by the lack of relevant information on morbidity and mortality rates and exposure to pesticides, promoted by public policies and organizations. Such a framework contributes to the “vulnerabilization” or impoverishment, of certain communities. It is the product of unequal protection by the government and complicates scientific research that seeks to expose the perverse consequences of this (agro)development model on broad and diverse segments of the population.