COVID-19 in farmers exposed to pesticides in a municipality of Serra Catarinense
Keywords:
Apple farmer, Pesticides, SARS-CoV-2Abstract
Manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection can be aggravated when associated
comorbidities are present. It is noteworthy that many pathologies have environmental
factors as triggering agents, such as exposure to pesticides, which are substances that
negatively contribute to the immunity of exposed individuals and may favor infection by
the virus. This work aimed to evaluate the occurrence and outcome of Covid-19 in farmers
who grow apples in a municipality in Serra Catarinense. It is a descriptive, field and
quantitative study. Data collection took place through the application of a structured
questionnaire to 50 farmers exposed to pesticides who cultivate apples in the conventional
cultivation system in a rural location in the municipality of São Joaquim/SC, aged the
same or over 18 years old, who signed the TCLE. Data collection took place in August
2022, and at home. The mean age of the participants was 46.5 ± 12.50 (minimum 23 years
old, maximum 61 years old), as for the gender of the individuals, 48 individuals are male
(94%) and two are female (4%). Of the individuals investigated, 19 (38%) contracted
Covid-19 and the majority (62%) had mild symptoms. In general, the research
demonstrates that exposure to pesticides may not have interfered with the virus infection.
Further research in this area with a larger number of participants is recommended, in order
to expand the results of this research, since the literature relates pesticides with
disturbances caused to the immune system.
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