Mood Disorders Hospitalizations, Suicide Attempts, and Suicide Mortality Among Agricultural Workers and Residents in an Area With Intensive Use of Pesticides in Brazil

Abstract

As suicide rates have increased in rural areas in Brazil, it was postulated that pesticide exposure may play a role in this phenomenon. Our study compared the suicide mortality rates observed among agricultural workers from a pesticide-intensive area in Brazil to the suicide mortality frequency noted in three reference populations. In addition, hospitalization rates attributed to suicide attempts and mood disorders including depression in residents of the same agricultural area were compared to two reference populations. Finally, data on pesticide sales per agricultural worker were obtained for each city of Rio de Janeiro State and suicide mortality risk was then calculated according to the quartiles of pesticide sales per agricultural workers, using the first quartile as reference. Agricultural workers were at greater risk for lethality due to suicide when compared to all three reference populations. In addition, residents of the same study area showed higher hospitalization rates by suicide attempts and mood disorders than observed in comparison populations. Results also showed that the risk of death by suicide was significantly higher among agricultural workers who lived in areas of Rio de Janeiro State displaying higher rates of pesticide expenditure per agricultural worker. These results suggest that pesticide exposure may indeed increase the risk of suicide frequency, especially among agricultural workers.

This research has been partially supported by the following agencies: Armando Meyer, Sergio Koifman, and Yael Abreu-Villaça are Irving J. Selikoff International Scholars of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Their work was supported in part by award D43TW000640 from the Fogarty International Center. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Fogarty International Center or the National Institutes of Health. Juliana de Rezende Chrisman is supported by an Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ) fellowship; Armando Meyer, Rosalina Jorge Koifman, Sergio Koifman, and Josino Costa Moreira are supported by the State of Rio de Janeiro Research Council (FAPERJ); Armando Meyer is also supported by the Brazilian National Research Council (CNPq; 477385/2007-9); and Sergio Koifman, Josino Costa Moreira, and Yael Abreu-Villaça are researchers from the Brazilian National Research Council (CNPq).