“Ibama was named in the Public Civil Action (ACP) for alleged omission in the inspection and monitoring of the use of the active ingredient atrazine…”
Rosângela Muniz is Director of Environmental Quality at Ibama, holds a master’s degree in Geography from the Federal University of Uberlândia, and a bachelor’s degree in Social Communication from the University Center of the Triangle.
AgriBrasilis – What is your assessment of the impacts of pesticides on the environment?
Rosângela Muniz – As they are chemical substances with inherent toxicity, when applied on a large scale, pesticides can intensify environmental risks. These products have the potential to alter and contaminate soils and water bodies to varying degrees, depending on factors such as the method of application, frequency, concentration used and physicochemical characteristics.
One example is aerial spraying, which presents a high risk of drift beyond the treated area and can reach adjacent ecosystems, such as rivers, vegetation areas and fauna. Thus, the greater the use, the higher the likelihood that these substances will reach unintended areas, increasing environmental exposure.
In addition to intrinsic toxicity, several environmental factors influence the impacts of pesticides, such as climate, soil and water properties and regional topography. The dispersion of hazardous chemical compounds can compromise biodiversity, affecting pollinators, soil organisms and other non-target species. The persistence and bioaccumulation of these molecules in the food chain intensify chronic effects, with repercussions for fauna and flora.
AgriBrasilis – Does the environmental risk assessment carried out by Ibama ensure the safe use of these products?
Rosângela Muniz – The method and timing of application, doses, crop, climate, among many other factors, become highly important in the Environmental Risk Assessment of pesticides, making it more comprehensive, realistic and complex. Ibama conducts its assessments based on regulatory science. However, pesticides may present certain risks arising from their use, depending on the variables that influence the persistence, transport and stability of pesticides in the environment.
Thus, risk assessment allows for the establishment of use recommendations with a level of risk considered acceptable, but it is important to remember that it is not always possible to predict synergistic or antagonistic effects resulting from the interaction between different chemical compounds in the environment.
Pesticide products containing atrazine are classified according to the Environmental Hazard Potential Assessment (PPA) methodology. The approval of the first product containing this active ingredient in Brazil occurred in 1996, long before the implementation of risk assessment, which began in 2011 and continues at present, with ongoing improvements.
AgriBrasilis – What is Ibama’s relationship with the Public Civil Action regarding atrazine contamination in the Dourados River Basin?
Rosângela Muniz – Ibama was named in the Public Civil Action (ACP) for alleged omission in the inspection and monitoring of the use of the active ingredient atrazine. In addition, the Institute must initiate the environmental re-evaluation of the active ingredient, a complex procedure composed of several phases of analysis, for which field studies are required and which depend on crop cycles.
However, under Brazilian legislation, the inspection of the use and application of pesticides is the responsibility of state environmental agencies, not Ibama. It is important that local bodies—environmental and agricultural—fulfill their role in investigating the causes of contamination and the respective responsible parties, as well as sanctioning and curbing such practices.
States may restrict or prohibit the use of pesticides, taking into account the particularities of local agriculture and the possible contamination of relevant matrices. State entities may also supplement national legislation on the control of pesticide use, including issuing rules that are more protective of health and the environment.
Ibama will always be available to assist in these investigations, providing technical expertise or supplementarily reinforcing inspection operations.
Regarding the monitoring of these products, the implementation of an environmental monitoring program for pesticide residues in matrices such as water, soil, sediment and vegetation faces technical, institutional and logistical barriers that limit Ibama’s operational capacity. These difficulties stem from the need for specialized analytical infrastructure and from the country’s territorial extent.
Despite the challenges, Ibama has been adopting a series of progressive and technically grounded initiatives that clearly demonstrate that the institution is not negligent on this matter. One example is the Pilot Project for Environmental Monitoring of Pesticides, which made it possible to test methodologies, identify gaps, structure protocols and understand, in practical terms, the bottlenecks in the collection and analysis of water, soil, sediment and vegetation samples. The initiative enabled the expansion of technical knowledge and hands-on experience across all stages of the process, providing inputs for the improvement of future monitoring efforts.
For 2026, another monitoring project to be carried out by Ibama in partnership with Embrapa is planned.
AgriBrasilis – What measures are applicable to mitigate the impacts described by this Public Civil Action?
Rosângela Muniz – We clarify that the registration of pesticides is not carried out by Ibama, but by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA). Ibama does not hold legal authority to ban pesticide products, limiting its actions to restricting their use.
In 1989, the active ingredient atrazine was classified by Ibama in terms of its Environmental Hazard Potential (PPA), based on the methodology used at the time for the approval of registrations. Based on the PPA, Ibama required specific warning statements for certain pesticide products containing atrazine, in accordance with the results of the tests submitted as a requirement for granting registration.
It is incumbent upon the user or the service provider responsible for the application to be held liable for damage caused to health and the environment when they have acted in disagreement with the agronomic prescription or the recommendations of the manufacturer and of the registering and health-environmental authorities.
With regard to the potential for atrazine-based pesticides to contaminate surface and groundwater, the substance is listed in two Conama resolutions (No. 357/2005 and No. 396/2008), which establish a limit of 2 µg/L of atrazine in water bodies intended for human consumption supply.
AgriBrasilis – Is the inspection of pesticide use sufficient to prevent environmental damage?
Rosângela Muniz – The prevention of environmental damage caused by pesticides is achieved only through a combination of factors, and not through inspection alone.
It is necessary to strengthen Ibama’s structures and competencies so that it can carry out the evaluation and re-evaluation of these products based on scientific knowledge and consolidated studies, in order to substantiate restrictions on their use and their impacts on the environment.
At the same time, state agencies must act within their competencies to issue more protective regulations and, above all, to inspect the irregular application of these products.
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