Farmer's profile as to the use and dangerousness of agrotoxic

Brazil is a major consumer of pesticides to maintain high production of agricultural crops by fighting pests, diseases and weeds. When there is wrong handling, implications for the environment and human health occur. Given this, the objective of the study was to evaluate the profile of the farmer regarding the use of pesticides. Methodology: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 140 farmers from Agreste Alagoano. 49.28% did not complete elementary school and 20.76% cannot read. It was found that 81.44% use pesticides and of the 32 types mentioned, 83.13% are unsuitable for crops, 34.37% are extremely toxic to human health and 78.12% are very dangerous to the environment. As for Personal Protective Equipment, 45.71% do not use it when preparing it and 37.85% do not use it when applying pesticides, with incomplete use. Only 5.71% do the triple washing and 40% burn the packaging after use. The main symptoms perceived by farmers during or after the use of pesticides were changes in vision (48.5%), nervousness, tension and worry (48.5%) and dizziness (32.8%). In general, the various inappropriate actions for handling pesticides may be related to the low level of education of farmers, which leads to risks to the environment and health.