Members of the Parliamentary Front of Agriculture (FPA) are mobilizing to annul the decision of the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) that suspended the use and commercialization of defensive products based on carbendazim. The product is used to combat fungi in the crops of beans, rice, cotton, corn and soybeans, among others.

The import, production, distribution and marketing of carbendazim has been suspended in Brazil since June of this year. The precautionary suspension was requested by Anvisa, on the grounds that the product may cause risks to the health of the population.

The exit found by parliamentarians from the bench would be a draft legislative decree (PDL). In a statement, the FPA said it was very concerned about the actions taken in the revaluation procedures, in particular, of the active ingredient carbendazim.

The text also says that this decision "affronts the due reassessment procedure, which imposes the effective participation of the three competent federal agencies" – Anvisa, Ministry of Agriculture and Ibama – and allows the unrestricted use of products during the reassessment process. The parliamentary front says it is still awaiting a response from the Executive on the LDP.

Carbendazim is among the most used in Brazil

Carbendazim is among the 20 most commercialized pesticides in the country. The product has been on the market for about 50 years. According to a report prepared by Anvisa technicians, fungicide would have toxicological aspects prohibiting registration, and it would be impossible to establish a safe dose threshold for human exposure. Among the aspects listed in the document is the potential of pesticides to cause cancer, impair human reproductive capacity and affect development.

According to the agency, the suspension should last until the completion of the process of toxicological reassessment of the product, which is scheduled for next Monday (8).

Reassessment process

The reassessment is a detailed analysis of a series of toxicological studies, both filed at Anvisa by the recording companies, as well as the scientific literature on the subject. It also takes into account official data and reports from other regulatory agencies and recognised bodies. The agency began reassessing carbendazim in 2019. The last evaluation of fungicide was made about two decades ago.

After the precautionary suspension, Anvisa held a public consultation that proposed a ban on the active ingredient carbendazim in pesticide products in Brazil. This public consultation has already been finalized and the result should be disclosed together with the conclusion of the revaluation.

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Source: Canal Rural