The present study reviews the quantitative data on the use of pesticides and their relationship to environmental and human health problems in Brazil. The detection of residual concentrations of pesticides in food and water consumed by humans has raised questions regarding the overuse of pesticides and their consequences. This global concern was registered as the second goal of sustainable development by the United Nations, which refers to sustainable agriculture and alternatives to pesticides. However, besides recognizing the harmful effects of these contaminants on the environment and human health, there is also a need to understand treatment techniques that can remedy the existing conditions and thus alleviate the problems that affect water treatment plants. In this context, this study compiles information pertinent to the use of pesticides and highlights the prospects for the degradation of these persistent pollutants with emphasis on Brazilian data, one of the countries that had the greatest increase in the consumption of pesticides in the world.

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