PESTICIDE CONTAMINATION OF AQUIFERS IN IRRIGATED FRUIT PRODUCTION HUBS: ENDOCRINE DISRUPTION AND CANCER RISK IN SEMI-ARID REGIONS

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36557/2674-9432.2026v5n1p1906-1937

Keywords:

Groundwater monitoring, Chemical mixtures, Water justice, Chronic exposure, Rural health epidemiology

Abstract

The expansion of irrigated fruit production in semi-arid regions, particularly in Brazil’s São Francisco Valley, has been accompanied by increased pesticide use and potential contamination of aquifers supplying rural and riverside communities. The central problem addressed in this study is the paradox between the economic success of irrigated agribusiness and the hidden public health burden associated with chemical residues in drinking water. The main objective was to critically review evidence on pesticide contamination of groundwater and its links to endocrine disruption and cancer in exposed populations. An integrative literature review was conducted between October 2025 and January 2026, using a closed corpus of 33 open-access references analyzed according to established methodological frameworks. Results showed recurrent detection of multiple pesticides in groundwater and drinking-water systems, predominance of highly mobile compounds, and mechanistic plausibility for carcinogenesis mediated by hormonal disruption, oxidative stress, and chronic inflammation. Epidemiological evidence indicated associations between chronic pesticide exposure and increased cancer risk, while regulatory analyses revealed limitations of substance-by-substance standards in addressing real-world mixture exposures. We conclude that contaminated aquifers represent a silent epidemiological pathway and a manifestation of water injustice in intensive agricultural regions, highlighting the need for territorialized monitoring, revised toxicological standards, and integration of agroecology, water security, and public health policies.

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Author Biography

Paulo Roberto Ramos, Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco

Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences, with concentration in Political Science. Master’s and Ph.D. in Sociology, in the field of Development Sociology, from the Federal University of Paraíba. Postgraduate Specializations in Epidemiology and Health Surveillance, Public and Social Policy Management, and Nutrition and Health from Faculdade do Iguaçu (PR). Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition at the University of Pernambuco. Postdoctoral researcher in Human Ecology and Socio-Environmental Management at the State University of Bahia.

He is currently an Associate Professor in the Social Sciences Department and in the Graduate Program in Dynamics of Development in the Brazilian Semi-Arid Region (PPGDiDeS) at the Federal University of the São Francisco Valley (UNIVASF). He has experience in Education, Scientific Research, Environmental Management, Nutrition, Agroecology, and Sustainable Development, with emphasis on Development Sociology, Environmental Sociology, Health Sociology, and Urban Sociology, working mainly on Environmental Education, Agroecology, Environment, Sustainable Development, Interdisciplinarity, Healthy Eating, Socio-environmental Degradation, Water Resources, and Environmental Health.

Founder and General Coordinator of the Escola Verde Program (escolaverde.org), approved under PROEXT-MEC. Recipient of the Ministry of Education Award for Innovation and Creativity in Basic Education. Leader of the Interdisciplinary Environmental Education Research Group and Coordinator of the Interdisciplinary Environmental Education Thematic Center (NUTEAI). Ad hoc reviewer for the journal Ambiente & Sociedade. External evaluator for the Undergraduate Research Program (PIBIC) of FACEPE. Researcher affiliated with the Reference Center for the Recovery of Degraded Areas of the Caatinga (CRAD/UNIVASF). President of the Solidarity Selective Waste Collection Committee of UNIVASF (2013–2015) and current member.

Member of the Institutional Scientific Initiation Scholarship Committee (PIBIC) (2005–2009; 2014–2019), Area Coordinator of the Institutional Teaching Initiation Scholarship Program (PIBID) (2013–2017), and Supervisor in the Pedagogical Residency Program (2018–2024). Member of the Sustainable Logistics Management Committee and the UNIVASF Sustainable Program Steering Committee. Internship Coordinator and Senior Faculty Member of the Social Sciences Program at UNIVASF. Coordinator of the Sala Verde Environmental Education Space at UNIVASF. Executive Director of Revista Verde. Professor in the Environmental Health Specialization Program (SEaD/UNIVASF) and Coordinator of the Lato Sensu Specialization in Interdisciplinary Environmental Education (SEaD/UNIVASF).

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Published

2026-02-23

How to Cite

RAMOS, Paulo Roberto et al. PESTICIDE CONTAMINATION OF AQUIFERS IN IRRIGATED FRUIT PRODUCTION HUBS: ENDOCRINE DISRUPTION AND CANCER RISK IN SEMI-ARID REGIONS. Periódicos Brasil. Pesquisa Científica, Macapá, Brasil, v. 5, n. 1, p. 1906–1937, 2026. DOI: 10.36557/2674-9432.2026v5n1p1906-1937. Disponível em: https://periodicosbrasil.emnuvens.com.br/revista/article/view/655. Acesso em: 15 may. 2026.

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2026): Periódicos Brasil. Pesquisa Científica - QUALIS A3

Section

Ciências Ambientais e Ecologia

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Paulo Roberto Ramos, Maria Miryam da Silva Alves, Arlete Azevêdo, Andreza Monteiro Cavalcante, Danielle Cristina da Silva Dias, Herácliton Neves Araújo, Juraleson Leite Santos, Maria Eliete Ribeiro de Araújo , Bruno Nunes Nogueira, Carla Valois Ribeiro, Jeová Rodrigues Silva

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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