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Brazil Anvisa approves new pesticide regulatory framework and promises worldwide standard

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The Brazilian national health surveillance agency (Anvisa) approved, on July 23, the new Regulatory Framework for the Toxicological Evaluation of Pesticides that adopts the most widely used worldwide standard, and promises greater transparency in the toxicity factors described on product labels.

“We equate Brazil's regulatory framework with that of the world. It is very clear that we will jointly define our risk rating. They will be modified to the best standard,” said Renato Porto, Director of Authorization and Sanitary Records at Anvisa.

The changes were proposed, based upon the standards of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). With this, Brazil follows the parameters used by the European Union and Asia.

Companies will have one year to adapt to the new rules. The deadline will start from the publication of the new milestone in the Federal Official Gazette, scheduled for the next few days.

The announcement comes in the context of the largest release of pesticides ever recorded by the government since July until 2005 - so far 262. On July 23, 51 more pesticides were listed by the Ministry of Agriculture. In a statement, the agency said that with the new regulatory framework, there will be a reclassification of pesticides that are already on the market through an information request notice, which must be answered by the registration holders. “Of the 2,300 pesticides registered in Brazil, Anvisa has already received data for reclassification of approximately 1,950 (85%) products,” says the note.

The release involves three parts: Anvisa evaluates issues related to human health, the Ministry of Agriculture (Mapa) takes care of agricultural issues, and the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) is responsible for environmental analysis.

Renato Porto also reported that they did not 'change' the technical requirements of product analysis - which measure the toxicological effects of contact, for example. With the content of the new proposal, pesticides will be classified into the following categories: extremely toxic, highly toxic, moderately toxic, low toxic, unlikely to cause acute damage and unclassified. "For each category, there will be an indication of damage in case of contact with the mouth (oral), skin (dermal) and nose (inhalation)," says Anvisa.

According to the table above, the only factor for classification in “extremely / highly toxic” will be a risk of causing death, marked by a red color. Anvisa says this is something for “classification for labeling purposes”, but it will “establish scientific criteria for comparing toxicity (toxic action) between products, based upon mortality”.

What is GHS

Endorsed by the United Nations (UN), the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) was first proposed in 1992 at Eco 92. From 2008, the European community adopted this standard for classification, labeling and packaging of substances and products. In addition, 53 countries have already carried out its full implementation, and 12 countries have partial implementation.

The United States does not use the method as a toxicological classification criterion, but in 2012 established a transition phase, with the insertion of symbols and hazard warnings that emerged from the GHS.

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