The Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (Anvisa) has publicly declared that the 2022 ban on the pesticide active ingredient carbendazim was a successful and beneficial policy. Anvisa’s Collegiate Board accepted the Regulatory Result Assessment Report (ARR) of RDC 739/2022, prohibiting the use of carbendazim throughout the nation, at its recent 11th Public Meeting.

The report’s findings confirm that the regulatory action was crucial in protecting public health from a substance with serious toxicological concerns. The evaluation process, which began in 2019, was motivated by scientific research indicating potential linkages to mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, reproductive toxicity, and embryo-fetal and neonatal development toxicity.

“The results demonstrated that the regulatory response was effective and highlighted the relevance of the performance of health surveillance in protecting the health of the population exposed to pesticides,” according to a statement from Anvisa.

History: A Phased Ban with Positive Results

The carbendazim ban was codified by RDC 739 in August 2022, with a transitional period that concluded in November 2024 to allow for the responsible termination of its usage. The Regulatory Result Assessment Report’s (ARR) main conclusions, based on monitoring indicators, suggest a considerable reduction in public exposure to the chemical:

• Monitoring data from the Program for the Analysis of Pesticide Residues in Food revealed a more than 50% carbendazim levels in food. Detection rates fell from 19.9% in 2018-2019 to an average of about 10% in the years following the prohibition (2022-2024).
• The discovery of carbendazim in drinking water samples obtained by sanitary surveillance decreased significantly. The presence of the chemical, which was discovered in more than 30% of samples from 2019 to 2021, dropped to 2.3% in 2022 and further to 0.2% in 2023. While there was a slight increase to 3.9% in 2024, the findings still show a significant improvement.

The report also stated that, while there was no observed reduction in water quality control samples collected by supply systems, this could be attributed to the chemical’s persistence in the environment and the use of its precursor, thiophanate-methyl, which is also currently being reviewed by Anvisa.

Risks deemed unacceptable.

Anvisa’s decision to prohibit Carbendazim was driven by the inability to determine an acceptable human exposure threshold for its toxicological effects. The material is classed as:

• Presumed mutagenic to human germ cells (Category 1B)
• Presumed carcinogenic to humans (Category 1B)
• Presumed toxic to reproduction in humans (Category 1B)

The Collegiate Board emphasized the necessity of upholding the ban and continuing to check for its presence in food and drink. They also emphasized the importance o continued monitoring and health education initiatives, particularly among agricultural workers who are most exposed to pesticide exposure.

The report’s clearance demonstrates the effectiveness of Anvisa’s science-based approach to pesticide control and reinforces the agency’s commitment to taking regulatory action for compounds that present intolerable hazards to public health.