Brazil is the main consumer of pesticides worldwide. As a consequence, we have observed an increase in cancer cases, high rates of suicides, congenital malformations, high prevalence of mental disorders, high incidence of poisoning in the population in regions with greater use and exposure to pesticides.

Objective To analyze the cases of poisoning notifications by pesticides of use: agricultural, domestic, public health and rodenticides among the Brazilian population, by ethnicity and race.

Methods Descriptive cross-sectional study based on the cases of notifications of pesticide poisoning recorded by DataSUS/SINAN/MS and SINITOX/Fiocruz, in the Brazilian population, in the period from 2010 to 2020.

Results Data indicate higher rates of pesticide poisoning in the Black, urban, and young people aged between 20 and 39 years. 116,981 cases of poisoning by pesticides for agricultural use, domestic, public health and rodenticides were reported.

Conclusion Victims of pesticide poisoning do not necessarily need to be economically active, nor do they need to live in the countryside, in a rural area. Poisoning is a problem of the urban Black population, where the largest number of cases are concentrated. Exposures and poisoning by pesticides have been part of the reality of children very early, many are still intoxicated in the wombs of their mothers, rural workers. Therefore, it is a public health problem that needs to be treated with greater attention by governments, health, education and academia professionals, in order to develop specific studies with exposed populations.