BURNING SUGARCANE STRAW AS A PREPARATION TECHNIQUE FOR MANUAL HARVESTING RELEASES LARGE AMOUNTS OF PARTICULATE MATTER INTO THE ATMOSPHERE, WITH DOCUMENTED EFFECTS ON THE RESPIRATORY HEALTH OF POPULATIONS LIVING IN PRODUCING REGIONS

<jats:p>Burning sugarcane straw as a preparation technique for manual harvesting releases large amounts of particulate matter into the atmosphere, with documented effects on the respiratory health of populations living in producing regions. This article analyzes the relationship between sugarcane burning and respiratory morbidity, systematizing Brazilian and international epidemiological evidence and discussing its public health implications. An integrative literature review of a qualitative nature was adopted, gathering time-series studies, comparative ecological studies, scoping reviews and relevant normative frameworks. The results confirm a consistent association between burning periods and the increase in hospital admissions for respiratory conditions, with a magnitude that reaches increases of more than twenty per cent among children and thirty per cent among the elderly in producing municipalities. It is demonstrated that the effects are mediated mainly by fine particulate matter, capable of reaching the deep portions of the respiratory system, and that children, the elderly and cane cutters constitute the groups of greatest vulnerability. The most recent evidence extends the scope of harm beyond the respiratory system, reaching cardiovascular and renal outcomes. Finally, it is verified that replacing burning with mechanized harvesting, promoted by normative instruments, constitutes the measure with the greatest potential for population protection. It is concluded that sugarcane burning constitutes an avoidable public health problem, whose overcoming depends on the consolidation of the transition to fire-free harvesting practices.</jats:p>