Question 16360 — dangerous products

Summary

Mr. Loïc Prud'homme alerts the Minister of State, Minister of Ecological and Inclusive Transition, to the dangerousness of pesticides from the succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor (SDHI) family, widely used by French agriculture as fungicides. Following the alert launched in April 2018 by several researchers on the health and environmental dangers of SDHI, ANSES took up the issue and issued its opinion at the beginning of 2019. This the latter concludes that the research carried out “does not provide any evidence in favor of the existence of an alert for human health and the environment linked to the agricultural uses of these fungicides”. According to the agency, the residues of the eleven molecules belonging to the SDHI class are not found excessively in food, the population would thus only be exposed to levels well below the safety thresholds set. by European health authorities. However, this opinion, without providing proof as to the non-toxicity of SDHIs, nor any new element, contains a very high degree of uncertainty on numerous points raised by the researchers. The research carried out by these whistleblowers highlights the action of these pesticides which target the blocking of the SDH enzyme which can lead to serious pathologies in humans (Parkinson's disease, appearance of severe encephalopathies and certain cancers). Researchers have carried out in vitro tests proving that human cells die when exposed to SDHI under certain conditions. However, this work was dismissed by ANSES which did not take it into account in its opinion. Currently, the toxicity tests, carried out by the manufacturers themselves, during the marketing authorization do not make it possible to detect the danger of SDHIs for exposed people. When ANSES highlights the absence of health consequences of SDHIs today, the researchers emphasize that these pesticides have only been used on a large scale since the end of the 2000s, i.e. a lack of perspective, the health scandal is in the making. These elements are all the more alarming since the Générations Futures association has already reported to its predecessor the massive presence of SDHI in agriculture and food, in France more than 70% of wheat surfaces are treated with these products, the most used SDHI fungicide, boscalid, is massively present on plates. It is the pesticide residue most frequently quantified in food samples tested in Europe, so the population is widely exposed to it. Looking forward to further comprehensive studies and independent, France must, as a matter of urgency, make use of the safeguard clause provided at European level to prevent the entry of foods treated with SDHI active substances. In view of the elements presented above which, far from being likely to reassure the population, leave uncertainty surrounding the toxicity of SDHIs, he asks, with regard to the precautionary principle, to immediately suspend marketing authorizations. market for products containing SDHI, as a precautionary measure.

Machine translation from French. The official text remains authoritative.

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