Question 6474 — overseas

Summary

Mr. Perceval Gaillard draws the attention of the Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty to the need to carry out specific studies on the links between exposure to pesticides and human health in Reunion and even more so overseas, as well as a pesticide phase-out plan. Through its phytopharmacovigilance system, ANSES analyzed the results of major scientific work: the expertise Inserm collective on the links between exposure to pesticides and human health updated in 2021. At the end of this analysis, several signals were identified. The most important concern organophosphates and especially pyrethroids. The use of these insecticidal substances is in fact still very important, both for professional agricultural uses and for professional biocidal uses and amateurs. More precisely, pyrethroids are insecticides used in agricultural environments (field crops, vines, fruits and vegetables, antiparasitics for livestock, horticulture, warehouses, greenhouses, etc.), for the protection of wood (arboriculture, silviculture, sawmills, treatment of frames and furniture, etc.), for the treatment of buildings open to the public (hospitals, offices, shops, etc.), transport vehicles. transport (trains, boats, aircraft, etc.) and goods transported or stored, as domestic insecticides (housing, gardens, antiparasitics for pets) and as human antiparasitics (pediculoses). These are very broad spectrum insecticides, used against a very wide variety of pests: flying insects (mosquitoes, wasps, hornets, moths), crawling insects (cockroaches, ants), fleas, ticks, lice, scabies, aphids, mealybugs, fruit and vegetable flies, worms and wood-eating insects. The part of the Esteban study on the impregnation of the French population with pesticides (Santé publique France, 2021) shows significant quantification frequencies for pyrethroids, higher in children than adults. The main signal for the pyrethroid family relates to internalized behavioral disorders in children of mothers exposed during pregnancy. Sperm damage has also been identified in the general population (all sources of exposure combined), however with a lower level of suspicion. A substance from the pyrethroid family, deltamethrin, is also associated with an increased risk of chronic lymphocytic leukemia/lymphocytic lymphoma linked to occupational exposure, with a medium level of presumption. The agency also identifies points of vigilance relating to glyphosate, 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) and triazines for their link with cancers of the lymphatic system in exposed professionals. In 2023, glyphosate is ranked 2nd in PPP sales for professional use; Réunion is the largest user of glyphosate in France, compared to the usable agricultural area, very far in front of the other overseas departments. The observation is the same for 2,4-D. With a quantity of 16.3 tonnes purchased, or 0.42 kg/ha if we relate to the usable agricultural area, the island is the department which consumes the most in the entire country. Although the European Commission reapproved the active substance glyphosate in November 2023 for a period of 10 years, alternatives should be deployed on a large scale both innovative and conclusive. As an illustration, in Reunion, the CanecoH project (2012 - 2018) proposed innovative cane growing systems ensuring sufficient protection of fields against weeds and the profitability of farms while guaranteeing yields. The experiment is being continued as part of the Canecoh 2 project. This is experimenting and testing weeding practices on the island of Reunion. alternative aimed at reducing the IFT by 75%. The project will be based on the redesign of cane systems, in consultation with planters. A “zero herbicide” system will also be tested and evaluated. He therefore asks for specific studies on the links between exposure to pesticides and human health in Reunion and a fortiori overseas, accompanied by a plan to phase out pesticides based on alternatives that work.

Machine translation from French. The official text remains authoritative.

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