The French NGO Générations Futures, a Pesticide Action Network Europe and HEAL member organisation, studied the EFSA report “2016 EU report on pesticide residues in food” published in July 2018, looking for the share of endocrine disrupting pesticides in all the residues found.
In the overall monitoring programmes ( EU coordinated programme and national programmes) 84 657 food samples were tested. 49,3% of these samples contained at least one quantified pesticide residue (or several). MRLs were exceeded in 3,8% of the samples. 109 843 residues were quantified in total and related to a total of 41 722 samples and 350 different pesticides.
Générations Futures checked these 350 pesticides. 157 of them (44,86%) are included in the Tedx database (created by Theo Colborn and listing chemicals for which at least one published scientific study finds an ED effect) and are thus suspected endocrine disruptors.
These 157 suspected ED pesticides accounted for 69433 residues which amounts to 63,21% of the total 109 843 pesticides residues found by EFSA.
«This analysis clearly shows that pesticide residues in food are a major source of exposure to EDCs as nearly two thirds of pesticides residues in European food are suspected EDCs!» declared François Veillerette, Director of Générations Futures. «EFSA just can’t continue to claim that things are under control because MRLs are rarely exceeded. Indeed, ED pesticides can act at very low doses as for these ED chemicals it is more the period of exposure that makes the risk rather than the dose itself. Foetuses are for instance very much at risk with these ED pesticides that can trigger diseases later in life as cancer, diabetes, impair reproduction and the development of the nervous system. The Commission should thus launch a systematic substitution policy to replace these suspected ED pesticides!» He added.
Bio Eco Actual, International Organic Newspaper
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