Hundreds of hazardous pesticides are still approved in Europe
Many pesticides used in European are classified as carcinogenic or harmful to reproduction according to official bodies such as the European Union and the US Environmental Protection Agency. A new report by Catherine Wattiez and François Veillerette highlights which pesticides are most problematic.
 |
Alachlor (Lasso) herbicide, suspected carcinogen and endocrine disruptor, and still in use in much of Europe. Photo: MDRGF |
Risk assessment of pesticides is the basis for authorisation of each active ingredient considered individually. However, current procedures give only a very imperfect approximation of the real risk. Risk assessment takes into account not only toxicity but also estimated patterns of exposure to a particular pesticide, relying on data from healthy adult organisms. In addition, it lacks sufficient testing for certain toxic properties, proper review of the scientific literature or consideration of new scientific findings. Some of these findings show higher impacts from pesticides than previously expected. Exposure assessment is very weak as pesticide usage data is patchy, multiple exposure routes are not considered and biomonitoring data (measures of concentrations in blood, urine) are lacking.
Risk assessment is carried out largely behind closed doors. It relies heavily on specified test data and other information, which an agrochemical company is obliged to pay for and provide when applying for approval for its pesticide active ingredient or product. The public does not have access to the human toxicological studies submitted by industry, nor to exposure estimations. It is usually only possible to read the summary assessments produced by the regulatory authorities, often after the important decisions have been taken. The risk assessment business involves close co-operation between the regulators and the pesticide industry. In France, for instance, the Ministry of Agriculture operates pesticide evaluation jointly with the Union of Plant Protection Industries (UIPP) and the National Union of Agricultural Co-operatives and Agro-suppliers (UNCAA).
Compared with many other parts of the world, Europe certainly has fewer dangerous pesticides in common use these days, particularly since the withdrawal in 2003 of over 300 active ingredients. This situation is due to a series of phase-out measures and bans over the last 15 years and the fact that agrochemical companies did not push for re-registration of about 300 older products, sometimes on economic grounds and sometimes because they knew they would not pass the stricter test requirements introduced in the 1990s. However, Europe still has hundreds of dangerous pesticides widely used and released or still present in the environment.
The table lists the numbers of currently authorised pesticide active ingredients with specific hazards as classified by national or international official bodies, as well as the numbers now withdrawn. A full list, along with the relevant classifications and sources, can be found in the dossier in French produced by PAN Europe partners Inter-Environnement Wallonie (IEW) in Belgium and Movement for the Rights and Respect for Future Generations (MDRGF) in France, downloadable on their respective websites.
| Suspected hazard category | Withdrawn | Still in use |
| Carcinogenic ( C ) | 48 | 92 |
| Mutagenic ( M ) | 5 | (of which 1 also C) |
| Reproductive toxicity ( R ) | 9 (of which 2 also EDCs) | 20 (of which 6 also EDC) |
| Hormone disrupters ( EDCs ) | 36 (of which 19 also C) | 48 (of which 30 also C) |
| Inducers of skin sensitisation | 8 | 25 |
| Neurotoxic (acetylcholinesterase inhibitors) | 67 | 47 |
Among the few ‘existing active ingredients’ (pesticides on the EU market before 1993) which have been reviewed according to pesticide authorisation Directive 91/414/EEC and added to the ‘positive list’ authorised at EU level (known as Annex I of the Directive), some are classified as having properties of concern. They are skin sensitizers (bentazone, 2,4-D salts and esters, diquat dibromide, thiram). Others are suspected endocrine disruptors (2,4-D, 2,4-DB, esfenvalerate, molinate, thiram) or suspected carcinogens (imazalil, iprodione, isoproturon, linuron, pendimethalin, propiconazole, propyzamide, thiabendazole, ziram) or neurotoxic or suspected of reproductive harm (molinate).
Some other ‘existing active ingredients’ were excluded from Annex I in 2003 but are nevertheless still allowed for certain uses until the end of 2007, as they are estimated to be of ‘essential use.’ This decision was made despite their recognised properties of concern. Among them, chlorfenvinphos, cyanazine, flumetralin, promethryn, are suspected endocrine disruptors; acifluorofen sodium, cyanazine, fomesafen, oxadixyl, therbuthryn are suspected carcinogens; chlorfenvinphos, EPTC, ethion, flurathiocarb, heptenophos, omethoate, sulfotep, triazophos are neurotoxic inhibitors.
Wattiez C et Veillerette F, Dangerosité des matières actives et des spécialités commerciales phytosanitaires autorisées dans l’Union européenne et en France., MDRGF et IEW, mai 2004, http://www.mdrgf.org et http://www.pesticide.be
Contact Catherine Wattiez at PAN Europe, Belgium, catherine.wattiez@skynet.be or François Veillerette, Louvement pour les Driots et le Respect des Generations Futures MDRGF, France. Email: fv@mdrgf.org
[This article first appeared in Pesticides News No. 65, September 2004, page 11]