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[September] New European Union legislation on pesticides finally adopted A Directive for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides and a new Regulation for the placing of pesticides in the European Union (EU) market have been finally adopted by the European Commission (EC) on the 12th of July after a year’s delay. The new proposals contain some positive developments in pesticides policies in the EU but overall they fail to introduce the strong measures needed to change the pesticide use paradigm in EU and to respond to strong public health concerns voiced by the public, researchers and health and environmental organisations. Published in Pesticide News No 72, September 2006 http://www.pan-uk.org/pestnews/contents/pnindex.htm ..................................... [September] New study shows toxicity of vinclozolin especially in case of exposure during pregnancy New research by Washington State University scientists suggests
that a single exposure to the fungicide vinclozolin during pregnancy
can cause cancer, kidney disease and other illnesses for future
generations. Vinclozolin is a dicarboximide nonsystemic fungicide
that inhibits fungal spore generation and is commonly used in vines.
In Europe, it was one of the eight extremely hazardous pesticides
under review that could not get an agreement by Member States but
was finally banned. It is banned in a number of EU countries including
Denmark and Sweden. The new research suggests that environmental pollution could permanently
reprogram genetic traits in a family line, creating a legacy of
sickness. It follows previous studies that showed similar long-term
effects from chemicals on the reproductive systems of successive
generations. Although this is an animal study its relevance for
humans should not be dismissed and calls for the precautionary principle
in pesticides approval. ..................................... [September 2006] Lifestyles blamed for 17 percent rise in childhood cancer cases Cancer is rising rapidly among children across Europe with up to 17 percent of cases resulted from modern lifestyles and changes in the environment, researchers have found. In a study, researchers examined 77,111 cases of cancer in children diagnosed between 1978 and 1997 in 15 European countries. The results showed that the number of cases of cancer in children under 14 rose by an average of 1.1 percent a year. There were increases in most childhood cancers including brain tumours, testicular cancer, leukemia, kidney cancer and soft tissue sarcoma (cancer of connective tissue). The study results showed no increase in bone cancer, liver cancer or retinoblastoma. Although the increased incidence can only partly be explained by
changes in diagnostic methods and by registration artifacts, factors
such as changes in lifestyle and exposure to a variety of agents
have contributed to the increase, according to the findings. Eva
Steliarova-Foucher, a senior epidemiologist at the International
Agency for Cancer Research in Lyon, France, and an author of the
study, was quoted as saying: "The rise may be partly due to
better detection but not wholly. Other studies have shown older
mothers have an increased incidence of leukemia and certain other
cancers in their children." Potential causes of childhood cancer
are also suspected to be environmental toxins including pesticides
and phthalates in plastics, the researchers said. ..................................... [June 2006] Study links pesticides with Parkinson's People with long-term, low-level exposure to pesticides have a 70 percent higher incidence of Parkinson's disease compared to people who have not been exposed much to pesticides. Such workers include mostly farmers, ranchers and fishermen, the researchers report in the July issue of Annals of Neurology. Their study supports previous research that suggests pesticides can be linked with Parkinson's, which is caused by the destruction of key brain cells. "The findings support the hypothesis that exposure to pesticides is a risk factor for Parkinson's disease," they wrote. The team examined data from a 2001 American Cancer Society survey
of 143,325 people and contacted those people who reported they had
been diagnosed with Parkinson's. The American Cancer Society was
studying factors for cancer risk and all the people had reported
on eating and lifestyle habits and environmental exposures. More
than 5,200 men and 2,600 women reported exposure to pesticides.
After adjusting for age, sex, and other risk factors for Parkinson's
disease, the researchers found a 70 percent higher incidence of
the disease among these nearly 8,000 people than among people who
reported no exposure. More men than women said they had been exposed
to pesticides and those reporting exposure were more likely to report
their occupation as farmer, rancher or fisherman, the researchers
said. "Future studies should seek to identify the specific compounds
associated with risk," the researchers said. A class of chemicals
called organophosphates has been linked with Parkinson's risk in
other studies. There is no cure for Parkinson's, which starts off
with tremors and ends up paralyzing and often killing patients.
Globally, it is estimated 6.3 million people have Parkinson's, more
than a million in the United States alone. ..................................... [June 2006] Farmers using pesticides more likely to contract lymphoma A new case-control study carried out in Spain and involving 587 people with lymphoma found that while farmers as a whole were not at increased risk of lymphoma, those exposed to non-arsenic pesticides were almost twice as likely to contract this form of cancer. Non-arsenic pesticides include carbamates, organophosphates, triazines, triazoles, phenoxy herbicides, chlorophenols, dibenzodioxin and dibenzofuran. Van Balen EC, Font R, Cavalle N, Font L, Garcia-Villanueva M, Benavente Y, Brennan P, de Sanjose S (2006), Exposure to non arsenic pesticides is associated with lymphoma among farmers in Spain, Occupational and Environmental Medicide, June 2006. Abstract available online at: http://oem.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/abstract/oem.2005.024026v1 ..................................... [May 2006] New FAO Guidelines on Compliance and Enforcement of a Pesticide Regulatory Programme FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations) Guidelines
encourage responsible trade practices and assist countries in establishing
controls to regulate the quality and suitability of pesticide products
and to address the safe handling and use of such products. The guidelines
include such topics as: registration and control of pesticides;
legislation; personal protection for those working with pesticides;
good labelling practices; pesticide storage and stock control; tender
procedures for the procurement of pesticides; etc. These documents
are frequently the basis for the development of policies and practices
in countries looking to initiate or improve a pesticide management
scheme. ..................................... [May 2006] Suicide, suicide attempts and pesticides: a major hidden public health problem With nearly 900,000 deaths from suicide every
year worldwide, suicide takes more lives than homicides and wars
combined. Added to these deaths are the many non-fatal suicide attempts.
Perhaps even less well understood is the specific link between suicide
and pesticides, which is significant in rural areas generally and
in Asian countries in particular. It is estimated that in the last
10 years between 60–90% of suicides in China, Malaysia, Sri
Lanka, and Trinidad and Tobago were by pesticide ingestion. More
recently, WHO has received reports of a growing number of suicides
due to pesticide ingestion in many other Asian countries and in
Central and South American countries (e.g. Brazil, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Guyana, Nicaragua and Paraguay). This may well mean that
the global number of suicide deaths is considerably higher than
currently estimated, and clearly makes pesticide ingestion the most
common method of suicide on a worldwide basis. Link
to the WHO report ..................................... [May 2006] How organic farming is creating more jobs and revitalising rural economies in the UK Results from the most comprehensive survey comparing employment on organic farms to that on non-organic farms shows that organic farming is delivering 32% more jobs per farm on average across the UK. The research was carried out by the Centre for Environment & Society at Essex University and published by the Soil Association and also discovered that the average age of organic farmers surveyed was 49, seven years younger than their non-organic counterparts, who average 56 years old. Organic farmers are also more optimistic about the future of farming, with 64% expecting their family to take on the farm compared to 51% for non-organic farmers. Organic farmers seem to be more entrepreneurial, with three times as many organic farms involved in direct or local marketing schemes compared to non-organic farmers. Visit the Soil Association website for the complete version of report "Organic works – providing more jobs through organic farming and local food supply" ..................................... [April 2006] Pesticide Mixtures, Endocrine Disruption, and Amphibian Declines: Are We Underestimating the Impact? Amphibian populations are declining globally at an alarming rate. Pesticides are among a number of proposed causes for these declines. Although a sizable database examining effects of pesticides on amphibians exists, the vast majority of these studies focus on toxicological effects at relatively high doses. Few studies focus on effects such as endocrine disruption at low concentrations. Further, most studies focus examine exposures to a single substance. The present study examined nine pesticides (four herbicides, two fungicides and three insecticides) used on cornfields in the Midwest United States. Effects of each pesticide or in combination in amphibian populations were studied. Although some of the pesticides individually inhibited larval growth and development, the pesticides mixtures had much greater effects. Larval growth and development were retarded, but most significantly, pesticide mixtures negated or reversed the typically positive correlation between time to metamorphosis and size at metamorphosis observed in controls. This study revealed that that estimating ecological risk and the impacts of pesticides on amphibians using studies that examine only single pesticides at high concentrations may lead to gross underestimations of the role of pesticides in amphibian declines. Tyrone N. Hayes, Paola Case, Sarah Chui, Duc Chung, Cathryn Haeffele, Kelly Haston, Melissa Lee, Vien Phoung Mai, Youssra Marjuoa, John Parker and Mable Tsui (2006), Pesticide Mixtures, Endocrine Disruption, and Amphibian Declines: Are We Underestimating the Impact?, Environmental Health Perspectives, Volume 114, April 2006, pag:40-50. Available online at: http://www.ehponline.org ..................................... [April 2006] Thousands of Farms Join with UNEP to Phase-Out Methyl Bromide More than 5.000 farms and organizations joined forces with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to accelerate the phase-out of an agricultural pesticide that damages the ozone layer. The new International Partnership for Phasing-out Methyl Bromide brings together many farms and companies that have shown leadership in protecting the ozone layer. These include farmers’ associations and supermarkets such as Marks & Spencer and Co-op – with international organizations such as UNEP, FAO, UNIDO, UNDP, GTZ, MPS and CAB International. The Partnership aims to accelerate the world-wide switch from methyl bromide to ozone-friendly alternatives. UNEP Press release "Ozone-Friendly Agricultural Products - Goal of New Global Initiative" [Word 226KB] ..................................... [Mar 2006] Women exposure to organochlorine pesticides in Southern Spain Southern Spain has the largest area of intensive greenhouse agriculture in Europe, and may constitute a special case of occupational and female exposure, because this type of farming requires considerable pesticide use and employs many women. A team of researchers from Granada measured adipose tissue levels of 14 organochlorine pesticides in 458 women living in the area and analyzed the relationship between pesticide level/presence and sociodemographic characteristics, reproductive history or life-style factors that may influence this exposure. I. Cerrillo, M.F. Olea-Serrano, J. Ibarluzea, J. Exposito, P. Torne, J. Laguna, V. Pedraza and N. Olea (2006), Chemosphere, Volume 62, Issue 11 , March 2006, pp:1917-1924 ..................................... [Mar 2006] New World Health Organisation publication on biocides The WHO- World Health Organisation published a new edition of "Pesticides and their application". It is a useful guide for public authorities for the use of chemical methods of control of vectors and pests of public health importance. Changes since last edition include, for example, the exclusion of the active substance dichlorvos as a mosquito control agent, still used in some CEECs countries for mosquito control in open spaces. ..................................... [Feb 2006] Pesticides are top food-related health concern for EU citizens The latest Eurobarometer about EU citizens' general fears bout food shows that 63% are concerned about pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables. The study was commissioned by the European Commission and the European Foos Safety Authority (EFSA) and was published in February 2006. Consumer groups (32%), physicians or doctors (also 32%) and scientists (30%) are considered as the most trusted information sources regarding serious food risks, ahead of public authorities (22%) and the media (17%). The citizens trust food manufacturers (6%), farmers (6%) and supermarkets or shops (3%) the least. Link to the Special Eurobarometer report on Risk issues ..................................... [Jan 2006] The importance, for consumers, of food free of pesticide residues The risk assessment of pesticide residues in food by the Netherlands government and international organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) is in urgent need of revision. The assessment method was developed in the 1970-80s and has not since adapted to the scientific progress made in the last 10-15 years. It is therefore the more remarkable that the government defends this risk assessment so fiercely. The standards put together by WHO/FAO such as Acceptable Daily Intake need to be reviewed without delay because they are no longer current, and harm, rather than serve, public health by ignoring the latest scientific insights. Translated from the Dutch, January 2006. Source: "Know what you eat" website on food residues, Stichting Natuur en Milieu and partners, http://www.weetwatjeeet.nl/ (Dutch only) ..................................... [Jan 2006] Methyl bromide: know which products are still using it What is the link between lettuce from Belgium, nuts from California, and strawberries from Spain or Italy? The answer: they still use a pesticide called methyl bromide, which has been eliminated by most other countries. This pesticide destroys the earth’s fragile ozone layer, contributing to increased cases of skin cancer, eye cataracts, reduced stocks of fish, disruption in the growth of certain species of forest trees, and other environmental problems. In addition, methyl bromide is a highly toxic gas that threatens the health of farm workers – a large US medical study found that farm workers who use methyl bromide have significantly more cases of prostate cancer than other farm workers who use pesticides. Writen by PAN Europe, January 2006 ..................................... [Jan 2006] Household insecticides could double child leukaemia risk Children frequently exposed to household insecticides used on plants, lawns and in head lice shampoos appear to run double the risk of developing childhood leukaemia, research suggests. A study by French doctors, published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, supports concerns raised in recent years about the use of toxic insecticides around the home and garden including plant sprays, medication shampoos and mosquito repellents and a possible correlation with increased rates of acute leukaemia in children. The Times, January 17, 2006 ..................................... [Dec 2005] The Tobacco Industry and Pesticide Regulations: Case Studies from Tobacco Industry Archives Tobacco is a heavily pesticide-dependent crop. Pesticides are
regulated nationally and internationally; however, little is known
about how tobacco companies respond to regulatory pressures regarding
pesticides. In a new study the authors analyzed internal tobacco
industry documents to describe industry activities aimed at influencing
pesticide regulations. The study shows how the tobacco industry
successfully altered the outcome in two cases by hiring ex-agency
scientists to write reports favorable to industry positions regarding
pesticide regulations for national (U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency) and international (World Health Organization) regulatory
bodies. We also show how the industry worked to forestall tobacco
pesticide regulation by attempting to self-regulate in Europe, and
how Philip Morris encouraged a pesticide manufacturer to apply for
higher tolerance levels in Malaysia and Europe while keeping tobacco
industry interest a secret from government regulators. This study
suggests that the tobacco industry is able to exert considerable
influence over the pesticide regulatory process and that increased
scrutiny of Published in Environmental Health Perspectives, Volume 113, No 12, December 2005 ..................................... [Dec 2005] Carcinogen sprayed for mosquito control in Hungary On 11/12 May 2005 the National Public Health and Medical Officer’s Service (ÁNTSZ) undertook a programme of spraying against mosquitoes in the Buda District of Budapest, Hungary. A local newspaper found out they had chosen to spray Unitox 100 SC, a product containing dichlorvos... Concern over dichlorvos is based on evidence of its ability to cause cancer with several studies concluding that it may cause childhood leukaemia and brain tumours. Published in Pesticide News No 70, December 2005 http://www.pan-uk.org/pestnews/contents/pnindex.htm ..................................... [Dec 2005] Pesticides released in a factory blaze in southern France At 3am on 27 June 2005, a fire started in the SBM pesticide formulating factory in Béziers, southern France. The factory, which was storing around 1800 tonnes of pesticides and was classified a high risk “SEVESO II” industrial site, was enterely destroyed in a few hours. Published in Pesticide News No 70, December 2005 http://www.pan-uk.org/pestnews/contents/pnindex.htm ..................................... [Sep 2005] Momentum growing in Eastern Europe In Central and Eastern Europe many stockpiles are a legacy from
a past Soviet era. Decisions on the amount of pesticide to send
to each Soviet republic were made centrally and these amounts arrived
each year regardless of need, with surpluses never returned. Stockpiles
gradually grew with farmers storing them as best they could, sometimes
by burial. After the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 the supply
of pesticides dried up. As Published in Pesticide News No 69, September 2005 http://www.pan-uk.org/pestnews/contents/pnindex.htm ..................................... [Sep 2005] Stockpile legacy in the Czech Republic Obsolete pesticides have been removed from a former production facility in Czech Replublic, The level of contamination remaining illustrates that removal of pesticides is only the first step in cleaning up old storage sites. Published in Pesticide News No 69, September 2005 http://www.pan-uk.org/pestnews/contents/pnindex.htm ..................................... [Sep 2005] Hazards of burial site in Armenia Significant contamination has been found in soil around a site where 500 tonnes of obsolete pesticides were buried. The threat posed by obsolete pesticides is now one of the most important and urgent environmental problems in Armenia. With the support from the International HCH and Pesticides Association, AWHHE- Armenian Women for Health and Healthy Environment have colaborated with ECOGLOBE to raise the issue of pesticide burial at the highest political levels in Armenia. Published in Pesticide News No 69, September 2005 http://www.pan-uk.org/pestnews/contents/pnindex.htm ..................................... [Sep 2005] Urban pesticide exposure disables workers in Catalunya Traditionally, the major risks from pesticides are associated
with making, formulating and applying these products in agriculture.
However, their increasing use to disinfect buildings presents a
risk for many workers in offices and other workplaces. Exposure
tends to go unnoticed because it is not directly linked to the nature
of the work being carried out. Because of this, it is almost never
identified or evaluated and is not adequately controlled. Published in Pesticide News No 68, June 2005 http://www.pan-uk.org/pestnews/contents/pnindex.htm |
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