The Future Generations association has initiated an in-depth study of the twelve million laboratory analyzes carried out in 2019 and alerted to the presence of “endocrine disrupting pesticides, mutagenic and reprotoxic carcinogens” in tap water.
- Pesticide residues found in tap water are “mainly suspected endocrine disruptors”
- Significant amounts of carcinogens, mutagens and reprotoxics (CMR) were also detected
- Générations Futures challenges “the government so that an effective policy of rapid removal of the most harmful”
“In France, tap water is one of the most controlled foodssays the government on its site. It is subject to permanent health monitoring, intended to guarantee its health safety.. However, a study initiated by the Future Generations Association demonstrates that tap water contains traces of “endocrine disrupting, carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic pesticides”.
“Continuous exposure to low doses of these EDs”
The association commissioned an engineer specializing in data processing to study the twelve million analyzes carried out in the laboratory in 2019 from more than 273,000 samples. The results of this meta-analysis are worrying: the pesticide residues found in the water flowing from our tap are “mainly suspected endocrine disruptors: 56.8% of pesticide residue quantifications (and 49.2% of molecules)”. Significant amounts of carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic (CMR) were also detected:38.5% of quantifications of pesticide residues (and 25.4% of molecules)”.
“In total, pesticide residues being suspected CMR and/or PE represent more than 3/4 of pesticide residue quantifications: 78.5% of pesticide residue quantifications (and 56.8% of molecules)”Future Generations alert.
“Given the long-term low-dose action potential of endocrine disruptors, Générations Futures considers these data to be worrying because they attest to continuous exposure to low doses of these EDs through drinking water.comments François Veillerette, president of the association. We are therefore calling on the government to ensure that an effective policy for the rapid removal of the most harmful substances and a reduction in the use of pesticides is finally applied after the failures of the first Ecophyto plans..”
The danger of endocrine disruptors
Already in 2017, UFC-Que Choisir alerted to the fact that three million French people have access to polluted water, in particular by pesticides, nitrates or lead. An observation drawn up on the study of the distribution networks of the 36,600 municipalities in France, for all of the 50 regulatory criteria. Endocrine disruptors (EDs) are foreign chemicals that affect the hormonal system of many species, including humans.
Likely to have undesirable effects on health, they can also affect growth, fetal development, behavior, sleep, blood circulation or even sexual and reproductive function (in particular the quality of sperm).
.
