The effects on the health of farmers, but also of consumers, are once again denounced by Greenpeace, which calls for the strengthening of organic farming.
No one escapes pesticides. This is the bitter statement of the report Health: pesticides cause trouble published by the NGO Greenpeace, which highlights the very real risks of their use. If many phytosanitary products used are authorized by the European Union, they would remain a major danger for farmers, but also for the rest of the population. Greenpeace advocates for the progressive ban of synthetic chemical pesticides while promoting the development of agroecological practices.
Very real dangers to health
Farmers and their families are the first affected, according to the report’s findings. Indeed, their exposure to pesticides is much higher than the rest of the population. According to a study carried out in Europe, no less than 33 residues of phytosanitary substances would be present in the hair of farmers, of which about fifteen are classified as probable carcinogens by the World Health Organization. “It is shameful that those who feed us suffer so much from the intensive use of pesticides,” says Suzanne Dalle, campaigner at Greenpeace France.
What are the consequences of this exposure? According to Greenpeace, pregnant women and children are the most vulnerable people to pesticides. Indeed, the fetus is very sensitive to these substances which can have consequences later on the size of the children or their brain development. In addition, leukemia would also be more frequent among exposed children. “The statistical associations between exposure to certain pesticides and the incidence of certain diseases are irrefutable and should not be ignored,” says Suzanne Dalle.
We also learn in the report that toxic substances related to pesticides are present in the food we consume daily. We would therefore be exposed to “cocktails” of residues, in particular present in fruits and vegetables, the effects of which are still poorly understood today but would be far from being negligible for the health of consumers. According to a 2011 study, the level of pesticides in food is such that the current consumption pattern would lead to a rapid spread of pesticides. In this way, to escape it becomes impossible.
Towards the advent of organic farming?
As a solution, Greenpeace is proposing a gradual cessation of the use of pesticides. They also ask the authorities to improve the risk assessment process for plant protection products within the EU. If the “all pesticide” is not viable, the NGO understands that ecological agriculture is the only sustainable alternative. Between 2002 and 2011, the area of plots cultivated in organic farming in Europe increased from 5.7 million hectares to nearly 10 million. These figures are encouraging, they show that agriculture without pesticides is now possible and that if we give ourselves the means, it can become the norm.
This report is published at a time when pesticides are at the heart of all debates. Last March, the WHO qualified five pesticides often used in gardens as probable carcinogens. More recently, the family of a winegrower, who died in 2012 as a result of bronchial cancer, had filed a complaint against X. He had for forty years used a pesticide containing arsenic.
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