Pesticides lurk in the bedroom. They are in the dust we breathe at home, the same dust that settles on the ground where children crawl. This is shown by the survey conducted in 21 countries by the European Citizens Initiative (ECI) Save Bees and Farmers, a forward-looking call to action that we urge you to support with a signature here by September 30, 2021.
Pesticides in the bedroom, the study
The network of NGO members of ICE Save the Bees and Farmers coordinated dust sampling at the bedrooms of 21 homes in rural areas at which ‘conventional’ agriculture relentlessly spreads pesticides.
Dust taken between June and July 2021 was analyzed in the French laboratory Yootest for 30 pesticides. Although they correspond to less than 10 percent of those approved in the EU, these molecules are those most frequently found in similar studies.
Toxic molecules (but authorized)
Of the 30 substances searched, 24 were found. Among these are 11 that are demonstrably dangerous to health. In detail,
- 2 are suspected human carcinogens (chlortoluron and lenacil).
- 4 are classified as toxic to reproduction and cause fetal malformations (spiroxamine, chlortoluron, fluazinam, phosmet),
- 5 are potentially harmful to the hormonal system, thus are endocrine disruptors (2,4-D, fluazinam, metolachlor, pendimethalin, phosmet).
A big absentee, glyphosate
The study excluded glyphosate (or glyphosate) and its metabolite AMPA from the research. A major flaw given the pervasiveness of Bayer-Monsanto’s herbicide, which is under indictment in the United States for causing illness and death.
The reasons for excluding glyphosate from the study are traced to ‘analytical and economic complexities.’
The result, multi-residues of pesticides
The result of the survey is unfortunately not surprising. Laboratory analysis found pesticide residues in all 21 dust samples. Contamination is always multiple, with an average co-presence of 8 molecules. A cocktail with ‘unknown’ toxicity, since the licensing procedures do not take this into account.
The worst result emerged on the dust sampled in the bedroom in Belgium, which was contaminated with 23 residues of poisonous molecules. The best-if it is possible to consider positively the presence of poisons in the home-relates instead to the sample taken in Malta, which contained residues of only one pesticide.
The amount of pesticides found is highly variable. The highest level is in the dust sampled in Denmark, 4,942 mg/kg.
Carcinogenic molecules in 1 in 4
Cross-referencing the results of the analysis with scientific evidence on pesticide toxicity, the study authors report that
– every fourth sample contains molecules suspected of causing cancer in humans,
– one-third of the dust analyzed is contaminated with pesticides known as acetylcholinesterase enzyme inhibitors,
– Substances suspected to be reproductively toxic endocrine disruptors were found in 81 percent of the dusts sampled (17 out of 21).
The table below, like a gallery of horrors, shows the pesticides most frequently highlighted by the analyses.
There is no time to waste
The study of pesticide pollution in homes in rural areas is yet another demonstration of the drift effect.
‘The problem of pesticide drift can no longer be ignored. We hope that the detection of suspected carcinogenic and reproductively harmful pesticides in the bedrooms of rural populations will be a wake-up call to regulators in the EU. After all, epidemiological studies show an increased risk of reproductive harm and cancer, especially among residents of agricultural areas‘, explains Helmut Burtscher-Schaden, head chemist at Global2000 (Friends of the Earth Austria).
‘In rural areas, children crawling on the floor are constantly exposed through dust, often to carcinogenic or endocrine disrupting pesticides. This is not acceptable because science shows that exposure to small concentrations of such chemicals can cause harm. Moreover, exposure to pesticide mixtures is not tested by regulators, it is high time for the EU to stop subsidizing polluting intensive agriculture and rather support agroecological practices!‘, thunders Martin Dermine, policy officer of PAN Europe, promoter of ICE.
ICE’s 3 demands
‘Save Bees and Farmers’ is a European citizens’ initiative that aims to collect 1 million signatures across the EU by September 30. The alliance of more than 200 organizations has until Sept. 30 to collect the necessary signatures. More than 800,000 signatures have been collected so far.
The initiative has three main demands:
1. phase out synthetic pesticides by 2035,
2. restore biodiversity in the agricultural environment,
3. support farmers in the transition to organic farming.
The full text of the study is available here.
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
