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From P A N U P S, Pesticide Action Network Updates
Service:
France Bans Triazine Herbicides
November 16, 2001
In September 2001, France’s Ministry of Agriculture announced a
nationwide ban on atrazine and related triazine herbicides due to
threats they pose to human health and their "generalized presence" in
water supplies.
The ban calls for the withdrawal of atrazine, simazine and cyanazine
from the French market by September 30, 2002, and prohibits their use in
other products after June 30, 2003. Switzerland’s Syngenta AG, Israel’s
Makteshim and Italy’s Sipcam-Oxon are the world’s biggest producers of
the chemicals, according to France’s pesticide industry group. Use
restrictions were also announced for the triazine herbicides
terbuthylazine, ametryne and terbutryne.
First introduced in France in 1962, triazines are used primarily on
maize and sorghum crops but are sometimes used in orchards and
vineyards. In 1999, French growers applied atrazine to 100% of sorghum
crops and 80% of maize, according to the national farm ministry.
The herbicide atrazine is an endocrine disruptor, inhibiting the
functioning of testosterone, progesterone and estrogen. Also, by
disrupting the immune system, atrazine enhances the risk of infectious
disease and cancer. In laboratory studies, it has been shown to cause
genetic damage and delay puberty.
Atrazine’s breakdown products can persist in lakes and groundwater for
decades. It also has a half-life in soil surfaces of over 100 days and
can potentially persist for years below the soil surface.
Recent studies in France found degraded atrazine products in 50% of
samples taken from surface water and 52% of groundwater supplies. In
recent years, French authorities have ordered people not to drink tap
water in areas where triazine content exceeded recommended levels.
In October, the Minister of Agriculture announced a "decision in
principle" to ban sodium arsenite, a fungicide used on grapevines, in
order to protect human health and the environment. It is not know when a
formal ban will be announced. Sodium arsenite is a known
carcinogen—possibly linked to an increased risk in testicular cancer—and
a developmental toxin.
The ban on triazines and the plans to ban sodium arsenite are part of
the French government’s policy to reduce significantly the use of
pesticides and promote food safety in that country. The French
government has announced that "Pesticide use has become a major public
issue" and following a government meeting about pesticides last month,
France’s Health Minister commented that the drinking water of more than
500,000 people in France was "absolutely not drinkable" due to pesticide
contamination.
The Minister of Agriculture also reported the government will formally
evaluate the risks that pesticides pose to human health and the
environment. A joint monitoring program set up by the Ministries of
Health, Finance, Agriculture, the Environment will review by 2003 all
pesticides used in France that are considered to pose a threat to human
health and the environment. If necessary, the government said that use
restrictions or bans will be imposed.
In addition to the review, the four ministries and the French food
safety agency (Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire des Ailments, or
AFSSA) will establish a pesticide residue committee composed of
consumers, farmers and industry representatives. The committee will
oversee regulatory and monitoring issues and collect data for AFSSA to
use in assessing potential health risks, with an emphasis on infants and
children.
Belgium has also announced that it will ban the sale of atrazine from
May 2002 and its use as of June 2002.
Atrazine is one of the two most commonly used agricultural pesticides in
the United States. A recent U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study found
atrazine in rivers, streams and groundwater in all 36 of the river
basins studied. In air or rain, atrazine can also travel long distances
from application sites. A USGS compilation of national, state and local
monitoring studies revealed that atrazine was found in nearly 100% of
sites where rainfall was collected, in some cases in concentrations that
exceeded drinking water standards.
For more information on triazine herbicides, visit PAN’s Pesticide
Database at http://www.pesticideinfo.org.
Sources: PAN Europe Monthly, "National phase-outs of Atrazine and other
pesticides" October 2001; Reuters, October 2, 2001, October 16, 2001;
Agrow World Crop Protection News, October 26, 2001; Journal of Pesticide
Reform "Atrazine: Toxicology" Summer 2001, "Atrazine: Environmental
Contamination and Ecological Effects" Fall 2001 available at
http://www.pesticide.org/factsheets.html#pesticides.
Contact: PANNA.
PANUPS is a weekly email news service providing resource guides and
reporting on pesticide issues that don't always get coverage by the
mainstream media. It's produced by Pesticide Action Network North
America, a non-profit and non-governmental organization working to
advance sustainable alternatives to pesticides worldwide.
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