Humans

EU verbiedt thiacloprid

De licentie van het pesticide thiacloprid, dat geclassificeerd staat als ‘vermoedelijk kankerverwekkend voor mensen’, krijgt geen verlenging van de EU. Vertegenwoordigers van de lidstaten waren het eens dat het product verboden moet worden in de Unie. De Europese Commissie zal de beslissing van de lidstaten formeel aannemen later dit jaar. Het verbod zal in effect treden wanneer de huidige licentie van thiacloprid, een neonicotinoïde, vervalt op 30 april 2020.

De kwaliteit van bronnen voor drinkwater in Nederland staat onder druk

De doelen, zoals vastgelegd in de KaderRichtlijn water, zijn nog lang niet binnen bereik. Geldende normen voor onder andere nitraatgehaltes en residuen van gewasbeschermingsmiddelen worden plaatselijk overschreden. De vereniging van waterbedrijven, Vewin, vraagt om meer maatregelen om de kwaliteit van het ruwe water te verbeteren.

France to propose pesticide-free buffer zones in residential areas

The French government is preparing to fix a 5m or 10m pesticide-free buffer zone around housing areas, after several local mayors defied the government by banning weed killers like glyphosate in their towns. But environmentalists say such distances fall short of the mark. The government will begin discussing legislation to introduce pesticide-free buffer zones on Monday, an Agriculture Ministry spokesperson told AFP.

Pesticide Exposure Linked to Teen Depression in Agricultural Communities

Adolescents exposed to elevated levels of pesticides are at an increased risk of depression, according to a new study led by Jose R. Suarez-Lopez, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at University of California San Diego School of Medicine. The study was published online (ahead of print) in June 2019 in the journal International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health.

Autisme, QI en baisse et pesticides : tout comprendre du scandale du chlorpyrifos

Le chlorpyrifos, un insecticide toxique toujours autorisé dans l'Union européenne, est associé à des déficits de QI chez l'enfant, à des lésions cérébrales et à une augmentation de la fréquence de l'autisme chez les nouveaux-nés. Sciences et Avenir fait le point sur ce nouveau scandale sanitaire.

Insecticide chloorpyrifos blijkt ook in fruit en groenten te zitten

De pesticiden chloorpyrifos en chloorpyrifos-methyl worden aangetroffen in 5,5 procent van alle onderzochte voedingsstalen in de EU. Dat blijkt uit gegevens van het Europese Voedselveiligheidsagentschap die in Knack staan. De komende maanden beslist Europa of de pesticiden van de markt moeten verdwijnen. Het pesticide chloorpyrifos wordt gebruikt om gewassen zoals kolen, fruit en groenten te beschermen tegen onder meer koolvliegen, aardrupsen en larven van langpootmuggen en kevers. Chloorpyrifos is actueel omdat de huidige EU-toelating voor het pesticide afloopt op 31 januari 2020.

Neuropsychiatric Disorders in Farmers Associated with Organophosphorus Pesticide Exposure

This study aims to determine the degree of acetylcholinesterase inhibition and neurological symptoms for each of the psychiatric disorders diagnosed in the farm workers of a rural population in the state of Baja California, Mexico. We conducted a cross-sectional study on 140 agricultural workers (exposed participants). The study was run using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview Diagnostic Test (MINI), a pre-established questionnaire to diagnose the mental state of each agricultural worker. Analysis of enzymatic activity was carried out using the modified Ellman method.

Occupational Pesticide Exposure and Symptoms of ADHD in Adolescent Pesticide Applicators in Egypt

We examined the association between exposure to chlorpyrifos and ADHD symptoms among adolescents in Egypt. Adolescent pesticide applicators and non-applicators, 12-21 years old, participated in a 10-month longitudinal study examining health effects from pesticide exposure. Repeated urine and blood samples were collected at various time points during the 10-months to assess biomarkers of chlorpyrifos exposure (urinary trichloro-2-pyridinol or TCPy) and effect (blood acetyl cholinesterase activity and butyryl cholinesterase activity).

Top UN scientists warn humans at risk from biodiversity crisis

A landmark report by the United Nations’ scientific panel on biodiversity warns that humans are at dire risk unless urgent action is taken to restore the plants, animals and other natural resources they depend on to survive. The report, which was issued in Paris on Monday by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), describes a world where living and future generations of people face the threat of worsening food and water shortages, because of habitat and species loss.

Researchers to study link between prenatal pesticide exposures and childhood ADHD

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 6.1 million children have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as of 2016. Symptoms of ADHD include trouble concentrating, paying attention, staying organized and remembering details. Melissa Furlong, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow and epidemiologist in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, will study the link between prenatal and childhood pesticides and childhood ADHD.