Full report HERE: The rise of forever pesticides
in fruit and vegetables in Europe 91 pages free pdf
from thefreeonline via EcologistasEnAccion
TOXIC HARVEST
Summary
PFAS or “forever chemicals” are sprayed on crops in the form of pesticides, making fresh fruits and vegetables a route of direct exposure with serious consequences for health and nature.
The report “Toxic Harvest”, published by the European Pesticide Action Network (PAN Europe) and Ecologistas en Acción, reveals that food on sale in the EU is contaminated by PFAS pesticides.
In 2021, 75% of Spanish strawberries had residues of these toxins.
This contamination has increased in the last 10 years, by 148% in the case of vegetables and 80% in the case of fruit.
Fruit and vegetables in Europe are increasingly
contaminated with PFAS pesticide residues.
This is shown in the analysis of official data
from the national monitoring programmes of
pesticide residues in food in Member States.
The number of European fruit and vegetables
with detected PFAS pesticide residues has
nearly tripled between 2011 and 2021, with a
growth rate of 220% for fruit and of 274% for
vegetables.
PFAS can cause serious damage to health and nature, such as the appearance of cancer or child development problems. Many show adverse effects, even at low concentrations, on the liver, immune system and endocrine system, which is why some have already been restricted in the EU
However, there are many others left on the market, the result of what is known as “regrettable substitution” by their manufacturers.
On the other hand, the persistence and toxicity for human health of the most detected PFAS pesticides are well documented. This includes risks to fetuses, brain damage, endocrine system disruption, and cancer. For all of the above, the solution that the EU has proposed is the restriction of all PFAS.
The report “Toxic harvest: the rise of perennial pesticides in fruits and vegetables in Europe”, published by PAN Europe and Ecologistas en Acción, shows that agriculture contributes to PFAS contamination. Such chemicals have been deliberately introduced by the industry into pesticide products, adding fluorine atoms to the product to increase its effectiveness.
In some of the EU Member States
studied individually, the growth rate has been
even more dramatic: Austria (+698% for fruit,
+3277% for vegetables) and Greece (+696% in
fruit, +1974% in vegetables).
A detailed analysis of the 2021 data, the most
recent published to date, provides a more refined
picture of the contamination. It shows that non-
organic fruit, especially summer fruit, are the
products most frequently contaminated with PFAS
pesticide residues.
Zooming in on fruits grown in Europe, 37% of strawberries, 35% of peaches and 31% of apricots are contaminated.
Moreover,contaminated European-grown fruit (20%) often
contain cocktails of PFAS pesticide residues, with
up to four different PFAS pesticides detected in
a single sample of strawberries and table grapes,
and up to three in peaches and apricots.
While,on average, a smaller percentage of European-
grown vegetables (12%) is contaminated with
PFAS pesticide residues compared to fruit, some
vegetables are as frequently contaminated as the
top-ranked fruit (chicories: 42%; cucumbers: 30%).
In 2021, the Member States that produced fruit
and vegetables most frequently contaminated
with PFAS pesticide residues were the
Netherlands (27%), Belgium (27%), Austria
(25%), Spain (22%) and Portugal (21%).
Among imported fruit and vegetables, those most likely
to contain residues of PFAS pesticides came
from Costa Rica (41%), India (38%), South Africa
(28%), Colombia (26%) and Morocco (24%).
In 2021, the most often detected PFAS active
substances in contaminated European-grown
products were the fungicide fluopyram,
the insecticide flonicamid and the fungicide
trifloxystrobin.
These findings indicate that the use of PFAS
in pesticides results in fruit and vegetable
contaminated with residues of these chemicals,
leading to an increasingly frequent indigestion of
PFAS pesticide residues by European consumers.
This source of PFAS contamination should not be
downplayed. The ongoing accumulation of PFAS
in soils, waters and the food chain, along with
other chemical substances or “chemical cocktails”,
pose long-term risks to human health and the
environment.
A ban on the use of PFAS pesticides
is urgent to curb European citizen exposure to PFAS
pesticides and protect citizen health, including that
of the most vulnerable groups, such as pregnant
women, babies and children.
Full report HERE: The rise of forever pesticides
in fruit and vegetables in Europe 91 pages free pdf
The Free 