“Pesticide Action Network (PAN) data isn’t much of a surprise“, reacts this Tuesday on franceinfo Pierre-Michel Périnaud, general practitioner in Limoges and president of the association Alerte des médecins sur les pesticides, after the publication of a survey by the NGO which shows that nearly a third of the fruits in Europe is contaminated with pesticides considered to be the most dangerous on the European market. For the doctor, “the French population is very largely contaminated“.
franceinfo: Should we be wary of the arrival of summer fruits?
Pierre-Michel Perinaud: Beware of this since the PAN data is not a surprise. We already have data showing that the French population is very largely contaminated with pesticides. Among those that matter to us, I will cite those of the Elfe cohort, which shows that 100% of pregnant women were contaminated by pyrethroids. We had an expert report on soil, water and biota contamination, which shows that pesticides are everywhere. It is known that human beings are very widely contaminated by pesticides. There will be some individuals who are more vulnerable than others, for example pregnant women, sick individuals, young children. And we know that there are potential effects, in particular endocrine disruptors. And if there is contamination of pregnant women, that means that there is contamination of babies.
Are organic products preferred?
We know that organic food is richer in antioxidants, that it is better for organic milk and meat, it is better in omega 3 fatty acids, probably because the diet of cattle is different. The NutriNet-Santé cohort showed effects among heavy organic consumers: a reduction in overweight, obesity, type 2 diabetes and a reduction in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer overrepresented among farmers. These are elements that show us that indeed there are reasons to go organic.
Are the standards too flexible?
In any case, French farmers always tell us that they are more severe in France than elsewhere in Europe, which seems false to me, since the legislation is European and it has in principle banned CMRs (carcinogenic, mutagenic and toxic substances for reproduction ndr) and endocrine disruptors. However, we have shown by several previous studies that the holes in the racket are enormous in the regulation of the most dangerous products. There is no need to change the regulations, but they must be applied correctly and particularly for endocrine disruptors.