French magazine Santé et Travail (Work and Health) has investigated whether the authorisation procedure (AMM) for pesticides should be reformed. In its July edition the magazine concluded, “It appears clear that workers and operators exposed to pesticides are not taken adequately into account during the AMM process.”   image expired

An investigation by Santé et Travail revealed that the French National Food Safety Association (Anses), on whose council the Ministry of Agriculture bases its guidelines, recommends that individual protection equipment “must be adapted to the active chemical properties of the product in use.” However, the periodical posits that there lies a problem in such advice, namely that there are no guidelines on what constitutes “appropriate equipment.” It claims that protective clothing, gloves and masks have not been adequately tested for use in the agricultural sector.

The report comes after a French winegrower’s declining health and subsequent death was linked to exposure to pesticides. In January Yannick Chenet was named as one of 40 farmers whose illness was officially linked to exposure to the chemicals he used.  

Lack of Adequate protection against harmful chemicals

In 2007 researchers raised the alarm after having discovered evidence that boiler suits advertised as ‘spray proof’ were ineffective. The French DGT (Department of employment) demanded a report from the Agency for health and the environment, which confirmed that “even certified suits did not guarantee correct protection against various chemical particles.” Despite the absence of truly protective clothing, Santé et Travail claimed Anses continues to promote the use of such products.

The magazine’s investigation concluded that there is no guarantee that the products available today can be used without potential health risks. The Director general of Anses hopes that in the future “when an company launches a chemical product, the authorisation procedure (AMM) handled by the Agency (Anses) specifies that any safety equipment recommended guarantees effective protection for the user and allows them to remain within authorised exposure limits.” 

However, at the moment no one is willing to go that far. According to Santé et Travail “risk evaluation itself is not without its critics.” Discussions between the relative ministries in France focused on improving the current system are ongoing.  For Anses an inventory of “personal protection equipment” is the goal for 2011. The department of employment has launched a program, along with other organisations, which is focused on testing and manufacturing better protective clothing.

France is currently the EU's number one pesticide user. Those behind the investigation said they hoped their research would help workers in the agricultural sector reevaluate their idea of an “acceptable risk” and finally bring the issue of pesticide exposure into the open.