Another seven years of time for a toxic substance, classified as dangerous for reproduction and harmful for children and pregnant women. Despite the incomplete data and the perplexity of the EFSA, the EU has approved the renewal of 8-hydroxichinolin, a pesticide that Pan Europe inserts among the “Toxic 12”, the twelve most urgent substances to be eliminated from the market.
During the meeting of the Fuckoff Committee in mid-May, the Member States approved the renewal of the authorization for the use of the Chinolin-8-Ole for another 7 years, resorting to an exceptional clause provided for by the EU regulation on pesticides: that of the “negligible exposure”.
A derogation that will allow the use of highly dangerous substances only in extreme safety conditions, such as closed systems and without detectable food residues. But in the case of 8-hydroxichinolin, these conditions do not seem to have been respected: the Member States have approved their use in permanent greenhouses for drop irrigation.
The Efsa itself has reported serious deficiencies in the data provided by the applicant. For example, fundamental information is missing on the exhibition of vulnerable groups, such as children who live in agricultural areas. And the temperatures hypothesized in the tests, still at 20 ° C, do not reflect the reality of the greenhouses in southern Europe, where 40 ° C are easily exceeded, with a consequent increase in the emissions of the substance.
In addition, in the event of malfunction or technical error during application, agricultural operators would be exposed to levels above the limits deemed “safe”, always according to EFSA.
Yet, despite everything, the commission has pushed for the renewal, based on non -realistic hypotheses and optimistic scenarios, ignoring the blocks of blockage from Pan Europe and various environmental NGOs. A go -ahead that represents a very dangerous precedent.
Relying on incomplete data and unrealistic hypotheses threatens to compromise years of progress towards the elimination of the most dangerous pesticides, said Salomé Roynel of Pan Europe. This decision undermines the main purpose of the pesticide regulation, which is to protect people and the environment and remove harmful substances from the market.
The organization now asks the Member States to act nationally: prohibit the products containing this substance in its markets, despite the European renewal is valid until 30 June 2032.
A decision, the one made in Brussels, which risks going back the environmental and health security watch. And to compromise the trust of European citizens in the institutions that should protect them.
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