UFC-Que Choisir calls for the ban of certain pesticides and more controls

The overwhelming majority of French folks profit from high quality water, signifies the UFC-Que Choisir at the time of publishing the 4th version of its interactive tap water map. According to the readings of the Regional Health Agencies on faucet water for all the municipalities in mainland France, “98% of consumers have access to water that meets all of the health criteria”, an enchancment in comparison with 2017. However, the client affiliation factors to exactly these standards and notes “serious deficiencies in regulations and local management measures relating to pesticides and endocrine disruptors”.

After strongly criticizing Générations Futures less than a year ago, accusing it of “overplay the alert”, UFC-Que Choisir lastly determined to work with this environmental protection affiliation to provide this new research.

Together, they ask for a “ban on pesticides suspected of being endocrine disruptors, and a urgent strengthening by the Ministry of Health of the requirements for pesticide analyzes must be carried out by the Regional Health Agencies “.

Analysis disparities based on the territories

UFC-Que Choisir emphasizes that “nearly a million consumers, mainly in rural areas, still receive non-compliant water”. In query, pesticides, for 450,000 customers, nitrates, for 148,000 folks and, to a lesser extent, bacterial contamination (80,000 customers).

But the UFC-Que Choisir and Future Generations primarily level the finger the official evaluation technique : “While more than 750 different molecules of pesticides and their derivatives are likely to be found in drinking water, only 206 are on average sought, with unacceptable local disparities”. Aisne is the division with the lowest quantity of substances sought, 12, towards 609 in the Var.

Endocrine disruptors in faucet water?

In addition, the two associations are involved about the presence of endocrine disruptors in faucet water. It is “substances which disrupt the hormonal functioning of living organisms and thus cause harmful effects on the health of humans or of living beings in the environment”, signifies theHandles (National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety). They can specifically be current in pesticides. According to UFC-Que Choisir and Future Generations, these pesticides suspected of being endocrine disruptors are current in more than 1 / 4 of the analyzes thought of to be compliant.

UFC-Que Choisir has up to date its interactive tap water map with which everybody can “check the quality of their drinking water and see where their department is in the search for pesticides”.f