Two agrochemical giants on target. Germany’s Bayer and Swiss Syngenta may be hiding from European Union (EU) studies, some of which reveal their toxic effects on brain development. pesticide what do they do. That at least reveals a new scientific study just published in the journal ‘Environmental Health’.
Currently, the European Parliament has requested a hearing with those responsible for both companies to seek clarification. Both Bayer and Syngenta claim to meet all legal requirements.
The research focused on 35 studies on developmental neurotoxicity conducted between 1993 and 2005. surprisingly all these studies were submitted to the US Environmental Protection Agency, but nine were not submitted to the EUallegedly violated the requirements of current legislation.
The worst part of the case is that seven of these nine studies analyzed the researchers who discovered the concealment detected in pesticides. current or potential regulatory effects on brain development.
Studies that never entered the EU were conducted on pregnant mice and tried to test whether offspring exposed to the compounds experienced developmental problems. Observed in seven cases decreased weight gain, delayed sexual maturation, and impaired motor activityas well as other side effects.
Of the nine pesticide compounds, four have already been withdrawn from the EU market, and four are currently under investigation..
protect human health
Citing Bayer and Syngenta, the authors of the investigation say it is “a shame” that the studies were not handed over to community officials.recurring phenomenonIt may “bias regulatory risk assessment” and therefore “make it difficult for authorities to reliably look for high levels of risk”. protection of human health as required by law.”
“Without full access to all toxicity studies that have been done, a reliable assessment of the safety of pesticides cannot be made by EU authorities,” the researchers wrote. Therefore, it recommends EU officials to cross-check datasets with their counterparts in other jurisdictions, particularly the United States.
“Pesticide approval applications should be checked against lists of studies conducted at testing facilities operating under Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) to ensure that all studies are submitted to authorities,” the researchers wrote.
They also suggest changing existing rules so that future work is done by authorities rather than companies. It is emphasized that “the responsibility for testing chemicals should definitely be removed from the manufacturers and this responsibility should be returned to the authorities”.
“This will ensure that current studies are kept informed by authorities and The company will prevent its economic interests from affecting the design, performance, reporting and distribution of studies.‘, they add.
Rules or practices also need to be reviewed to ensure that failure to disclose toxicity studies poses “significant legal risk to pesticide companies” in the form of fines and other penalties, according to the researchers. “Must have legal and serious consequences for companies that do not comply with the law“They come forward.
The companies deny the allegations.
In the EU, assessment of the safety of plant protection products is largely based on toxicity studies commissioned by the companies that manufacture them. The law stipulates that all work done should be included in the file submitted to the authorities. when approval or renewal of the active substance is requested.
Bayer and Syngenta, who were each responsible for three undelivered studies, dismissed the results of the Swedish scientists’ research. The German company assures that it “always” delivers the work that is required according to community standards.changing over time,
Syngenta, on the other hand, emphasized that it complies with all data requests required in the EU and Switzerland.and that such studies are currently being conducted on an additional basis “to comply with United States regulatory guidelines”.
Meanwhile, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) noted that stricter legislation in this area came into force in the EU two years ago, requiring companies to share “all safety work” on their products.
Although studies in rats do not directly apply to humans, the focus of research on effects on brain development is protect people from chemicals that can affect their attention span, concentration, coordination, learning, memory and IQ. “It’s about protecting our children’s brains,” emphasizes Ruden.
Pesticides are used in agriculture to protect crops from weeds, insect pests and diseases. Because most active substances used for this purpose are designed to be toxic to living organisms, their approval is highly regulated and includes extensive testing for efficacy, toxicity, and ecotoxicity.
Reference report: https://phys.org/news/2023-06-firms-withheld-pesticide-toxicity-eu.html
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