Toxic harvest: the rise of “eternal pesticides” in fruit and vegetables in Europe

Toxic harvest: the rise of “eternal pesticides” in fruit and vegetables in Europe

• Los PFAS o «sustancias químicas eternas» se pulverizan sobre los cultivos en forma de plaguicidas, lo que convierte a las frutas y verduras frescas en una vía de exposición directa con graves consecuencias para la salud y la naturaleza.
• The report “Toxic Harvest”, published by the European Pesticide Action Network (PAN Europe) and Ecologistas en Acción, reveals that food on sale in the EU is contaminated by PFAS pesticides.
• In 2021, 75 % of Spanish strawberries had residues of these toxins.
• This contamination has increased in the last 10 years, by 148 % in the case of vegetables and 80 % in the case of fruit.

Aunque aún casi desconocidos en España, las sustancias per y polifluoroalquiladas, o PFAS, conocidas también como «sustancias químicas eternas» por su excepcional persistencia, figuran entre los mayores riesgos químicos actuales para seres humanos y medio ambiente.

These molecules, created to waterproof all types of surfaces of kitchen utensils, mountain clothing or packaging, have the characteristic of their enormous persistence, which means that once released they remain forever in the human body and nature. Hence, all European policymakers have PFAS in their blood, as a recent study by Ecologists in Action showed, or European water resources and soils are contaminated.

PFAS can cause serious damage to health and nature, such as the appearance of cancer or childhood development problems. Many show adverse effects, even at low concentrations, on the liver, immune system and endocrine system, which is why some have already been restricted in the EU. However, there are many others left on the market, the result of what is known as “regrettable substitution” by their manufacturers.

On the other hand, the persistence and toxicity for human health of the most detected PFAS pesticides are well documented. This includes risks to fetuses, brain damage, endocrine system disruption, and cancer. For all of the above, the solution that the EU has proposed is the restriction of all PFAS.

The report “Toxic harvest: the rise of perennial pesticides in fruits and vegetables in Europe”, published by PAN Europe and Ecologistas en Acción, shows that agriculture contributes to PFAS contamination. Such chemicals have been deliberately introduced by the industry into pesticide products, adding fluorine atoms to the product to increase its effectiveness.

En algunos casos, los PFAS son subproductos de la descomposición, como el contaminante del agua ácido trifluoroacético (TFA). Por supuesto, agricultoras y agricultores no suelen ser conscientes de que están rociando sus cultivos con «plaguicidas eternos» que pueden dañar su salud.

The main conclusions of the study, for Spain, are the following:

— Between 2011 and 2021, residues of 18 different PFAS pesticides were detected in fruits and vegetables for sale in Spain.

— In 2021, fruits and vegetables grown in Spain were contaminated, especially strawberries (75 %), grapes (64 %) and apricots (49 %) or spinach (42 %).

— Spain, along with the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Portugal and Greece, is one of the main producers of food contaminated with PFAS within the EU.

— Regarding imports, in 2021 the countries of origin of fruits and vegetables with the highest presence of PFAS were South Africa (PFAS in 23 % of the samples) and Morocco (in 17 %).

Kistiñe García, head of Toxics at Ecologistas en Acción, stated: “We are concerned about the increase in the amount of PFAS pesticide residues present in food in the last 10 years. In the EU it has tripled and in Spain it has increased by 148 % in the case of vegetables and 80 % in that of fruits. Eliminating the use of this type of pesticide could be an excellent differentiation of Spanish crops, since imported products are also contaminated, such as 18 % in bananas or 27 % in peppers.”

According to Koldo Hernández, Water coordinator at Ecologistas en Acción, “of the first official PFAS restriction list, which included 47 active substances, 37 (12 % of the synthetic active substances approved in the EU) are still authorized in pesticides, which causes its deliberate spread through European agricultural fields and direct contamination of waters and the environment.”

And he added: “The cause of this broad exposure is that regulatory bodies have proposed exempting PFAS active substances from the universal restriction, assuming that they are regulated by the current Pesticides Law. “Our research reveals the opposite: PFAS slip through the cracks of the legal system.”

Angeliki Lysimachou, responsable de Ciencia y Política de PAN Europe, ha destacado que «la aprobación de los plaguicidas PFAS, a menudo aplicados en mezclas, tiene deficiencias. Con tan solo considerar la persistencia como un criterio de corte en el proceso de aprobación de los plaguicidas sintéticos, estas sustancias PFAS serán rápidamente prohibidas». Además, ha concluído: «Los pesticidas PFAS no son en necesarios para cultivar.