French children exposed to dangerous mixture of agricultural pesticides

A STUDY of children living close to agricultural areas in France found many had been exposed to a dangerous cocktail of pesticides.

Générations Futures found that an average of 21.52 distinct pesticides were found in each child; 35 endocrine disruptor pesticides were found at least once, while 13 types of pesticides were discovered in all the hair samples.

The hair of young people living or studying near farms and vineyards were taken as samples after parents expressed worries about their children being exposed to poisons.

The organisation accepted that it has used a small sample size, but said more needed to be done at a national and European level.

"The presence of more than 21 pesticides, on average, that are endocrine disruptors in the hair that was analysed shows that our children are exposed to a significant cocktail of these substances," said François Veillerette, spokesperson for Générations Futures.

"Now the European commission must finally publish a clear and protective definition of the endocrine disruptors that have to be banned."Générations Futures said the French government's plan to deal with endocrine disruptors had come to a halt, with an initial publication date in 2013 long past and supposedly a new date set for the end of April.