Study: Residents near vineyards more exposed to pesticides

A new large-scale study, conducted in France, confirms what environmental organizations have been reporting for years: people who live near vineyards are much more exposed to pesticides than the rest of the population. The research, carried out by two national health agencies, does not yet establish direct links to health effects, but raises important questions about the protection of the environment and rural communities, AFP reports. The study, called PestiRiv, analyzed the level of exposure to 56 chemicals in the urine and hair of almost 2,700 people (1,946 adults and 742 children), but also in the air, dust, homes and gardens. The results are worrying: in wine-growing areas, contamination levels in urine were up to 45% higher than in other regions; in house dust, contamination was over 1,000% higher; in the air, concentrations were 12 times higher. During periods of agricultural treatments, the differences increase spectacularly: +60% in urine, +700% in dust and up to 45 times more in the air.

• A research of unprecedented scale

PestiRiv was carried out between 2021 and 2022, covering 265 locations in six major French wine regions, from Grand Ouest and Burgundy to Provence and Occitania. The two agencies - Sante publique France (SpF) and ANSES (French Agency for Food Safety, the Environment and Occupational Health) - tried to identify all sources of exposure: the environment, diet and lifestyle. The conclusion is clear: residents near vineyards are more exposed to pesticides than those who live further away from agricultural crops.

• What substances were identified

Among the pesticides discovered are: folpet and metiram, specific to viticulture, but also widely used substances, such as glyphosate, fosetyl-aluminum or spiroxamine. These products are used intensively to protect grapevines, one of the agricultural crops with the highest pesticide consumption.

• Children, the most vulnerable

The study showed that the most exposed are children between 3 and 6 years old, because they spend more time in contact with the soil, frequently put their hands to their mouths and are more sensitive to contaminated food. Children under 3 years old were not included in the research, for logistical reasons, which still leaves their degree of exposure unknown.

• Limitations of the study

Although the data are consistent, the authors also admit several limitations: the small number of winegrowers and agricultural workers included, the lack of access to official data on the quantities of pesticides used, the impossibility of directly assessing the effects on health. "We currently have no evidence linking contamination levels to clinical pathologies such as cancer,” said Benoît Vallet, director general of ANSES.

• Reactions and recommendations

Environmental organizations say the results confirm their fears. "The closer we are, the more exposed we are,” said François Veillerette, spokesman for the NGO Generations futures. French health authorities are calling for precautionary measures:

reducing pesticide use "to the strict minimum necessary,” implementing the ambitious Ecophyto 2030 program, informing residents before applying treatments to vineyards.

• France and the challenge of reducing pesticides

France, like many other European countries, is required to develop a strategic plan to reduce pesticides. However, resistance from agricultural unions and the lack of effective alternatives make the target of a 50% reduction by 2030 seem difficult to achieve. The PestiRiv study thus becomes a central piece in the debate on the balance between agricultural production, environmental protection and public health.