Report from the Sub-comittee on the environment and health

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The sub-committee’s recommendations concerning proportionality Conclusions concerning coformulants The sub-committee’s recommendations concerning coformulants • The content of nitrate in drinking water in Denmark is a bigger health problem today than <strong>the</strong> pesticide residues in drinking water owing to a low safety margin in connection with <strong>the</strong> formation of nitrite in water used for newborn infant formulae. • The use of veterinary drugs and growth promoters involves a risk of <strong>the</strong> development of resistant microorganisms, and too little is as yet known about <strong>the</strong> possible effect of manure on cultivated land to assess veterinary drugs and growth promoters in relation to pesticides. Some of <strong>the</strong> leachable growth promoters that are used have properties that are reminiscent of pesticides, but <strong>the</strong>ir behaviour in <strong>the</strong> soil has not yet been sufficiently clarified to assess a possible risk of leaching to <strong>the</strong> groundwater. • A number of naturally occurring substances are to a limited extent used as pesticides. The substances in question are relatively easily degradable, so <strong>the</strong>ir action time is short, but <strong>the</strong> sub-committee finds that <strong>the</strong>re is in principle no difference between <strong>the</strong>se substances and syn<strong>the</strong>tic pesticides. The sub-committee concludes that, compared with natural substances, pesticides have a considerably greater potential for environmentally harmful effects because of <strong>the</strong> way <strong>the</strong>y are used, relatively low degradability and <strong>the</strong>ir chemically determined, intensified mode of action. With respect to human health, <strong>the</strong> sub-committee finds that some naturally occurring constituents of plants can present a risk and that, for example, in connection with “Novel Food” products or GMO products, <strong>the</strong>y should be subjected to a risk analysis in line with pesticides. In view of <strong>the</strong> widespread occurrence of small quantities of many chemicals in all compartments, <strong>the</strong> effects of which should perhaps be added toge<strong>the</strong>r to give a realistic picture, <strong>the</strong> sub-committee recommends, in accordance with <strong>the</strong> precautionary principle, that <strong>the</strong> total chemical load on <strong>the</strong> environment be reduced as much as possible in order to reduce <strong>the</strong> exposure of both humans and <strong>the</strong> environment. The sub-committee has, in particular, assessed <strong>the</strong> coformulants that are added to pesticide formulations. These coformulants are not covered by an authorisation scheme of <strong>the</strong> same scope as in <strong>the</strong> case of active pesticide ingredients. Coformulants are a very large group of substances, which may vary between different batches of a product or between different types of <strong>the</strong> same product. The coformulants are normally less harmful to <strong>the</strong> environment and health than <strong>the</strong> active ingredients. However, <strong>the</strong>y often occur in large concentrations and some of <strong>the</strong>m are harmful to <strong>the</strong> environment and/or health, e.g. acutely or chronically toxic substances. Some of <strong>the</strong> substances can thus be more harmful to <strong>the</strong> environment or health than <strong>the</strong> active ingredient to which <strong>the</strong>y are added. A few of <strong>the</strong>m are included in <strong>the</strong> Danish Environmental Protection Agency’s Blacklist. The sub-committee recommends that <strong>the</strong> authorisation scheme be expanded so that <strong>the</strong> requirements concerning coformulants approach <strong>the</strong> requirements made concerning active ingredients. This includes banning all carcinogenic substances. However, <strong>the</strong> coformulants are also used for o<strong>the</strong>r purposes than pesticide formulations. The regulations governing 227
Conclusions concerning natural substances compared with pesticides Recommendations concerning pesticides compared with natural substances 228 <strong>the</strong> use of <strong>the</strong>se substances should <strong>the</strong>refore be generally tightened for all applications. All plants contain varying concentrations of toxic substances to protect <strong>the</strong>mselves against attack by viruses, microorganisms and herbivores. Most herbivores eat only specific food plants. Humans thus eat only a limited number of plant species – less than 100 – that have been selected and used for many generations as components in human food. Therefore, even though crop plants contain substances that have a toxic effect on certain o<strong>the</strong>r groups of organisms, in most cases <strong>the</strong>y produce very little toxicity in humans. Unlike pesticides, <strong>the</strong> toxic natural substances are inside <strong>the</strong> plant and only exhibit <strong>the</strong>ir toxic effect when o<strong>the</strong>r organisms approach <strong>the</strong> plant, touch it or eat it. Pesticides, on <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r hand, are normally dispersed over large areas of land, with <strong>the</strong> aim of knocking out pests – often with around 90% effect in <strong>the</strong> entire area. All organisms in <strong>the</strong> area in question are thus exposed to and hit by <strong>the</strong> pesticide or later eat plant parts containing pesticide residues. Syn<strong>the</strong>tic pesticides usually contain chemical structures that are seldom found in nature. The physical and chemical properties of <strong>the</strong> molecule, and thus its toxicity, are <strong>the</strong>reby changed. This effect depends particularly on changes in <strong>the</strong> direction of lower degradability, greater persistence, changed solubility and increased penetration in membranes. The sub-committee recommends that pesticides continue to be treated as a separate group of chemical substances – firstly because <strong>the</strong>y have an inherent, characteristic and often powerful biological effect; secondly because <strong>the</strong>y are spread over a large or small continuous area in effective doses; and thirdly because <strong>the</strong>y often contain xenobiotic chemical structures. The way pesticides are used and <strong>the</strong>ir inherent properties toge<strong>the</strong>r mean that <strong>the</strong>y differ, environmentally, <strong>from</strong> “natural substances”.
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The Bichel Committee 1999 R
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1 INTRODUCTION 7 2 THE SUB-COMMITTE
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9 ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH ASSESSME
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1 Introduction On 15 May 1997 <stro
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The President Members 10 Henrik San
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Consultants’ reports 12 The sub-c
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14 4 Occurrence of pesticides in <s
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The Nationwide Monitoring Programme
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Counties analyse samples fr
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20 system. However, the</st
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Substance Permitte
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26 The distribution of finds of pes
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28 concentrations of up to 11 micro
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Table 4.10 Occurrence of pesticides
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32 It will be seen from</st
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34 • The frequency of detection i
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36 Soil water samples containing pe
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38 Bromoxynil 3 n.d. 0.04 54 DNOC 4
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40 concentrations found so far are
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42 mononitrophenols and oth
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44 The main measure used to try to
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Models for volatilisation 46 • It
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Calculation of the
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Processes that remove pesticides <s
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52 atrazine and the</strong
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Potential sources of pesticides in
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56 Example 1: IPU dosage 1000 g act
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58 completely against future pollut
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Exposure of field fauna through tre
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Leaf beetles Direct effects of spra
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Indirect effects on mammals and bir
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Birds are particularly interesting
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Importance of headland vegetation t
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Effects of pesticides in forestry A
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Repeated spraying changes t
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Effect on seed production The wild
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Impact on the flor
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• The sub-committee recommends mo
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Effects on primary producers The ef
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Effects on amphibians Unlawful use
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concentrations than the</st
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The sub-committee recommends more c
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General ergonomic problems Particul
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Tractor accidents Accidents resulti
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The sprayer operator’s exposure t
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Pesticides and cancer 96 th
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Studies of frequency of cancer Repr
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Neurotoxicity Immunotoxicity and se
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Population studies 102 • Long-ter
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Other risk groups
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106 tomat salat kinakål kartofler
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Calculation of pesticide intake <st
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The Danes’ dietary pattern Reduct
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Estimated intake from</stro
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Table 6.4 Estimated pesticide intak
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Variation in daily intake of pestic
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Endosulfan = Endosulfan Methidathio
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Limit values Authorisation of pesti
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Analytical studies: case control st
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Cancer Mechanism behind the
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Neurotoxicity Neurotoxicity in chil
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128 6.2.7 Conclusions There is insu
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130 • It cannot be proven on <str
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132 Danish products. There are big
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134
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Definition of proportionality Heavy
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Tropospheric ozone Veterinary drugs
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140 effect that can be expected per
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Synthetic pesticid
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144 formulations. Therefore, <stron
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International cooperation 146 be il
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Fuzzy Expert model Expert assessmen
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Setting up a gross list with a view
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Better monitoring of the</s
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154 help in the as
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Impact index for the</stron
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Knowledge-building in the</
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160 In relation to the</str
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Uncertainties and variations 162 A
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164 which is fixed at 0.1 microgram
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166 If the risk as
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Prevention of disease in cereal cro
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Prevention of pest attack in agricu
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172 plants whose ability to establi
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Biobeds Municipal environmental sup
Page 177 and 178: Malt barley and gushing Direct effe
Page 179 and 180: Effect of soil treatment on wild pl
Page 181 and 182: Emissions of greenhouse gases 180 p
Page 183 and 184: Conclusions concerning environmenta
Page 185 and 186: Conclusions concerning leaching of
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Page 201 and 202: Results of calculations with <stron
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Page 205 and 206: Impacts on the flo
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Page 209 and 210: Mechanical weed control 208 Behandl
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Page 213 and 214: 212 11 The sub-committee’s summar
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Page 225 and 226: Ranking with respect to groundwater
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Page 231 and 232: 230 12 References Abell, A., Bonde,
Page 233 and 234: 232 Colborn, T., vom Saal., F.S., S
Page 235 and 236: 234 Eyer, P. (1995). Neuropsychopat
Page 237 and 238: 236 Graae, B.J. (1999). Florest flo
Page 239 and 240: 238 Protection Conference: Pesticid
Page 241 and 242: 240 Lindhardt, B., Sørensen, P.B.,
Page 243 and 244: 242 consumption of fossil energy wi
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Page 247 and 248: 246 Underudvalget for Miljø og Sun
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Report from the Sub-comittee on the environment and health

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