Report from the Sub-comittee on the environment and health

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Preface
The <strong>Sub</strong>-committee for Environment and Health, which is part of <strong>the</strong> Bichel
Committee, was appointed in autumn 1997 to assess <strong>the</strong> consequences for
<strong>the</strong> environment and public health of phasing out <strong>the</strong> use of pesticides.
This report is a result of those assessments and is one of five technical
background reports that form <strong>the</strong> basis for <strong>the</strong> Bichel Committee's final
report to <strong>the</strong> Minister of Environment and Energy.
The o<strong>the</strong>r background reports cover <strong>the</strong> consequences for agriculture, <strong>the</strong>
consequences for <strong>the</strong> economy and employment and, lastly, <strong>the</strong> legal
possibilities of phasing out <strong>the</strong> use of pesticides. The last-mentioned
report also covers <strong>the</strong> overall consequences of total restructuring for
organic farming.
This is <strong>the</strong> first time in Denmark - and probably also internationally - that
such an extensive interdisciplinary analysis has been conducted of <strong>the</strong>
consequences for agriculture of a total or partial phase-out of pesticide use
and of total restructuring for organic production.
The <strong>Sub</strong>-committee for Environment and Health found a wide range of
health and environmental impacts <strong>from</strong> pesticides that are now banned.
On this basis, <strong>the</strong> sub-committee also found that our knowledge about
impacts is constantly increasing, so substances that are at present
regarded as safe may be viewed differently in <strong>the</strong> future. Experience to
date thus confirms that pesticides should only be used with great caution.
The sub-committee also ascertained a number of impacts <strong>from</strong> <strong>the</strong> use of
pesticides on both <strong>the</strong> terrestrial and <strong>the</strong> aquatic environment, but did not
find any health effects on <strong>the</strong> population in general <strong>from</strong> currently
authorised pesticides. The sub-committee identified various lacunae in
our knowledge that make it difficult to calculate <strong>the</strong> consequences of
phasing out <strong>the</strong> use of pesticides. The sub-committee <strong>the</strong>refore had to
limit <strong>the</strong> actual analysis of consequences to <strong>the</strong> few impacts about which
<strong>the</strong>re was sufficient background information.
The sub-committee also considered how <strong>the</strong> environment and health
could be protected still fur<strong>the</strong>r and, in that connection, indicated various
areas for action.
The sub-committee based its report on a number of consultants' reports.
The consultants, <strong>the</strong> members of <strong>the</strong> sub-committee and <strong>the</strong> secretariat
all made a major contribution to <strong>the</strong> creation of <strong>the</strong> report, and we take
this opportunity to thank everyone concerned for <strong>the</strong>ir good work.
Henrik Sandbech
Chairman of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Sub</strong>-committee for Environment and Health