
Chlorpyrifos – When the daily requirement of vitamin C is poisoned.

In Europe, skepticism towards pesticides is traditionally very high. Some countries have been insisting on special status for years, for example in the dispute over the drug glyphosate.
Now the discussion has broken out about banning another insecticide, namely chlorpyrifos, whose use can allegedly lead to serious brain damage in children and animals.
The frequent use of pesticides in vegetable and fruit cultivation can be attributed primarily to the fact that competition between individual farmers is increasing, as global transport options often put regional products in competition with imported goods. In particular, seasonal fruit that is not grown here is often subject to significantly lower standards in its countries of origin than here.
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Southern citrus fruits are generally popular during the Christmas season. In addition to chocolate, tangerines and oranges are traditionally included in the annual St. Nicholas bag; on Christmas days there are often grapefruits or processed lemons. These fruits are not native, especially in winter due to sub-zero temperatures, and are imported.
According to recent findings, the citrus fruits mentioned above in particular often contain excessive residues of the pesticide chlorpyrifos. The insecticide is one of the most widely used pest control agents in the world and has now come into the focus of European authorities due to its potentially devastating side effects.
The Süddeutsche Zeitung reports that in 2017, excessive residues of the insecticide chlorpyrifos were detected in every fourth mandarin and every third grapefruit and orange examined.
Even small amounts can have fatal effects. If babies come into contact with the poison in the womb, this can lead to damage to brain development as the poison attacks important areas of the cerebral cortex and causes them to shrink.
A few years ago, the EU had already lowered the limit values in response to the results and is now considering a general ban. The European food authority EFSA called for a general ban on the substance in the summer and contacted the European Commission.
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The European Union's handling of chlorpyrifos will provide an interesting perspective on future plans to ban other dangerous substances.
Chlorpyrifos: solutions?
A divide can be seen in Europe: While the southern members, such as Spain, Portugal and Italy, want to continue using the poison, the northern members in particular are against it, probably also because they are not threatened with economic losses.
Such negotiations are exciting because the EU needs to find a consensus from 65% of member states in order to enforce a ban across Europe.
The concerns of the southern countries should of course be taken seriously from their perspective, as the demand for citrus fruits is increasing and crop yields are deteriorating, especially as a result of increasingly noticeable climate change, and the EU is also very restrictive when it comes to genetically modified plants. The southern members have competition from abroad, i.e. South America and Africa, breathing down their necks.
Solution approach? On the other hand, one can call on the European Union to invest more resources in research into environmentally friendly and harmless pesticides, while also holding the northern members who vote for a ban accountable. The European Union could function optimally here through optimal solidarity among its members and a common approach to such problems.
In summary, previously approved pesticides, in this case chlorpyrifos, which was approved in 2006, are increasingly being targeted by food authorities, who are reopening old approvals and putting them to the test.
via
Author: Alexander Herberstein, article image by Roxana Bashyrova / Shutterstock.com
Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication
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The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual articles (not fact checks) were created using machine help and
were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )
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