French citizens who suffer health damage or injury from chemical pesticides and pest control agents may soon receive financial support from a special health fund. The compensation is primarily intended for residents of rural France as well as farmers, their families, and staff.
The new fund will be managed by the Social Agricultural Fund (MSA). This organization already handles various social benefits and compensations, especially in the agriculture sector. Compensation can be provided to French individuals insured with the MSA against work accidents and occupational diseases.
Retired self-employed individuals can also apply for themselves and their dependents. The fund is also intended to be accessible for children who suffered damage during pregnancy due to occupational exposure of their parents.
The compensation fund will be financed through premiums from insurance companies. Additionally, a new French tax on the sale of chemical pesticides and pest control products will support the fund. Manufacturers have criticized that the French government does not contribute to the fund’s financing. The Association of Crop Protection Manufacturers (UIPP) points out that the French government itself authorized the use of these substances.
In France, Parkinson’s disease is now recognized as an occupational disease among farmers. There are indications that other diseases may also be caused by residual pesticide use, though proving this is very difficult.
Researchers, commissioned by the European Union, are currently studying the effects of fine particulate matter containing pesticides on the lungs. Earlier studies found residues of multiple pesticides in nearly one out of every three food samples, with as many as 29 different substances detected in a single product. All were found at low concentrations, below the maximum permitted limits, and thus considered safe according to current standards.
Violetta Geissen, professor of soil degradation and land management at Wageningen University, leads the European research project SPRINT, which recently began measuring the impact of pesticides on human, animal, plant health, and the environment.
European Commissioner Frans Timmermans aims to reduce the number of pesticides by half within ten years and to halve their associated risk as well. EU researchers expect to be able to compile a list next spring identifying which substances have the highest toxicity and are most commonly found in the environment.