“Perpetual pollutants” are used in large quantities in our fruits and vegetables

From 2011 to 2021, there has been a significant increase in the presence of pesticides classified as “perennial pollutants” (PFAS) in fruits and vegetables in Europe, especially in summer fruits.

These are mainly per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are part of a large family of more than four thousand chemical compounds. Equipped with non-stick, waterproofing and resistance to high heat properties, these substances give rise to many concerns. Used in industry since the 1950s, in non-stick coatings for textiles, food packaging, pens, but also in cosmetics and phytosanitary products, according to NGOs, these products have the characteristic of being a persistent pollutant.

The amount of fruit contaminated with PFAS residues increased by 220% between 2011 and 2021, according to an analysis of official data from Member States’ national pesticide residue monitoring programs in food, conducted on 278,516 fruit and vegetable samples.

Summer fruits are most affected by this contamination. According to the NGO, the most affected fruits are strawberries (37% contaminated in 2021), peaches (35%) and apricots (31%). As for vegetables, they are less affected by this contamination than fruits. Endives (42%) and cucumbers (30%) were the most contaminated in 2021. In total, there has been a 247% increase in ten years.

Pesticide contamination: France among the worst affected countries

Regarding the countries with the highest use of these pesticides in fruits and vegetables, we find the Netherlands (27%), Belgium (27%), Austria (25%), Spain (22%), Portugal (21%), Greece (18 %) can be seen. %) and France (17%) of the 20 countries of the European Union were studied.

Additionally, according to the report, the PFAS most commonly used in agricultural environments between 2011 and 2021 were the fungicide fluopyram, the insecticide flunicamide, and the fungicide trifloxystrobin. This use can affect health, especially chronic diseases. ” The use of PFAS in pesticides leads to more common ingestion of residues of these substances », says a press release from Générations Futures and PAN Europe. ” This source of contamination (…) should not be minimized relative to other PFAS », refers to the same press release.