People who live close to vineyards in France are exposed to more pesticides in their homes and in the air, a new study has found.
The conclusions of the national ‘PestiRiv’ study, by health body Santé publique France (SPF) and food and environment agency Anses (Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail), were published this week (September 15).
The study was conducted from 2021-2022, looking at 1,946 adults and 742 children aged 3-17, living in France, near 265 sites across six major winegrowing regions: Grand Ouest, Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Auvergne Rhône-Alpes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Occitanie, and Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
It also used data on pesticide sales and land use to help identify its areas of study.
The study measured levels of 56 substances, by testing the participants’ hair, urine, the exterior air, dust particles from their homes, and even produce from homegrown vegetable patches.
Participants were split into two groups. The first lived less than 500 metres away from the vines, while the second lived more than 5km away from the vines, and more than 1km away from any other crop.
The study found that pesticide levels were some 35% higher in people living closer to the vineyards compared to those living further away. Levels varied being higher during pesticide spreading.
Children aged 3-6 were particularly affected, the study found. This could be because children spend more time in contact with the ground (playing, etc), and because their bodies are less able to eliminate the pollutants to which they are exposed, said SPF lead on the project, Clémentine Dereumeaux.
Levels found were within “the margins of authorised public use” and do not constitute a health alert, said Anses, but the two agencies have still called for action to be taken.
Anses in particular has recommended that the use of pesticide products be “reduced to that which is strictly necessary,” said Benoît Vallet, Anses director general. “This is our biggest recommendation.”
In the study, the agencies said that while “it is possible to determine safe conditions of use [of pesticides] it is wise to limit their use in order to ensure a high level of protection for public health and the environment”.
Winegrower response
The wine industry has responded to the study by calling for more support from the government to help it change its practices, and noted that many winegrowers are already turning to pesticide-reducing methods.
“[Viticulture is] the most advanced agricultural sector [in terms of using organic farming and natural alternatives],” said Bernard Farges, president of the wine professionals group Comité national des interprofessions des vins (CNIV), to La Dépêche.
Thiébault Huber, president of the Bourgogne wine federation la Confédération des appellations et vignerons de Bourgogne, emphasised the need for support from the government and manufacturers to help winegrowers improve their practices.
“We will not succeed alone,” he said.
Environmental targets
Environmental groups have also responded with concern.
“The closer you are [to the vineyard], the more you are exposed,” said François Veillerette, spokesperson for the environmental NGO Générations Futures, to the AFP. “All this makes us sad because we see how little enthusiasm [the government] has for relaunching the Ecophyto plan, which has been virtually at a standstill since the Attal government.”
The updated Ecophyto 2030 plan was presented in May, after having been suspended already due to pushback from farmers. First launched in 2008, it has the aim of reducing artificial pesticide use by 50%. This level has never been achieved.
In contrast, a 2023 inquiry found that pesticide levels across “at least a third of the country…represent a major threat to drinking water”.
While its implementation is still uncertain, the plan itself aims to “fight climate change and protect biodiversity, while giving farmers the means to make this transition”. It includes strategies to reduce the use of pesticides, new ways to measure their impact and danger, and dedicate €250 million in funding to finding and supporting alternatives for farmers.
Health concerns?
Other reports have drawn links between pesticide exposure and negative health concerns – such as the impact on the endocrine and respiratory systems, and cancer.
Yet, the PestiRiv study stopped short of drawing definitive conclusions on the pesticides’ effects on participants’ health. A further study on the health risk is set to be undertaken in the next few years, Anses and SPF said.
“We currently have no link between the levels of contamination found and clinical factors in human health,” said Mr Vallet. “This is especially true given that other environmental exposures (such as heavy metals, fine particles) can also have an impact.”
The agency has also called for the creation of a national register of pesticide data. Data gathered across several decades would help agencies study the real risk of pesticides to human health, Mr Vallet said to FranceInter this morning (September 16).
“We want this data to be ‘gatherable’, meaning that it is saved on usable, accessible systems on a national and common level,” he said.
Such a database would enable relevant agencies to grapple with and reduce the exposure of residents to pesticides, SPF added.
Pesticides have been linked to negative health effects countless times in previous studies.
Ways that residents can reduce pesticide exposure
SPF and Anses said that people living close to vineyards should be informed before pesticide treatments are carried out, to enable them to take pre-emptive action.
To reduce excess exposure, it said that residents could:
Close windows during treatment times
Avoid drying laundry outside during pesticide spraying
Remove their shoes when they arrive home
Clean floors with a mop and vacuum at least once a week
Peel fruit and vegetables from their gardens before eating them
Limit their consumption of eggs from domestic chicken coops
