The European Union just banned two pesticides linked to infertility and reproductive problems... both still widely used across America

Saturday, April 30, 2016 by: Sarah Landers
Tags: pesticide ban, European Union, US regulators

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(NaturalNews) The long continued debate over whether or not pesticides are safe to use on crops intended for human consumption has seen a new development, with the EU voting unanimously to ban two dangerous weedkillers: Amitrole and Isoproturon.

The decision is an indication that the EU is listening to consumer concerns over food safety, and brings to light the fact that pesticides ARE dangerous to human health. Pesticides that were banned more than 40 years ago are still causing sperm abnormalities and miscarriages today, meaning that while this is a definite step in the right direction, EU citizens aren't yet safe from the health impacts of these two pesticides. And U.S. citizens aren't yet safe at all.

Endocrine-disrupting herbicides

As reported by The Guardian, endocrine disruptors are chemicals that interfere with the hormone system. A variety of scientific studies have shown that these chemicals can cause cancerous tumors, birth defects and a range of other health conditions that have an impact on gender, sex and reproductive systems.

Amitrole – or Aminotriazole – is widely used in 10 EU countries, including the UK, as part of common procedures in industrial farming. But an analysis by the European Food Safety Authority has found that it is an endocrine disruptor that could damage unborn children, as well as having toxic effects on the thyroid and reproductive organs.

Meanwhile, the same study found that Isoproturon should be classified as toxic for reproductive systems, because it also has potential endocrine-mediated effects on fertility. These herbicides are still for sale across the U.S., and there is no ban in the pipeline, meaning that the U.S. population will continue to be exposed to these extremely harmful chemicals for the foreseeable future.

A ground-breaking moratorium

According to The Guardian, "The European commission has ordered a ground-breaking moratorium on two endocrine-disrupting weedkillers that have been linked to thyroid cancer, infertility, reproductive problems and foetal malformations."

Beginning in September 2016, and stretching across the whole of Europe, the first ever ban on endocrine-disrupting herbicides will be launched. Hans Muilerman, who is the chemicals officer at Pesticide Action Network in Europe said of the moratorium, "This is a historic decision as it is clear that these chemicals are 100% endocrine disruptors. We applaud these two proposals but at the same time note that a large reservoir of harmful, classified and endocrine-disrupting pesticides is still waiting for a decision, which has been repeatedly postponed by the commission."

Aren't pesticides tested before they are approved?

Most concerning of all, is the fact that in a study comparing the toxicity of herbicides and pesticide formulations, the results were that the products sold are up to 1,000 times more toxic than the isolated substances which are tested and evaluated for safety.

When a pesticide is authorized for use based on medium or long-term tests, these tests have been carried out on laboratory animals using a single chemical ingredient – the "active ingredient." The active ingredient is assumed to be responsible for giving the pesticide its weed-killing affect.

But the final versions of the pesticide formulas that are available for purchase contain other additive compounds that increase the activity of the pesticide, and the completed versions are not tested over the medium or long term.

Popular herbicide Roundup – which contains the chemical glyphosate – is widely used across the U.S. and claimed to be a benign herbicide, yet researchers have found it is by far the most toxic of all herbicides and insecticides, according to GM Watch. Tests comparing the toxicity of glyphosate with other formulas – including isoproturon – found that Roundup was the most toxic among the herbicides and insecticides tested.

According to EWG, another dangerous chemical, atrazine, is one of the most widely used endocrine-disrupting pesticides in the U.S. – a chemical which is already banned in Europe. Why is the U.S. so far behind on taking precautions to protect Americans from these extremely dangerous, toxic chemicals?

Sources include:

EWG.org

TheGuardian.com

GMWatch.org