ISTOCK, BALEFIRE9On Tuesday (July 4), member state representatives of the European Union (E.U.) approved a list of criteria put forth by the European Commission to identify endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in plant pesticides.
“Once implemented, the text will ensure that any active substance used in pesticides which is identified as an endocrine disruptor for people or animals can be assessed and withdrawn from the market,” Vytenis Andriukaitis, the EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, said in a statement.
Despite the European Commission’s claims that this would be a major step forward in protecting both citizens’ health and the environment, the proposed criteria were criticized by various groups, including environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and scientific societies. The critics cited a number of issues, including the high burden of proof required to identify substances as EDCs.
In June, three major scientific societies, the Endocrine Society, the European Society of Endocrinology, and the European Society of Pediatric Endocrinology, released a ...
