Pesticides in water: the Générations futures association maintains its vigilance

Quantité, qualité, la ressource en eau, objet de toutes les attentions. Midi Libre – JEAN MICHEL MART

Very vigilant about the quality of water resources, the Génération Futures association is concerned about the recent downgrading of a metabolite of Chlorothalonil by ANSES. A "pesticide very present in drinking water" and whose levels, recorded in Paulhan on five occasions between November 2023 and March 15, have led to increased monitoring of water quality.

Its objective is not to worry the population but "to relay the information&quot ;. Hérault representative of the Générations futures association, whistleblower Marie Azorin, based in the heart of Hérault, intends to draw attention to the pollution of groundwater, sensitive resources when, "in France, 2/3 of drinking water comes from basements". However, based on a recent study published by Le Monde, it reports that "Pesticides and their metabolites (by-products) are the primary source of contamination of groundwater . At the national level, they are present and quantified in 97% of monitoring stations and exceed the standards in nearly 20% of them. Unsurprisingly, the map of pesticide pollution is superimposed on those of the areas where phytosanitary treatments are most frequent. This is particularly true for our department (with Atrazine and its metabolites and the metabolites of Chlorothalonil).

A proven presence… but standards that change

To illustrate her point, the Héraultaise takes the example of Paulhan, a town where the study published by Le Monde points to the presence of pollutants in the water tables. At the beginning of May, "from the observation of the results relating to the quality of the water in Paulhan (4031 inhabitants), following the samples taken by the ARS Occitanie, it was noted that the water quality had not been compliant, from a physico-chemical point of view, due to the presence of Chlorothalonil R471811 on the following sampling dates: November 25 2023, December 15, 2023, January 9, 2024, February 15, 2024 and March 15, 2024. The content of this fungicide (0.146 μg/L) was then clearly above the quality limits (0. 1μg/L)."

Heightened surveillance

Except that since the classification of this metabolite now considered "irrelevant" by Anses, at the beginning of May, (read box), the standard was raised 9 times, going from 0.1 μg/L to 0.9 μg/L. Direct consequence, "all situations in which R471811 was found, in drinking water, at concentrations between 0.1 μg/L to 0.9 μg/L become “compliant”." Asked about the impact of this metabolite present in tap water, the water resource manager at the Pôle intercommunal de l’Eau Salagou Cœur d’Hérault, was reassuring. "To date, the ARS instructions do not result in consumption restrictions but increased monitoring."

A metabolite “declassified” by ANSES

Since May 22, Chlorothalonil R471811, a metabolite of the fungicide Chlorothalonil, has been "classified as irrelevant by ANSES! Until this decision, it was considered relevant because it was suspected of being carcinogenic and endocrine disruptor. From now on, it will no longer be searched for in the analyzes because it is classified as irrelevant. However, the impact of pesticides and their metabolites present in tap water (by-products) on the health of populations is a real concern which should not be underestimated. This is a public health issue that is still underestimated", judges Marie Azorin while Générations Futures worries &quot ;consequences of such downgrading."

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