The effects of the pesticides on us and on the environment

Hello everybody. Today I have decided to talk about pesticides, as this subject has been in the news recently. Indeed, more than 70 people were intoxicated in Maine- et -Loire by a product called metam sodium. Among these people, 17 were hospitalized after inhaling this product.

This substance is mainly used to grow grapes or vegetables. It is used to grow carrots, tomatoes, strawberries, radishes...but mainly to grow lamb’s lettuce, although it is not directly spread on it but used to prepare the ground. This product is really strong, and destroys absolutely everything in the ground: weeds, insects, but also worms and mushrooms…

Today, 5 pesticides containing metam sodium are tolerated in France, while they are forbidden in other countries of the EU. Unsurprisingly, metam sodium is indeed qualified as “dangerous if ingested” and “very toxic for aquatic life with long-term effects”.

Contrary to glyphosate, its effects are direct: irritating, corrosive for the skin, the eyes and the airways. Glyphosate caused a really big scandal, and although metam sodium is far worse, we don't hear a lot about it. It has been, following the accident, temporarily forbidden; hopefully it will definitively be forbidden soon!

To conclude, each year, people living around fields or vineyards are intoxicated, poisoned by the toxic air they breathe, and each year, we are poisoned by the food we eat. So, if you can, try to eat organic food as often as possible, or even to plant your own garden!

Also, I don’t know about you, but I think it is cool that the cafeteria tries to buy more organic food :)

Eve