After glyphosate, a new danger comes from the SDHI fungicides

After glyphosate, a new danger comes from the SDHI fungicides

The damage caused by glyphosate, used as a herbicide in agriculture, is now well known. But now there could be a new health hazard linked to the use of a class of fungicides, the SDHIs.

He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

The damage caused by glyphosate, used as a herbicide in agriculture, is now well known. But now there may be a new health hazard associated with using a class of fungicides, the SDHI.





Many crops including vines, durum wheat, barley, strawberries, salads and apples, benefit from the use of SDHI, substances that act on a broad spectrum and are able to destroy fungi and molds (among the best known and used there is the Boscalid)

However, a group of scientists is concerned about the risks associated with the use of products containing SDHI on the health of living organisms, including humans. However, the French health agency is not of the same opinion.

It would therefore seem that, just like glyphosate, also theSDHI is a substance intended for experts to discuss. But what exactly is it and why according to some scientists is it potentially dangerous?

What is SDHI and the possible health risks

It is a class of fungicides widely used in agriculture. SDHI molecules were developed around 40 years ago, but the most potent broad-spectrum fungicides were launched in the 2000s.

According to the researchers, "almost 70% of soft wheat surfaces and 80% of winter barley are treated with SDHI"

Behind this acronym there are some molecules capable of inhibit the activity of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), an enzyme that participates in the respiratory chain.

This fungicide is therefore designed to kill fungi and molds that grow on plants by blocking their breathing. The problem is that, according to several researchers, this feature could also be dangerous for other living beings: plants, animals but also humans.

As Pierre Rustin, research director at the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and a specialist in mitochondrial diseases, said:

"The tests we conducted in the laboratory have shown that they also kill the human enzyme, that of the bee or the earthworm".



The blocking of this enzyme can lead, among other things, to the appearance of epigenetic anomalies, explaining the appearance of some tumors.

The expert opinion

Last year a group of researchers, oncologists, doctors and toxicologists, the CNRS, the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), the National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) and several universities published a contribution on the Libération newspaper.

On that occasion experts expressed concern for SDHI fungicides and the deleterious effects they may have on the environment and human health. This led to the National Agency for Food Safety, Environment and Labor (ANSES) to set up a group of experts "to determine whether the scientific information and hypotheses mentioned by the authors are evidence in favor of exposure and risk". The conclusion was that there is no health alarm.

As Gerard Lasfargues of ANSES stated:

"We are not saying that the questions posed by scientists are irrelevant and that there are no hypotheses to consider, but at the moment there is no evidence to support the fact that there is an alarm that would lead to the withdrawal of these products from the market" 


Undoubtedly, given that the scenario is not at all clear, it is necessary to make further investigations to understand the real risks associated with the use of this substance in agriculture.


Read also:

  • Glyphosate damages the liver: it causes liver damage
  • Glyphosate in beer: one third of German women are contaminated. The new test
  • Weeds begin to resist glyphosate (and spoil Bayer's hopes)

 

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