Researchers Warn of Risks to Brain Development from Fungicides

Here's what it's all about

• After reanalyzing a manufacturer's study, two researchers from Stockholm University have concluded that the fungicide fluazinam should not have been approved due to potential risks to brain development.
• The study has not yet been peer-reviewed.
• Fluazinam is widely used in Switzerland and has also been detected in children.
• A former toxicologist criticizes the fact that regulatory agencies rely heavily on manufacturers' data when granting approvals.
• The Federal Office for Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs rejects the criticism.

Summary created with

A fungicide widely used in Switzerland is under scrutiny due to potential risks to brain development. Two researchers from Stockholm University have re-evaluated an earlier manufacturer-sponsored study on fluazinam and concluded that, in their view, the active ingredient should not have been approved. This is reported by the “Tages-Anzeiger.”

The scientists criticize the fact that, in the original analysis, several findings were erroneously classified as statistically insignificant. Their analysis, however, shows evidence of impaired brain development in rats. “The result was indeed very surprising and even shocking,” one of the study’s authors told the *Tages-Anzeiger*. However, the study has not yet been peer-reviewed.

Fluanzim has been detected in children

In Switzerland, fluazinam is used to control fungal diseases in potato, onion, fruit, and grapevine cultivation, among other applications. According to the Federal Office for the Environment, up to ten metric tons of the active ingredient are used annually. A Swiss study also detected fluazinam in children.

According to the report, there is also criticism of the approval system. A former federal toxicologist told the newspaper that the authorities rely heavily on data provided by manufacturers and are often unable to verify it completely. The Federal Office for Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs (BLV) rejects these allegations and emphasizes that, in order to obtain approval, a complete dossier containing toxicological and ecotoxicological studies must be submitted and reviewed.