This molecule is the first source of water pollution, but does not present a “short-term” health risk according to ANSES.
Although it is less known to the general public than glyphosate, S-metolachlor is also widely used in France to prevent the appearance of weeds, particularly in corn, sunflower and soybean fields. Nearly 2,000 tons of this root herbicide were sold in 2020, making it the third best-selling in France. About a third of sunflower and maize crops use it. Once spread in the soil, its active substance breaks down into metabolites, which migrate through soils, surface waters and groundwater.
It is this omnipresence in the environment that today pushes ANSES (National Agency for Food and Environmental Health Safety) to initiate a procedure to ban the herbicide. Its opinion was made public on Wednesday 15 February. « The results of our simulation, which took into account the crops concerned, the doses of use and the types of soil, are clear. : despite a reinforcement…
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