{"id":8716,"date":"2019-04-19T09:32:47","date_gmt":"2019-04-19T07:32:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.phytocontrol.com\/?p=8716"},"modified":"2026-08-28T01:47:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T23:47:18","slug":"opinion-of-the-anses-on-the-relevance-of-pesticide-metabolites-in-drinking-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.phytocontrol.com\/en\/regulatory-watch\/opinion-of-the-anses-on-the-relevance-of-pesticide-metabolites-in-drinking-water\/","title":{"rendered":"ANSES opinion on the relevance of pesticide metabolites in drinking water"},"content":{"rendered":"

[hover_box image=”\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/actu_veille_hydro.jpg” image_hover=”\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/drapeau_france.jpg” link=”” target=””]<\/p>\n

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On 11 April 2019, ANSES published an opinion on assessing the relevance of pesticide metabolites in water intended for human consumption.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pesticides contained in plant protection products and biocidal products are, by their very use, released into the natural environment.
\nThese substances and their metabolites can therefore be found in raw water used to produce water intended for human consumption (EDCH) but also in water distributed through the tap.
\nThe presence of pesticide residues and their metabolites in water is governed by European Directive 98\/83\/EC on the quality of water intended for human consumption.
\nThis text requires that pesticides and their relevant metabolites be tested for and sets quality limits in EDCH of 0.1 \u00b5g\/L per individual substance and 0.5 \u00b5g\/L for the total.
\nHowever, the directive does not provide criteria for identifying the relevance of a metabolite.
\nThe lack of a precise definition leads to different strategies from one Member State to another.
\nThe concept of relevance in EDCH is not defined in French regulations; the current position is to consider that all detected pesticide metabolites are relevant.
\nThe DGS therefore asked ANSES to define and clarify the criteria for assessing the relevance of pesticide metabolites in EDCH, particularly for alachlor ESA, alachlor OXA, acetochlor ESA, acetochlor OXA, metolachlor ESA, metolachlor OXA, metazachlor ESA and metazachlor OXA.<\/p>\n

As part of this opinion, ANSES’s working group (WG) provided:
\n– a definition of the concept of “relevance for EDCH”: “A pesticide metabolite is assessed as relevant for EDCH if there is reason to consider that it could cause (itself or its transformation products) an unacceptable health risk for the consumer<\/em>“.
\n– an approach for determining whether a pesticide metabolite detected in EDCH is classified as “relevant for EDCH” or “not relevant for EDCH”.<\/p>\n

The WG set up a decision tree for determining the relevance of pesticide metabolites for EDCH according to the following steps:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Examination of the so-called “pesticidal” biological activity<\/li>\n
  2. Examination of genotoxic potential<\/li>\n
  3. Examination of toxicological data on reproductive toxicity and carcinogenicity of the metabolite<\/li>\n
  4. Examination of data on the endocrine disruption potential of the metabolite<\/li>\n
  5. Examination of the transformation of a metabolite into a product hazardous to human health during EDCH treatment processes<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Following application of the decision tree:<\/p>\n