An analysis of hair samples from 44 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), journalists, and scientists detected the presence of pesticides in 91% of the participants, NGO Pollinis announced on Monday. The European Green party argues that the results again show that the EU must tighten laws on pesticides.
    Pesticides can enter our body through ingesting contaminated water or food, or even through skin contact or by breathing in products that have been treated with pesticides. To detect their presence in the body, Pollinis carried out a hair analysis in June on 30 MEPs and 14 journalists and scientists within the European Parliament.
    Independent French laboratory IRES-Kudzu examined the samples and found that 40 of the 44 participants had pesticide residues in their bodies. Of the 27 different pesticides discovered, more than half (55%) are currently banned for use in agriculture in the EU. The most frequently encountered pesticide was 4.4 DDE insecticide, which has been banned since 1978.
    The insecticide transfluthrin was the third most commonly detected pesticide. While banned in agriculture, the chemical is still used for domestic purposes.