EFFECTS OF CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO SYNTHETIC PESTICIDES ON HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

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Dimitrios Petrakis (1), Vasiliki Karzi (1), Aliki Anifantaki (2), Aristidis Tsatsakis (1)

XX International Plant Protection Congress - IPPC. ATHENS. 2024

PARTICIPANTS

• (1) Dimitrios Petrakis, Paediatric Surgeon, Honorary Member of the Hellenic Society of Toxicology, Scientific Associate of Center of Toxicology Science & Research, Medical School, University of Crete

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• (1) Vasiliki Karzi, Chemist, MSc, PhD. Center of Toxicology Science & Research, Medical School, University of Crete

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• (2) Aliki Anifantaki, PhD, Clinical Embryologist, Fertility Center of Crete

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• (1) Aristidis M. Tsatsakis, Academician, Full Professor of Toxicology, FMRAS, FMWAS, FATS MSc, PhD, ERT, DSc, Ex-President EUROTOX, Honorary President of the Hellenic Society Toxicology, Center of Toxicology Science & Research, Medical School, University of Crete

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Τhe daily consumption of pesticides per capita

According to EUROSTAT and FAO data, the daily consumption of pesticides per capita is

• 1.4 grams for every person in the world
• 2.5 grams for every Greek and
• 4.2 grams for every inhabitant of Crete Island

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Agricultural production in Crete relies on almost three times the global average and twice the national average use of chemical pesticides to maintain crop yields

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Pesticide residues in European agricultural soils based on LUCAS�

• European agricultural soils 74.5%

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• Mixtures of pesticides 57.1%

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• More than 10 different substances

identified in a single site 11.1%

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Residues of synthetic pesticide mixtures are frequently found in national and international sampling of food and animal feed�

The results show that

• Half of the fruit and vegetables on the European market are still contaminated with residues of at least one pesticide
• A quarter of them contains a cocktail of up to 15 pesticide residues
• EFSA’s reports fail to highlight the real shortcomings of the regulatory system in terms of consumer protection
• Exposure to such residues might have a significant impact on people’s health, including unborn children

Demographic data from ELSTAT�

According to demographic data from ELSTAT, the last 70 years of synthetic pesticide use in Greece,

• The annual number of deaths has increased by 300 %
• The population has increased by only 50 %
• Deaths from cardiovascular diseases have increased by 500 % and
• Cancer deaths have increased by 1000 %

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In 1955 the annual number of births in Greece was three times the annual number of deaths, while in 2023 births accounted for 57 % of deaths

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In 2022, the population of Crete Island decreased by 1,280 people, with a 5% annual rate of increase in deaths and a 3.7% annual rate of decrease in births, which was 54% of deaths

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SYNTHETIC PESTICIDES INCREASE OXIDATIVE STRESS THROUGH MITOCHONDRIAL PRODUCTION OF FREE RADICALS�

• Organophosphate and organochlorine pesticides have an increased mitochondrial translocator protein–binding affinity, reduce the mitochondrial membrane potential, produce mtDNA damage, promote oxidative damage, and reduce mitochondrial ATP
• Paraquat and atrazine produce ROS which induces mitochondrial toxicity affecting the electron transfer within the ETC to form a superoxide anion which forms an excess of ROS in various organs, mainly brain and liver
• Pyrethroids and 2,4-D / Phenoxy acid /Herbicide, are slective inhibitors of electron transfer chain in liver mitochondria
• Carbamate are inhibitors of electron transfer chain in brain mitochondria
• Glyphosate causes genotoxic effects, induces DNA damage on the exposed individuals and through DNA methylation causes epigenetic - intergenerational transmission of diseases to offspring
• Prenatal exposure to synthetic pesticides is associated with changes in mtDNA, congenital abnormalities and increased perinatal morbidity

Thousands of studies have documented that men and women who have been long – term exposed to synthetic pesticides have a higher risk of �

• Endocrine-related morbidity
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases
• Immune deficiency and chronic autoimmune diseases
• Breast, prostate, liver, pancreas, colon, brain, testicular cancer, lymphomas and leukemias
• Fatty liver infiltration, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease
• Βehavioral disorders, anxiety, panic attacks, aggression, psychotic disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, sexual orientation disorders, gender dysphoria
• Reproductive diseases, infertility
• Congenital malformations
• Developmental disorders and
• Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance

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LONG-TERM EXPOSURE TO SYNTHETIC PESTICIDES CAUSES INFERTILITY� Aliki Anifantaki, PhD, Clinical Embryologist, Fertility Center of Crete�

• In a recent survey of the Crete Fertility Center, it was found that Cretan farmers of reproductive age exposed to synthetic pesticides in intensive greenhouse crops have a sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) of 30-35%, with a threshold for reproduction of 15%

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• Countries with high use of synthetic pesticides per hectare have a fertility rate of less than 1.5

Glyphosate is an endocrine - disrupting synthetic herbicide

Glyphosate

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• Affects oocyte maturation, ovarian steroidogenesis-related

gene expression, increases oxidative stress and female infertility

• Impairs male offspring reproductive development by

disrupting gonadotropin expression and spermatogenesis

through hypothalamus- pituitary-testicular axis

• Alters the thyrotrophic axis and causes thyroid hormone

homeostasis imbalance

• Induces developmental, reproductive, and epigenetic effects

Percentage of progressive motility between

glyphosate-treated and control sperm samples

LONG-TERM EXPOSURE TO SYNTHETIC PESTICIDES THROUGH FEED CAUSES INFERTILITY IN ANIMALS

• Many studies report that chronic nutritional exposure of dogs, sheep, goats, cows and other farm animals to mixtures of insecticides, fungicides and glyphosate have a direct relationship with increased oxidative stress and increased seminal DFI, inability to naturally inseminate animals, abortions and increased mortality of newborns

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• Chronic exposure of pollen and bees to imidacloprid and other synthetic pesticides such as fluvalinate, coumaphos, amitraz, chlorothalonil and chlorpyrifos has caused an increase in Varroa mite infestations in apis mellifera bees, a reduction - weakening of the population and overwintering success, due to the chronic disruption of the queen bee reproductive system and high rate of DNA fragmentation of drones' spermatozoa

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GLYPHOSATE ΙS A CARCINOGENIC SYNTHETIC HERBICIDE�Vasiliki Karzi, Chemist, MSc, PhD. Center of Toxicology Science & Research, Medical School, University of Crete����

• Recently published research of the Laboratory of Toxicology, University of Crete, has shown that long-term exposure of rabbits to realistic doses of Glyphosate cause neoplastic hyperplasia and carcinogenesis in thyroid, liver, kidney, testicular and other organ cells

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• Mechanisms of infertility and carcinogenesis were oxidative stress, DNA fragmentation and cell division defects

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Normal cells Precancerous hyperplasia

SYNTHETIC PESTICIDES DISRUPT INSECT AND PLANT DEFENCE

The synergistic increase in oxidative stress resulting from excessive use of synthetic pesticides, climate crisis and reduced water availability

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• Decrease antioxidant enzymes and plant defense
• Increase morbidity to symbiotic organisms and the risk of plant resistance to pathogens or herbicides
• Disrupt of soil biomass - structure and functionality of the rhizosphere, plant metabolism, chloroplast - zooplankton and phytoplankton genome expression,
• Reduce soil fertility - energy production in chloroplasts, photosynthesis, defense - germination and reproductive capacity of plants

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The combined role of glyphosate and climate crisis in the drying of olive trees by Xylella fastidiosa has been investigated

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THE CONSEQUENCES OF AGGRESSIVE MARKETING OF MULTINATIONAL COMPANIES AND EUROPEAN AGRICULTURAL POLICY�

• Pesticide industries push financial and political the regulators

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• European and national legislation has serious gaps in the production, distribution and management of pesticides

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• European agricultural policy aims to reduce the use of hazardous synthetic pesticides up to 50% and increase organic farming to 25%, until 2030

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• Multinational drug and synthetic pesticide companies took advantage of synthetic pesticides chronic effects by producing synthetic statins, vasodilators and monoclonal antibodies, for the treatment of global morbidity and infertility, increasing rapidly the current global health cost up to 10 trillions US dollars

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• According to the World Bank and OECD, while in the last 20 years the world population has increased by 27%, the global spending on health has increased by 339%, reaching a new high of 10.3% of global gross domestic product

CONCLUSIONS

• The global spatio-temporal spread and increase in morbidity, mortality and infertility in humans and all

living organisms is proportional to the amount of synthetic pesticides including herbicides, neonicotinoids and bisamides used per hectare of crops and the residues of synthetic pesticide mixtures in food, feed, water and soil

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• All synthetic pesticides cause intracellular oxidative stress, disrupt intracellular signalling transduction,

DNA integrity, reprograming mitochondrial energy production, resulting in an increase of chronic morbidity, mortality and infertility

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• The mitochondrial DNA fragmentation index (FDI) in semen of humans, animals and beneficial insects

is a reliable diagnostic and predictive biomarker of chronic exposure to synthetic pesticides in addition to quantitative detection of pesticides by hair analysis and investigation of telomere shortening

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• FAO, EFSA, EPPO, EEA, ECHA, WHO and other leading organizations dealing with food security, food safety, human - animal and plant health will critically analyze this crucial and current problem related to chronic effects of synthetic pesticides on health and environment

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