Assessing the risk of exposure to stinging caterpillars to protect ourselves
The geographical range of pine and oak processionary caterpillars in France has been changing in recent years as a result of climate change. Their presence, along with that of other stinging caterpillars, poses a risk to human and animal health. ANSES has assessed the risk of population exposure by municipality in mainland France and Corsica, in order to adapt the prevention and control measures to be applied in the field.
Like every year-end, the festive season can be synonymous with minor inconveniences as well as more serious accidents for you and your loved ones: children swallowing small objects or decorative plants, food poisoning due to poorly-preserved food, and so on. To protect yourself as best you can, here's our advice for a risk-free festive season.
Plants derived from new genomic techniques: analysis of category 1 inclusion criteria proposed by the European Commission
Since the European regulatory framework for GMOs was established in 2001, new techniques for genetically modifying plants have emerged. In order to inform discussions on changes to the regulatory framework to take account of these new genomic techniques (NGTs), ANSES issued an internal request to analyse the criteria proposed by the European Commission to define category 1 NGT plants, which are considered comparable to conventional plants. The Agency calls for clarification of several definitions or classification procedures and the scope of the techniques covered. It also highlights certain scientific and health-related limitations in the establishment of the criteria.
Marta Hugas appointed Chair of ANSES’s Scientific Board
On 7 December 2023, by order of the French Ministers for Health, Agriculture, the Environment, Consumer Affairs, and Labour, Marta Hugas was appointed Chair of ANSES’s Scientific Board, which was set up in April 2023 and is now open to Europe and the rest of the world. Her term will run for a period of three years.
Several teams from ANSES are going to make cheese in a laboratory, in order to study the risk of pathogenic organisms being transmitted via cheese consumption. This will be a complex task, due to the precautions that will need to be taken to avoid any external contamination by the micro-organisms under study.
Bee health: new data uncovered by the PoshBee project
The aim of the European PoshBee project was to better understand the factors driving the decline in pollinating insects, particularly the impact of plant protection products. At a scientific meeting that it convened on 7 December 2023, ANSES reviewed the project’s contributions to assessing current and future threats suffered by pollinating insects.
New ANSES expert appraisals on SDHIs in plant protection products
ANSES is publishing two opinions on the safety of succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHIs). These active substances are used in plant protection products to combat fungi that are harmful to crops. After reviewing all the available data, the Agency recommends adjusting certain toxicity reference values intended to protect human health. These conclusions will be presented at European level. ANSES has also assessed the risks to consumers associated with residues of various SDHIs in food. It does not highlight any health concerns arising from the cumulative ingestion of residues in food in light of the adjusted toxicity values.
Carbon monoxide poisoning can be fatal and concerns everyone: you can reduce the risks by adopting the right practices.
As the temperature drops, the risk of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning increases, linked to the use of heating appliances. Such accidents can also be caused by the use of electricity generators. Every year, France sees around 1300 episodes of CO poisoning, involving almost 3000 people. Invisible, odourless and non-irritating, carbon monoxide is undetectable. However, some simple practices can help reduce the risks. Particular attention should be paid to using mobile fuel-burning space heaters properly, and avoiding makeshift heating systems, which are particularly risky.
Cockroaches, bedbugs... to eradicate them, don't use banned products!
Between January 2018 and June 2023, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) and the poison control centres registered 163 cases of poisoning related to SNIPER 1000 EC DDVP. This product contains the insecticide dichlorvos, which is banned in France.