Be careful, danger: an insecticide, although banned for household use, but which remains used in France against pests such as bedbugs or cockroaches, is the cause of increasing poisoning, sometimes fatal, notes a study by the ANSES and poison control centers unveiled Tuesday.
“Despite its ban in France in 2013 for household uses, poison control centers recorded 170 events linked to the product Sniper 1000 EC DDVP® from January 1, 2018 to June 30, 2023. In total, 206 people were exposed over this period “, indicate in a press release the French health agency Anses, the General Directorate of Health and the General Directorate of Competition, Consumption and Fraud Repression.
Sniper 1000 EC DDVP bottles singled out
In question: dichlorvos, an active substance from the organophosphate family, classified as fatal by inhalation and toxic by contact with the skin or by ingestion. It can in particular cause respiratory symptoms such as asthma, ocular symptoms, neurological disorders which can lead to loss of consciousness, and a skin allergy, according to the press release.
Banned since 2013 in insecticides for household use, dichlorvos can still be purchased – notably under the name Sniper 1000 EC DDVP® – via “illegal circuits” such as in markets and bazaars, particularly in the north of Paris and in Seine-Saint-Denis and, “to a lesser extent”, on e-commerce platforms. It can also be brought from abroad (outside the EU) or given by a third party.
Poisonings on the rise since 2018
Poisonings due to this insecticide have experienced “an increase” since 2018, with in particular 104 cases declared between January 2022 and June 2023, to “take into account the increase in infestations by bedbugs”, according to the press release. In France, 11% of households were infested between 2017 and 2022, ANSES estimated in July.
“If most of the poisonings reported to poison control centers were mild, nearly 10% were of medium severity and 5.5% of severe severity, including 3 deaths (accidental or due to ingestion with suicidal intent),” according to the authorities. .
An elderly person died at the end of October
The Lyon public prosecutor’s office opened a preliminary investigation for “involuntary manslaughter”, “endangering the lives of others” and “unauthorized sale of a dangerous product” after the discovery of the insecticide Sniper 1000 at a person’s home elderly deceased, a judicial source told AFP at the end of November.
On its dangerous products alert site, the government has been raising consumer awareness since November 8 about bottles of Sniper 1000 EC DDVP, asking them to no longer use them. And one of the identified distributors made a voluntary recall, relayed on the RappelConso site, the authorities said on Tuesday.