Banned pesticides polluting waterways

Europe’s rivers and canals contain more than 100 pesticides – including 24 that are banned, a study has found. Researchers tested samples from 29 waterways in ten European countries, including two in the UK, in Devon.

Every single river and canal was found to contain multiple pesticides. In addition, the study discovered evidence of 21 veterinary drugs, mostly antibiotics. Some 13 waterways held concentrations of at least one chemical that exceeded European safety limits. A total of 24 pesticides not licensed for use in the European Union were detected.

Dr Jorge Casado, from Greenpeace Research Laboratories at the University of Exeter, said: “There is huge uncertainty about what effects these mixtures of chemicals could have on wildlife and human health.”