Since 2020 the City of Besançon has been committed to the fight against endocrine disruptors. In order to limit the harmful exposure of endocrine disruptors on the population and the environment, the City of Besançon has signed the Cities and Territories commitment charter “without endocrine disruptors” of the Health Environment Network (RES).
The city is committed through an action plan to:
1. Restrict phytosanitary and biocidal products that contain endocrine disruptors
2. Reduce exposure to endocrine disruptors in the diet
3. Encourage the information of the population, health professionals, staff of local authorities
4. Establish criteria taking into account endocrine disruptors in public orders and purchases
5. Regularly inform citizens on the progress of commitments made under the action plan
What are endocrine disruptors?
Endocrine disruptors (EDs) are chemical substances or mixtures, of natural or artificial origin, with the ability to interfere with the hormonal system, also called the endocrine system. Thus they can lead to deleterious effects: strong increase in chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, asthma, cancers, reproductive and behavioral disorders, obesity, diabetes, etc.
Endocrine disruptors are found in many everyday objects and products (household products, detergents, crop treatment products, cosmetics, food products, etc.). They are also present in the environment due to contamination of different media (water, sediment, soil, air, etc.).
The fight against endocrine disruptors, a major public health issue
The Health and Hygiene Department of the City of Besançon, in close collaboration with the other departments, have been leading since 2020 an action plan whose priority is to preserve the health and environment of Besançon residents and in particular the most vulnerable (pregnant women, children, young people).
On the scale of the City, the issues related to endocrine disruptors are multiple and are available in a large number of practices for green spaces, the maintenance of premises, or for early childhood, for example.
A few actions:
- Use of writing and teaching materials in schools and nurseries without endocrine disruptors
- Cleaning the streets of the City with rainwater
- Control of non-domestic effluent discharges from establishments (heavy metals, hydrocarbons, insecticides)
- Use of washable nappies in City crèches
- Application of zero pesticides
–
