Toxic pesticide in the Rhine: Chempark Leverkusen violates EU law!

Toxic pesticide in the Rhine: Chempark Leverkusen violates EU law!

In Leverkusen the environmental political soup is once again simmering. Current reports highlight the controversial production of the pesticide cyproconazole, which has been banned in the EU since 2021, in Chempark. The poison, which is considered extremely harmful to aquatic plants and animals, also ends up in the Rhine and is not only causing headaches for environmentalists. According to information from Picture Hundreds of kilograms of the pesticide have been released into our precious water since production began.

Interestingly, cyproconazole is not only produced, but also exported, because the legal framework in the EU allows this. By November 2022, all remaining stocks of this substance had to be disposed of, but the Cologne district government and the Chempark operator Currenta confirm that its discharge into wastewater is a production-related and completely legal matter. Around a kilogram of cyproconazole flows into the Rhine every week - and has apparently been doing so for years GLCurrently reported.

Health risks and environmental problems

The health risks associated with cyproconazole are particularly alarming. The substance can cause liver disease and even has the potential to negatively affect the development of unborn children. European Union politicians are faced with the challenge of eliminating such dangerous substances from our waters. As part of the overhaul of EU water law, the EU will demand that harmful substances such as microplastics and certain pesticides be more strictly regulated, the European Commission announced in its latest report here.

But it's not just cyproconazole that's causing excitement. The PFAS – so-called eternal chemicals – that also flow from the Chempark represent another massive environmental problem. These substances do not break down and accumulate in the environment. In March, a level of almost two kilograms of PFAS per day was even detected in the Rhine - fifty times the applicable guideline value in North Rhine-Westphalia. The German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND) has already put forward demands to find the source of these pollution and to demand their drastic reduction.

Legal gray areas and missing laws

However, the legal gray area in which the Chempark operators find themselves remains a serious problem. As long as no new laws are on the table and no clearly identifiable causes of the high pollution levels are identified, the discharge of such dangerous substances is considered to be legally unproblematic. This is truly a lever that many environmentalists view with horror. Politicians have a duty to set clearer rules here.

The discussion about cyproconazole and polluted waters is now in the public spotlight, and it remains to be seen what measures European decision-makers will take to protect the polluted waters and ensure the health of citizens.