Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002316/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Marie Toussaint (Verts/ALE)
On 2 June, the French National Conference of Regional Unions of Health Professionals and General Practitioners alerted the authorities to the exposure of the French population to cadmium. France, along with Poland, Spain and Portugal, is among the European countries most affected by this toxic substance. Children are particularly susceptible to it and the incidence of related pancreatic cancers is exploding.
Cadmium, contained in phosphate rock used for fertiliser production, is found in cereals, potatoes and leaf vegetables.
While the EU plans to gradually reduce exposure standards, France has just adopted much higher thresholds than those which should apply by 2034, which risks prolonging the contamination for several decades due to the persistence of cadmium in the environment.
In this context, several questions arise:
- 1.How is the Commission supporting Member States in their strategies to reduce exposure to cadmium?
- 2.Can the Commission set out an accelerated strategy for disengaging from phosphate fertilisers, particularly imported fertilisers, and not just those from Russia, since the majority of fertilisers used in France come from Morocco?
Submitted: 10.6.2025