Acetamiprid: The Duplomb law adopted, what do we know about the health dangers of this pesticide?

Acetamiprid, a pesticide that had been banned in France, has been reauthorized following the passage of the Duplomb law on July 8.

Flashback. Although banned in France since 2018, acetamiprid, a pesticide from the neonicotinoid family, is being reintroduced. This was one of the measures of the Duplomb Law, which was definitively adopted by MPs on July 8, 2025. This bill was the subject of much controversy: while it was supported by several agricultural unions, who pointed out the impact on their crops, it was widely denounced by environmental associations as well as many doctors and scientists.

1,279 of them challenged the government in an open letter published last May. In it, they " denounce the major risks that this proposed law would pose to public health, the environment, and the independence of scientific expertise ." They also pointed out that " the impacts of pesticides on health and ecosystems are widely documented by scientific studies ."

This observation is shared by the presidents of 22 learned societies, such as the National League Against Cancer, the ARC Foundation for Cancer Research, and the French Pediatric Society, who published an opinion piece before the law was passed. " The dangers of pesticides to human health are no longer in doubt. The adoption of this text would mark a major setback for public health. History bears tragic witness to this: products such as chlordecone were granted marketing authorization only to be withdrawn due to their devastating health impacts ," insisted the signatories, who were not heard.

Acetamiprid, like other pesticides, is far from harmless to health. While the risks are still poorly understood today, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) pointed out " major uncertainties " in 2024. According to EFSA, " additional data are therefore needed to achieve a more robust understanding to enable an appropriate hazard and risk assessment ." In light of these "uncertainties," the European agency even recommended " lowering the acceptable daily intake " and the " acute reference dose " of acetamiprid.

Even if this needs to be confirmed, several studies have highlighted "effects on the brains of our children" , including a "reduction in the intelligence quotient" , the signatories of the platform point out. Critics of the Duplomb law regret that the precautionary principle was not applied to protect the population and in particular farmers, who are particularly exposed to these substances.