Independent literature shows that the pesticide Carbendazim is a very dangerous "toxin", capable of causing malformations in the foetus at very low doses and it's still uncertain if a safe level exists at all. Carbendazim is also capable of disrupting chromosome unfolding, can cause infertility of men and cancer.
People are exposed to Carbendazim in food. Carbendazim is one of the most detected pesticide residues by Food Authority EFSA in 2011, analysed in 5,8% of the laboratory tests. EU health standards are exceeded in cucumbers, mandarins, pears and oranges.
Industry tests of Du Pont to get an approval in the EU were very incomplete and the level of genotoxic impurities is unknown. Additionally, Du Pont didn’t supply available mutagenic studies, thereby misleading the regulators. Germany, acting as the Rapporteur country (responsible for making a first draft assessment of industry's dossier), however did very much its best in 2011 to keep the chemical on the market and to condone uncertainties and data gaps. Germany further promoted a theoretic approach favoured by industry lobby club ILSI to allow an impurity in the active substance at a level where mutagenic effects were already observed.
Carbendazim is very dangerous for aquatic organisms and even a buffer zone of 20 meter towards water bodies is not protective enough according to EFSA to safeguard aquatic organisms. Alternatives for Carbendazim are available.
Being mutagenic plus reprotoxic, Carbendazim should be banned under the new rules of Regulation 1107/2009 which entered into force in June, 2011. In 2011, however, it escaped this obligation for a ban and due to blocking majorities in the pesticide Standing Committee, regulators could not agree on a vote for a ban. As a result DG SANCO decided for a three years prolongation of the approval. In 2014 the Standing Committee finally approved the ban.