Atmo 2021 conducted a study on the air quality in Aunis. This was presented at a La Rochelle community council meeting on Thursday, July 7, 2018. It revealed the large presence of prosulfocarb which is an agricultural herbicide. Cereals (up to 200 micrograms per cubic meter by November).
Cedric Tranquard, president of the Chamber of Agriculture of Charente-Maritime and Luc Servant vice-president in Charge of Aunis took this into consideration in a press release. The chemical molecule was found in the air surrounding La Rochelle in the weeks after its application with higher concentrations than at other measurement sites.
They also assure that this is true "despite farmers using the product in strict compliance with regulations for a limited time". This sentence disarms any suspicion that the cereal farmers on the plain of Aunis might have of being lenient or having a heavy hand.
The Chamber wants to partner with local authorities and says it understands the "question raised" by the phytosanitary product's presence in the atmosphere. However, the Chamber adds that "without any danger threshold being exceeded, a threshold to this date not defined", How can you get over a threshold that does not exist? There is no standard that defines a pesticide threshold that should not be exceeded.
