Virginia Aparicio faces potential dismissal from INTA over pesticide research

Virginia Aparicio, an agronomist and researcher for INTA and CONICET, is facing an administrative inquiry that could lead to her exoneration and a permanent ban from public service in Argentina. The disciplinary action follows her role as the Argentine coordinator for the SPRINT project, an international study funded by the European Union that investigated the presence of pesticides in humans, animals, and the environment.

Scientific organizations, labor unions such as APINTA, and environmental groups have denounced the move as an act of censorship and persecution. They claim the inquiry was triggered after Aparicio attempted to disseminate findings showing pesticide residues in biological samples, including blood and urine. Critics allege that the INTA administration prohibited the publication of results in 2023 and subsequently ended Argentina's participation in the project.

Aparicio, who has worked at the Balcarce Experimental Station for over 20 years, maintains that her research focuses on the long-term effects of low-level pesticide exposure on natural resources.