INTA fired a scientist for ‘irregularities.’ Colleagues say it was her findings
Virginia Aparicio’s research into pesticides and their effect on humans and animals has raised alarming health concerns La entrada INTA fired a scientist for ‘irregularities.’ Colleagues say it was her findings se publicó primero en Buenos Aires Herald .
Scientist Virginia Aparicio was dismissed from Argentina’s National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA) in October 2026 over allegations of irregularities in her research on the effects of agrochemicals. Aparicio, who had worked at INTA for over 20 years, was accused of violating laws prohibiting the use of official authority for purposes unrelated to her duties and the improper use of state resources.
The INTA Board of Directors formally approved her dismissal on October 26, following an administrative investigation into the allegations. The investigation was sparked by concerns raised by Aparicio and her colleagues regarding the blocking of a scheduled public presentation of her research findings in 2023, which revealed widespread pesticide exposure among Argentine participants.
This research, conducted as part of the Sustainable Plant Protection Transition (SPRINT) project, detected glyphosate in nearly 90% of human blood samples and chlorpyrifos in 37.7% of samples. The project, funded by the European Union and coordinated by Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands, aimed to assess the impacts of pesticides and their mixtures on human health, plants, animals, and the environment.
Aparicio's dismissal has sparked controversy, with many colleagues and the Argentine scientific community describing it as blatant persecution. INTA claims that her dismissal was due to her involvement in research that could potentially be detrimental to Argentina’s agricultural production system.
Brief written by urgent.news from Buenos Aires Herald's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
