Bedbugs: French authority warns against banned insecticide
The product is still circulating despite being linked to four recent deaths
The use of Sniper 1000 insecticide is banned due to severe poisoning risks
DGCCRF / Anses / Antidote Nuisibles / Shutterstock
People trying to get rid of bedbugs in France are warned not to use a particular banned insecticide, which authorities say is still circulating in the country despite having been linked to four recent deaths.
Health and food safety agency l'Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation (Anses) issued a warning on April 8, about a product illegally sold for fighting bedbugs and cockroaches, usually called Sniper 1000 in France.
The dangerous substance in question is called ‘dichlorvos’. Widely considered to be a highly toxic product, it can cause damage to the liver, and the respiratory, metabolic, digestive, neurological, and reproductive systems. Repeated exposure and/or high doses can lead to death, as the toxin can accumulate over time.
Dichlorvos is recognised as ‘highly hazardous’ by the World Health Organization (WHO), and was banned in France and the EU in 2013.
The European Commission service Safety Gate, the alert system for dangerous non-food products, classifies Sniper 1000 / Sniper DDVP as "not authorised to be used", because "dichlorvos can be fatal if inhaled, is toxic if swallowed and can trigger allergic reactions if it comes in contact with the skin".
Illegally sold, and spreading
Despite having been banned for more than 10 years, the product is still available in France and even gaining ground in some areas, Anses said. It has been linked to four deaths between 2023 and 2025, and hundreds of poisonings.
It is still sold “illegally at markets, bazaars, or online”, Anses warned, despite repeated government seizures of banned bottles, and health warnings from authorities. Illegal sales of the product, which have long been known about in Ile-de-France, are now spreading “to other large cities”, Anses added.
The product is usually illegally imported from sub Saharan Africa, the authority said, as well as Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and Bangladesh.
Figures suggest that the product’s use in France may even be increasing.
Between 2018 and June 2023, anti-poison centres recorded 206 cases of poisoning linked to this product, but between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2025, Anses noted “a sharp increase in the number of incidents and cases”.
There were “363 incidents involving the product Sniper 1000” over the period, it said.
Of these, it said:
“The product is now circulating throughout the country, with cases reported in several major cities (notably Marseille, Limoges and Lyon) and also in the overseas territories,” Anses stated.
There were 255 cases of poisoning that were linked to the use of the substance at home to fight pests, the authority said.
In addition to this, 32 people deliberately ingested the product with the intention of committing suicide (with three of the four deaths reported due to this). In 39 cases, a child ingested the product after it had been left within their reach.
Severe cases
Of 18 severe cases reported by anti-poison centres:
10 were caused by a deliberate suicide attempt
Four were accidental ingestions; two by children, and two by adults
Two people were intoxicated after the product was used by their cleaner
One person was intoxicated after sleeping in a room where the product had been applied
One person died after exposure to the product, in circumstances that are still not clear, Anses said.
How can I fight bedbugs?
If you do have a persistent case of bedbugs (with cases of the insects said to have surged last year), Anses recommends against using any pesticides such as this.
Bedbugs in France are now resistant to “almost all over-the-counter insecticides”, the authority said. It instead recommended that people use natural products and/or call in the help of a professional company rather than trying to fix the issue themselves.
“It is recommended that you contact a professional pest control specialist who holds a ‘Certibiocide certificate’, which is regulated by the Ministry for Ecological Transition,” the statement said.
“As a general rule, it is not advisable to buy biocidal products at markets or from street vendors due to the risk of purchasing banned or adulterated products.” said Chloé Greillet, a research officer in toxicovigilance at Anses.
