France, May 6 -- More than a thousand doctors, scientists, and healthcare professionals have signed an open letter denouncing a proposed French law that could weaken the authority of the country's independent health regulator andallow the return of long-banned pesticides.

Over 1,000 researchers, doctors, and healthcare professionals published an open letter on Monday addressed to France's Ministers of Health, Agriculture, Labour, and the Environment - the four government bodies overseeing the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (Anses).

The letter, according to French public broadcaster France Inter, strongly criticises a proposed law by Senator Laurent Duplomb. The signatories warn that the bill could...