Latest News...
- Friday, July 10, 2020
Bayer-Monsanto, Committed to Continued Sales of Roundup™-Glyphosate, Announces $10.9 Billion Settlement with Cancer Victims, Protects Company from Future Trials by Jury
(Beyond Pesticides, June 25, 2020)
As expected, Bayer is not acknowledging any harm caused by glyphosate. According to chief executive officer of Bayer, Werner Baumann, “The decision to resolve the Roundup™ litigation enables us to focus fully on the critical supply of healthcare and food. It will also return the conversation about the safety and utility of glyphosate-based herbicides to the scientific and regulatory arena and to the full body of science.”SNAP Comment: Considering how poorly regulatory agencies are doing in including independent science in their pestidie assessment, this means business as usual with little oversight.
filed under Legal/Litigation
- Friday, July 10, 2020
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals, Including Pesticides, Have a Multi-Generational Impact on Commercially Beneficial Inland Silverside Fish
(Beyond Pesticides, July 2, 2020) Exposure to low levels of endocrine-disrupting chemicals commonly in waterways, including pesticides, can impact future generations of major commercial fish, despite no direct exposure to the chemicals, according to research published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science by Oregon State University (OSU) researchers.
“What this gets at is something your grandparents may have come into contact within their environment can still be affecting the overall structure of your DNA in your life today.”
- Friday, July 10, 2020
Insecticides the Pesticide Industry Said Were “Safer for Bees” Found to Stress and Kill Honey Bees
about the new systemic insecticides sulfoxaflor and flupyradifurone
Insecticides the Pesticide Industry Said Were “Safer for Bees” Found to Stress and Kill Honey Bees
(Beyond Pesticides, June 23, 2020) 'As reported, a study by researchers at Oregon State University in the journal PLOS One, sulfoxaflor and flupyradifurone (in the products Transform and Sivanto, respectively) were found to increase apoptosis (cell death) and increase oxidative stress in exposed honey bees. The study indicates that, “With the recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approval for use of both flupyradifurone and sulfoxaflor, and with the growing concern regarding pollinator health, it is important to better understand any potential negative impacts (especially sub-lethal) of these pesticides on bees.” However, this statement begs the question ‘why these two new bee-toxic pesticide were approved by EPA in the first place.’.
Independent scientific data has already been established on the harm these pesticides pose to pollinators. Last year, EPA registered new uses of sulfoxaflor, despite these warning signs. “Proposing to register sulfoxaflor for use on bee-attractive crops, in the midst of an ongoing pollinator crisis, is the height of irresponsibility,” said Drew Toher, community resource and policy director for Beyond Pesticides in an interview for Bloomberg Environment. “When all of the available data points to significant risks to pollinators from use of this chemical, we must face the facts: EPA is working towards the protection of pesticide industry, not the environment,” he said. EPA is in the midst of a lawsuit challenging its approval of sulfoxaflor.
The Saving America’s Pollinators Act (SAPA) was amended last year by Representative Blumenhauer to include immediate restrictions in the use of flypyradifurone and sulfoxaflor, in addition to the neonicotinoid insecticides that continue to poison pollinator populations. (US readers: go to the original article for action on this issue)
SNAP Comment: Well, the insecticides are also approved in Canada. As of 10 July 2020, 5 labels (including Transform) are listed for sulfoxaflor and 6 labels for flupyradifurone including Sivanto. As the question of why these products were approved, I suspect it is as replacement for neonicotinoids banned or about to be banned. Another indication that banning one produt at a time after a replacement is found is ridiculous to ensure safety.
filed under flupyradifurone and Bee Die-off
- Friday, July 10, 2020
Implications for Human Health: Pesticides and Other Environmental Contaminants Alter Gut Microbiome
Implications for Human Health: Pesticides and Other Environmental Contaminants Alter Gut Microbiome
(Beyond Pesticides, June 30, 2020) 'A review of scientific literature on the toxic effect of environmental contaminants—including pesticides—published in the journal Toxicological Science, “The Impact of Environmental Chemicals on the Gut Microbiome,” associates these chemicals to changes in the gut microbiome and other adverse health implications.
Multi-species evaluations find that various pesticides (i.e., insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides) alter the gut microbiome, lipid metabolism, and cause intestinal inflammation and oxidative stress. Specifically, the review mentions that exposure to pesticides glyphosate and chlorpyrifos, as well as other registered pesticides, increases anxiety and depression symptoms in mice, pathogenic bacteria in cattle, and inflammation and oxidative stress in the gut.'
filed under digestive tract.microbiome
- Thursday, July 9, 2020
New French study finds 32 toxic pesticides in the air
New French study finds 32 toxic pesticides in the air (Connexion, 5 July 2020)
'In total, the study found 75 substances in the air, including 32 judged to be “a priority” due to their danger and toxicity.
Despite being banned since 1998, lindane was found in 80% of the samples collected (rising to 90% in urban areas).
The study has also been criticised for failing to account for seasonal variations and local differences. For example, the average presence of folpel is at 3 ng/m3 in a vineyard area, but this can soar to 100 ng/m3 in the weeks of treatment during June and September.
Similar variations can be seen for the use of prosulfocarb and major field crops from October to December, and from April to June.'
SNAP Comment: most pesticides evaporate during application as well as for several days or weeks after. Whatever is found in the air will represent what is used in an area, although some are carried long distances.
filed under exposure to pesticides
- Thursday, July 9, 2020
What is on your peaches
What's on your peaches? (PAN What's on my Food?)
62 Pesticide Residues Found by the USDA Pesticide Data Program1,2,3
What's onmy food? main page
filed under Pesticides in Food
- Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Court Victory on Three Dicamba Weed Killers Underscores the Need to Reform Pesticide Law
Court Victory on Three Dicamba Weed Killers Underscores the Need to Reform Pesticide Law
(Beyond Pesticides, June 17, 2020) The June 3 decision in a high-profile “dicamba case” — against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and for the plaintiffs, a coalition of conservation groups — was huge news in environmental advocacy, agriculture, and agrochemical circles. The federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated EPA’s 2018 conditional registration of three dicamba weed killer products for use on an estimated 60 million acres of DT (dicamba-tolerant through genetic modification/engineering) soybeans and cotton. There is, however, a related issue that accompanies this and many other pesticide cases. When EPA decides to cancel or otherwise proscribe use of a pesticide (usually as a result of its demonstrated toxicity and/or damage during litigation), the agency will often allow pesticide manufacturers to continue to sell off “existing stocks” of a pesticide, or growers and applicators to continue to use whatever stock they have or can procure.'
SNAP Comment: The article also discusses other tacticsusedby the EPA to deal with cancellation of pesticide uses while treading lightly on industry interests. The PMRA does the same in Canada.
filed under dicamba and Legal/litigation
- Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Dogs (Canis familiaris) – Research Tracks Dogs’ Exposure to Contaminants in the Home, Serves as Sentinel Species for Chemical-Induced Human Diseases
(Beyond Pesticides, June 11, 2020)
'However, dogs can develop comparable anthropomorphic diseases from susceptibility to the same environmental contaminants, but at a much quicker pace. This research highlights the significance of researching disease identification methods, mutual amid multiple species, to mitigate challenges surrounding long disease latency periods. Matthew Breen, Ph.D., professor of comparative oncology genetics at NC State, asserts, “If we develop ways to correlate dog disease with their exposures over time, it may allow human-health professionals to mitigate these exposures for both species. This study reinforces the concept of One Health, demonstrating that in addition to being our closest animal companions, our dogs are truly a sentinel species for health.”
As the prevalence of environmental pollutants continues to rise annually, the disease implications associated with the contaminants may subject to regulatory standards or in many cases may not be fully evaluated. Humans and dogs share over 360 analogous diseases, including various cancers (i.e., testicular, breast cancer, etc.).
Research models find significant correlations among chemical exposure levels for pets and owners, due to similar chemical concentrations in urine samples and silicone devices. An environmental contaminant present in both human and dog urinalysis is organophosphate ester, a chemical in flame-retardant. The most abundant phthalates on wristbands and dog tags are dioctyl terephthalate (DEHT) and di(2-Ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), respectively. Trans- and cis-permethrin are the most abundant pesticides present on wristbands and tags. Furthermore, these silicone devices detect the presence of both pesticides and phthalates 100% of the time. ' Only these few chemicals were tested in this research but thr silicon devides have been shown to accurately quantify pesticide exposure.
filed under pets
- Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Pesticide Incident Prompts Dog Owner Warning about Flea and Tick Chemicals
The active ingredients in PetArmor plus are fipronil and methoprene
Pesticide Incident Prompts Dog Owner Warning about Flea and Tick Chemicals
(Beyond Pesticides, June 15, 2020) ' A dog owner in southern Florida is warning other owners about the safety of flea and tick medication after his dog suffered a seizure and lost mobility in her back legs. As reported by CBS WINK, owner Joe Brewster switched to the product PetArmor Plus for Dogs, manufactured by Sergeant’s Pet Care Products, Inc., just three days before his dog, Buddha, suffered a seizure.
EPA told WINK news that over the last decade, it received over 1,300 reports of pesticide incidents involving pets, and 67 involving humans after the use of PetArmor products.
The active ingredients in PetArmor plus are fipronil and methoprene, both of which are commonly found in many pet flea and tick treatments.
filded under pets
- Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Report Finds Monocropping and Toxic Pesticides Threaten Brazil’s Native Bees as Country’s President Challenges Environmental Protection
(Beyond Pesticides, June 8, 2020) Brazil is home to more than 300 native bee species — many of them stingless — that help pollinate the nation’s valuable agricultural crops and provide other important environmental services. The Brazilian Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services estimates the financial value of pollinators in Brazil, which include bees, moths, bats, butterflies, wasps, beetles, and other organisms, at roughly $8 billion annually.