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Saturday, April 20, 2019

Neonicotinoid Insecticides Found to Disrupt Insects’ Vision and Flying Ability

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Neonicotinoid Insecticides Found to Disrupt Insects’ Vision and Flying Ability  (Beyond Pesticides, April 19, 2019) link to the original study.." “Our findings suggest that very low doses of the pesticide or its metabolic products can profoundly and negatively affect motion detection systems that flying insects, such as locusts, grasshoppers and bees, need for survival,” said Jack Gray, PhD, an expert in neural control of animal behavior at the University of Saskatchewan.' 'The results show that exposure significantly impairs how locusts to respond to visual stimuli. Researchers found that roughly an hour following an initial exposure, most of the insects either were unable to fly or flew very poorly, unable to respond to stimuli or avoid objects in their flight path. Interestingly, the impacts were more pronounced when exposed to the breakdown products of the pesticide than the active ingredient itself.'

filed under neonicotinoids

Saturday, April 20, 2019

Filmmaker & Former Groundskeeper Who Sued Monsanto & Won To Premiere Film “Ground War”

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Filmmaker & Former Groundskeeper Who Sued Monsanto & Won To Premiere Film “Ground War”

(Beyond Pesticides, April 2, 2019) The new documentary film “Ground War” will have its New York City premiere screening on Saturday, April 6, 2019, 7:30pm at Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th Street, New York, NY. The film is a moving depiction of a son’s quest for answers about the cause of his father’s cancer—which takes him into the world of doctors, scientists, pesticide regulators, victims of pesticide poisoning, activists, and land managers.

filed uder health/cancer

Saturday, April 20, 2019

Organic Farming Curbs the Spread of Foodborne Pathogens, According to Study

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Organic Farming Curbs the Spread of Foodborne Pathogens, According to Study. (Beyond Pesticides, April 18, 2019)   

Organic farming promotes natural resistance to common foodborne human pathogens, according to a study that evaluates the benefit of soil organisms. By protecting valuable species of dung beetles and soil bacteria, organic farming systems naturally act to clean up and decompose potentially pathogen-bearing animal feces. 

filed under organics/health

Saturday, April 20, 2019

European Regulators Ban Carcinogenic, Frog-Killing Fungicide

about fungicide chlorothalonil

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European Regulators Ban Carcinogenic, Frog-Killing Fungicide

(Beyond Pesticides, April 4, 2019) Contamination of drinking water with toxic breakdown products and risks to fish and and amphibians has led to a ban on the fungicide chlorothalonil in the European Union (EU)... Chlorothalonil has been in use since the 1960s, yet only now are regulators beginning to understand its impacts to human health, water quality, pollinators and aquatic species; after half a century and tens of millions of pounds of use. Cases like these are not rare, or an exception, but frustratingly common in the world of pesticide regulation.' SNAP Comment: There are currently 36 chlorothalonil  products registered for use by the PMRA in Canada..

filed under Legislation/Regulatory/Europe

Saturday, April 20, 2019

Despite Safety Claims, Insecticide Flupyradifurone Is Bee-Toxic on Its Own and Worse in Combination

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Despite Safety Claims, Insecticide Flupyradifurone Is Bee-Toxic on Its Own and Worse in Combination  (Beyond Pesticides, April 17, 2019)

'It functions in the same way as a neonicotinoid, though it is in the butanolide family.' Link to study in article. 'It also delves into the FPF’s synergistic effects with a commonly used fungicide propiconazole (PRO).'.  

SNAP Comment: As of 20 April 2019, this insecicide does not appear to be registered in Canada.

filed uder Flupyradifurone

Saturday, April 20, 2019

Autism Linked to Wide Range of Commonly Used Pesticides

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Autism Linked to Wide Range of Commonly Used Pesticides

(Beyond Pesticides, March 27, 2019) Exposure to commonly used pesticides in the womb and during the first year of life is linked to a higher risk of developing autism, according to the study, “Prenatal and infant exposure to ambient pesticides and autism spectrum disorder in children: population based case-control study,” published in the journal BMJ last week. Although the study does not reveal a causal link, it adds to previous literature highlighting autism risks from pesticide exposure,

filed under autism

Saturday, April 20, 2019

Europe’s Waterways Contaminated by Pesticides and Antibiotics

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Europe’s Waterways Contaminated by Pesticides and Antibiotics

(Beyond Pesticides, April 11, 2019) A recent study of 29 discrete, small European waterways found ubiquitous pesticide contamination. Analyzed samples contained a total of 103 different pesticides and 21 veterinary drugs... Pesticides find their way into water systems via dry deposition (absorption of particles from the atmosphere), pesticide drift, and runoff from contaminated soils...There were 24 unapproved pesticides in the water samples. Rather than illegal current use, it is more likely that these are leftover pesticides from former, legal applications and are only now leaching into the waterways.'

SNAP's Comment: If they had checked for human used drugs, the contamination would likely have been much worse. 

filed under water

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Toxicity of formulants and heavy metals in glyphosate-based herbicides and other pesticides

includes several charts including fig 6: the sum of heavy metals in formulations

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Toxicity of formulants and heavy metals in glyphosate-based herbicides and other pesticides
(Toxicol Rep. 2018; 5: 156–163, Published online 2017 Dec 30) 

SNAP Comment: I am sure Seralini’s study is accurate, however he works in France and of most of the products listed on the chart, few appear registered under these names in Canada. It doesn’t mean there is no heavy metal contamination in Canadian products, but simply that no one looked. I suspect that, with the low concentrations identified, heavy metals are more contaminants than formulants.

'In Fig. 6, we observe that the sum of heavy metals in formulations after their different recommended dilutions can reach up to 80 ppb.'

Glyphosate herbicides under Glyphosate Isopropylamine Salt (https://www.trc-canada.com/product-detail/?G765004} have the following listed under synonyms: Bayer Glyphosate Concentrate (same as Bayer GC), Clinic E.V, Glyfos AU; Glyfos BIO (same as Glyfos?), Glyphogan) but all listed under the same CAS number 38641-94-0

Other herbicides: 6160 2,4-D products registered but 0 under 'Lonpar', 0 Isoproturon and 0 Fluoroxypyr.

Fungicides: 18 Folpet products registered including 3 under “Folpan’, 0 under Prochloraze, 32 Tebuconazole products but 0 under 'Maronee', 0 Epoxiconazole, 13 Boscalid products but 0 under 'Pictor', 3 Fenhexamid products including 0 under 'Teldor'.

Insecticides: 29 Chlorpyrifos products including 3 under ‘Pyrinex’, 0 Acetamipride

filed under formulants/inerts

 

Monday, April 1, 2019

Pesticide-Free Towns Campaign gains momentum (in the UK)

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Pesticide-Free Towns Campaign gains momentum (in the UK)

(PAN UK, March 22nd, 2019) Not long after the recent news from the London Borough of Croydon, which has ended the use of pesticides in all its public parks and green spaces, we have news from three major UK cities that are switching to pesticide-free: Bristol, Derry and Trafford, joining the ranks of Hammersmith & Fulham, Lewes, Wadebridge, Glastonbury and others.

filed under bylaws/International

Friday, March 29, 2019

New Report Documents Impacts of GM Contamination in Canada

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Media Release: New Report Documents Impacts of GM Contamination in Canada (CBAN. March 26, 2019)

'The costs of GM contamination and escape incidents include the temporary or permanent loss of export markets, lower crop prices, the loss of access to grow a particular crop, and the loss of some farm-saved seed.'

filed under gmos