• Driving Near Recently Sprayed Fields Exposes People to Pesticides
  • SNAP Display at Event
  • Learn to Manage Pests Naturally
  • Grow a Lush Garden Organically
  • Weeds Can Be Managed Without Chemical Pesticides
  • Learn to Keep Insects Out of your Crops
  • Learn About Colony Collapse Disorder and How to Protect Bees
  • LIving Near Fields Increases Pesticide Exposure
  • SNAP Tour of Organic Vegetable Garden
  • Learn To Manage Weeds Without Chemical Pesticides

Archives for 2021

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Reflections, Part One: Pesticide industry’s playbook

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Reflections, Part One: Pesticide industry’s playbook (PAN's Executive Director.Kristin Schafer's blog, PANNA, december 2021) 

A great overview of the pesticide industry playbook 

filed under Industry Shenanigans

Friday, December 24, 2021

Review Shows that Monsanto/Bayer Claims of Glyphosate Safety Not Supported by Credible Science

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Review Shows that Monsanto/Bayer Claims of Glyphosate Safety Not Supported by Credible Science 

(Beyond Pesticides, December 21, 2021)  'A research team undertaking a review of industry-conducted glyphosate safety studies submitted to EU (European Union) regulators shows that most of the research fails to meet current international standards for scientific validity. The researchers find that of the 11 reviewed studies, which were submitted to regulators by Bayer AG (now owner of the Monsanto “Roundup” brand of glyphosate herbicide) and several other chemical companies, only two are scientifically “reliable”; six others are deemed “partly reliable,” and the remaining three, “not reliable.” ' The issue is that older studies rely on tests that are only 50% reliable for detecting cancer. 'In response to that July report, the former director of the U.S. National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Linda Birnbaum, PhD, indicated that the problem of regulators accepting industry studies “at industry’s word” and simultaneously “ignoring red flags raised in non–industry funded research” is ongoing, according to The Guardian.'

filed under glyphosate and safety

Friday, December 24, 2021

Lawsuit against EPA over pesticide-coated seeds cites honeybee die-offs

re: neonicotinoid treated seeds

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Lawsuit against EPA over pesticide-coated seeds cites honeybee die-offs
(By Sebastien Malo, Reuters, 15 December 2021)
'The Center for Food Safety and the Pesticide Action Network North America alleged in San Francisco federal court Tuesday that the EPA failed to register the seeds, widely used by crop farmers, as a pesticide under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). Registration would require the seeds to conform to FIFRA labeling specifications, according to the lawsuit.
Coated seeds are typically treated with neonicotinoids. The class of insecticide disrupts the central nervous system of insects and predators of growing plants.'

SNAP Comment: The situation seems the same in Canada. In Canada, under article 2.1 of the Regulatory Directive: Harmonization of Regulation of Pesticide Seed Treatment in Canada and the United States (11 April 2003): 'For the purposes of FIFRA, pesticide-treated seeds are considered to be pesticides themselves because they are a mixture of substances that are intended to prevent, destroy, repel or mitigate a pest. In 1988, the EPA promulgated regulation 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 152.25(a) exempting certain treated articles (including treated seeds) from regulation under FIFRA provided that both of the following conditions are met:

  • the pesticide used for the treatment is registered for such use; and
  • the treatment is for the protection of the article or substance itself.'

filed under Legal/Litigation
 

Friday, December 17, 2021

Disregarding the European Green Deal, Two Endocrine Disrupting Pesticides Reapproved: Will the Court of Justice Fix This?

flumioxazin and cypermethrin

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Disregarding the European Green Deal, Two Endocrine Disrupting Pesticides Reapproved: Will the Court of Justice Fix This?

(PAN Europe, November 10, 2021)  EU Member States have voted last week for the re-approval of flumioxazin and cypermethrin, two endocrine disrupting and bee-toxic pesticides. This re-approval is in total contradiction with the European Green Deal that reinforced the precautionary principle, biodiversity protection, and the will of the Commission to phase out endocrine disruptors. PAN Europe considers going to court.

SNAP Comment: Cypermethrin is a pyrethroid and Flumioxazin is an unclassified type herbicide with little independent research but knowot be a bee toxicant. As of 17 December 2021, there are 9 cypermethrin and 22 Flumioxazin products (labels) registered in Canada. 

filed under Legislation/Regulatory/Europe

Thursday, December 16, 2021

Pesticides and Parkinson’s Disease: The Toxic Effects of Pesticides on the Brain

Chinese study- organochlorines and prganophosphates

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Pesticides and Parkinson’s Disease: The Toxic Effects of Pesticides on the Brain

(Beyond Pesticides, December 16, 2021) 'A study by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China, finds Parkinson’s Disease (PD) risk increases with elevated levels of organochlorine (OCP) and organophosphate (OP) pesticides in blood. Among patients with PD, specific organochlorine compounds have greater associations with cognitive impairments, including depression and brain function. Research finds exposure to chemical toxicants, like pesticides, can cause neurotoxic effects or exacerbate preexisting chemical damage to the nervous system.

Of the organochlorines, α-HCH and propanil concentrations have the greatest association with PD risk through increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and decreasing mitochondrial membrane function in SH-SY5Y cells. However, only propanil induced accumulation of α-synuclein, a predominant protein in the brain tissue of PD patients.'

SNAP Comment: Propanil was historically used in Canada (oneof the 7 labels says that registration ended in 2000). Hexachlorocyclohexane ( HCH) was apparently not registered. Many organochlorines persist in the environment.

filed uder Nervous System Effects/ Parkinson's  

Thursday, December 16, 2021

Monsanto Pleads Guilty to Use of Illegal Glufosinate Pesticide in Hawaii

gkufosinate

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Monsanto Pleads Guilty to Use of Illegal Glufosinate Pesticide in Hawaii   (Sustainable Pulse,Dec 15 2021) 

'In court documents filed last Thursday in Hawaii, Monsanto Company agreed to plead guilty to 30 environmental crimes related to the use of a pesticide on corn fields in Hawaii, and the company further agreed to plead guilty to two other charges related to the storage of a banned pesticide that were the subject of a 2019 Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA)..

The plea agreement calls for Monsanto to serve three years of probation, pay a total of $12 million and continue for another three years a comprehensive environmental compliance program that includes third-party auditor.

“Monsanto is a serial violator of federal environmental laws,” said United States Attorney Tracy L. Wilkison. “The company repeatedly violated laws related to highly regulated chemicals, exposing people to pesticides that can cause serious health problems.”'.

see also   It’s Time for Bayer/Monsanto to Leave Hawai’i after Pleading Guilty to Multiple Violations that Harm People and Environment of the State, Advocates Say     (Beyond Pesticides, December 15, 2021)

filed under Legal/Litigation

Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Repeat Offender Amazon.com Fined $2.5 Million for Illegal Pesticide Sales

restricted and general use pesticides

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Repeat Offender Amazon.com Fined $2.5 Million for Illegal Pesticide Sales

(Beyond Pesticides, December 14, 2021) Multinational technology corporation Amazon.com, Inc will pay $2.5 million as part of a settlement with the Washington state Attorney General over illegal sales of highly toxic restricted use pesticides.

According to the legal complaint, between 2013-2020, Amazon sold thousands of both restricted and general use pesticides to individuals in the state of Washington without a pesticide sales license. The company failed to disclose this information to consumers, and also failed to connect information from buyers of restricted use pesticides, a requirement in Washington state. As a result of Amazon’s illegal activities, there are now thousands of highly hazardous pesticides being used in Washington without documentation on its use site or location. In addition to its own sales, the company is accused of facilitating illegal sales from third party dealers, who also violated aforementioned licensing and documentation requirements. 

In addition to paying Washington State $2.5 million, under the consent decree Amazon is required to obtain a pesticide seller license if it plans to continue selling pesticides. It must track the pesticides it is listing for sale and prohibit illegal sales. If a customer “inadvertently” purchased a restricted use pesticide, Amazon is also required to notify them and work with the customer to dispose of the product, reimbursing the customer for their costs. Third-party sellers will also be required to obtain a license and maintain sales records.

Beyond the illegal sales, the company continues to sell pollinator-toxic insecticides on its website, ignoring the concerns of pollinator advocates that urged the company to stop. A non-exhaustive list produced by Beyond Pesticides at the time identified over 100 products dangerous to pollinators, many of which are still being sold by the company today.

SNAP Comment: None of the illegal products sold are listed in the article. I checked several links to the listed products of the list of 'still being sold today', and found ttem either taken down  or 'currently unavailable'. This list contains neonicotinoids such as imidacloprid, but many with the active ingredient acetamipridclothianidinthiacloprid or thiamethoxam. There is a button on the top left saying 'Deliver to Canada'. It is not only whether a particular pesticide is registered for use in Canada, the particular product containing it also has to be registered. I found that some listed products that say " Deliver to Canada' are not currently registered in Canada such as Ortho Rose and Flower Insect Killer, 24-Ounce, or Transport GHP Insecticide, both containing acetamiprid. So I guess this is a Canadian issue as well..

filed under Legal/Litigation and neonicotinoids

Monday, December 13, 2021

Court Steps In to Stop Pesticide Use Not Adequately Regulated, Protects Bees

Sulfoxalor insecticide banned in California

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Court Steps In to Stop Pesticide Use Not Adequately Regulated, Protects Bees

(Beyond Pesticides, December 10, 2021) 'In a win for pollinators, a California Superior Court has issued a ruling that sulfoxaflor, a systemic pesticide that is “field legal” but “bee lethal,” can no longer be used in the state. The suit was brought by the Pollinator Stewardship Council and the American Beekeeping Federation.

Sulfoxaflor is an insecticide registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use in controlling sucking insects such as aphids, stink bugs, plant bugs, and thrips in agricultural production. It was registered in 2013 for use on many fruit and vegetable crops.... “In 2015, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled that federal regulators lacked adequate data to show the pesticide did not pose serious risk to pollinators, and the court vacated the agency’s ( EPA) approval of sulfoxaflor'. . . .for the EPA to proceed in registering sulfoxaflor for crops that do not attract bees, then re-registering it for bee-pollinating crops in subsequent years.

SNAP Comment: Sulfoxalor is not a neonicotinoid but has the same mode of action. There are currently 5 sulfoxaflor registered labels in Canada. One of them indicated it was registered both for ground and aerial application on fruits (including apples) and vegetables.

filed under Bee Die-off and Legal/Litigation

Monday, December 13, 2021

Dirty Dozen™ EWG 2021 Shoppers Guide to Pesticides in Produce™

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Monday, December 13, 2021

Pesticides Incorporated into Fabrics and Housewares Are Hazardous, and Not Adequately Regulated

items may be labeled as “odor free” and contain antibacterials such as triclosan, nanosilver,Microban® or FreshIQ.,

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Pesticides Incorporated into Fabrics and Housewares Are Hazardous, and Not Adequately Regulated

(Beyond Pesticides, December 13, 2021) If you plan to give socks, sweatshirts, or other items of clothing as holiday gifts, you need to be aware that many such items are treated with toxic chemicals. Such treated items may be labeled as “odor free” and may contain nanosilver, triclosan (banned in soaps, but allowed in textile and household products), or other (undisclosed) chemicals hiding behind brand names such as Microban® or FreshIQ. Since it is not always possible to determine which chemical may be used in these textiles, the best option is to buy clothing that is organic or made locally. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) exempts treated articles from registration requirements under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). Although the chemicals themselves may be registered antimicrobial pesticides, the treated products in which they are found—and which expose the public to them—are not considered pesticides. Besides clothing treated with antimicrobials to control odors, EPA also allows seeds, wood, paints, cutting boards, sponges, mops, and even toothbrushes to be treated with antimicrobial pesticides under the exemption—as long as claims made for the treatment only pertain to protecting the treated article.

SNAP comment: Although I did not find any Canadian registered products for Triclosan or FreshIQ, there are 3 Microban registered products. The one I checked was registered for adhesives, leather, textiles, paint, floor wax, pulp and paper and many more uses including for post harvest preservation of pears.

filed under antibacterials

Thursday, December 9, 2021

Pesticides Expenses Significantly Outweigh Economic Benefits

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Pesticides Expenses Significantly Outweigh Economic Benefits

(Beyond Pesticides, This is from the report 'Pesticides ‘cost double the amount they yield,’ by the French-based organization Bureau for the Appraisal of Social Impacts for Citizen Information (BASIC). Moreover, the annual cost of increasing organic farms three-fold by 2030 is less than the cost of pesticides to society (i.e., adverse health and ecological effects from pesticide use and contamination). However, the price to pay from pesticide use encompasses much more than the products themselves. Researchers point to the need for government and health officials to consider the billion-dollar costs associated with adverse health effects from pesticide use, especially as studies confirm that pesticides cause cancer, Parkinson’s, and other diseases that are increasing'

The study finds that Europe pays nearly twice as much (2.3 billion Euros) in subsidies than is generated in economic return to sustain pesticide production and use in 2017. The profit generated by industry that same year was 900 million Euros. The report notes that without subsidies, lobbying, and payment of expenses associated with the adverse effects of pesticides, the pesticide sector would lack profitability. Moreover, the reports confirm intense pesticide use produces multiple harms. Declines in insect populations, birds, and sensitive organisms are prevalent among regions with extensive chemical use. The researchers warn that insufficient pesticide regulations do little to protect the occupational and general population from various toxic substances.

However, the BASIC report finds the number of pesticides used in agriculture doubled in the past 20 years, and so the economic damage is much greater than previous figures demonstrate. Although the pesticide industry carries out large-scale lobbying to defend current pesticide use, total costs for lobbying approaches 10 million euros per year, which is greater than the pesticide regulation budget for the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

SNAP Comment: And I always see Europe as 'safer' as they have adopted a preventative registration model rather than our widely debunked 'the dose makes the poison' model.

filed under Economics of Pesticide Use

Thursday, December 9, 2021

Pesticide Use on Island Resorts Tied to Biodiversity Collapse

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Pesticide Use on Island Resorts Tied to Biodiversity Collapse

(Beyond Pesticides, December 8, 2021) . Oceanic islands, despite their small size, harbor 20% of all species, and 50% of endangered species, making conservation critically important in the context of a sixth mass extinction and insect apocalypse. 

Results show that, compared to uninhabited islands, urban islands contain roughly half the number of species, while tourist islands contain approximately one third. On urban islands, researchers attribute the disparity to habitat fragmentation, loss of habitat quality, and loss of natural vegetation cover. 

 With increased occurrences of cosmetic landscaping, small gardens, golf courses, and other tourism-related activities, researchers thus attribute pesticide use as the driver of declines on tourist areas. Every tourist island studied indicates that they regularly apply insecticides, specifically synthetic pyrethroids like deltamethrin, in and around structures to manage common pests like mosquitoes, bedbugs, and cockroaches. 

filed under pyrethrins and terrestrial invertebrates

Thursday, December 9, 2021

Fighting to improve glyphosate regulation in Canada

Safe Food Matters Inc. v. Attorney General of Canada

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Fighting to improve glyphosate regulation in Canada
Safe Food Matters Inc. v. Attorney General of Canada (Eco-Justice, 9 December 2021)

Thursday, December 9, 2021

One Single Neonic Exposure Saps Wild Pollinator’s Ability to Reproduce

imidacloprid

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One Single Neonic Exposure Saps Wild Pollinator’s Ability to Reproduce

(Beyond Pesticides, December 7, 2021) One exposure. That’s all it takes for wild bees to experience declines in reproduction and population growth from neonicotinoid insecticides, according to research recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). This incredible sensitivity is exactly the sort of process that could rapidly drive pollinator species into extinction.     Researchers conducted their study during the first year by exposing a group of larval bees to the neonicotinoid imidacloprid through a ground drench at the highest rate on the label for the product AdmirePro, produced by Bayer... during the second year, some of the unexposed adults were dosed with the same rate of imidacloprid

Orchard bees exposed to imidacloprid as adults during year two were 4% less likely to initiate nesting, and when they did, they created their nest 38% percent slower, and produced 30% less offspring than those left unexposed. This population also produced 49% fewer female offspring than unexposed bees. Larval bees that were exposed during year one, and subsequently established nests during year two also laid significantly (20%) fewer eggs.

These results add considerable urgency to efforts to stop pollinator declines. Imidacloprid can remain in soil for nearly a year, meaning that even if these chemicals were eliminated today, it could be two or more years before ground-nesting pollinators stop declining.

SNAP comment: This type of study is not yet included in the studies mandated for pesticide registration either in Canada ro the US. The whole body of independent studies (non-mandated) is not given appropriate consideration in pesticide registration or re-evaluations. This is in large part because of the process of risk-benefit assessment. As long as a pesticide is deemed 'useful', it doesn't really matter how many deleterious effects it has. It gets re-registered. 

filed under wildlife/insects

Tuesday, December 7, 2021

Banned Pesticides Associated with Endometriosis

about the POP chlordane

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Banned Pesticides Associated with Endometriosis

(Beyond Pesticides, December 1, 2021) Women exposed to metabolites of the banned insecticide chlordane are over three times more likely to develop endometriosis, finds research published in the journal Environment International. The study is the latest to find links between persistent organic pollutants (POPs), still lingering in our environment and in our bodies, and chronic disease. PCB 114 (there are 209 different PCB compounds) was also linked to endometriosis with an odds ratio of 1.83.

filed under reproductive health.

Tuesday, December 7, 2021

Degenerative Lung Diseases Associated with Atrazine Exposure, Worsened in Combination with Common Cancer Treatment

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Degenerative Lung Diseases Associated with Atrazine Exposure, Worsened in Combination with Common Cancer Treatment

(Beyond Pesticides, December 2, 2021) A study published in Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry finds atrazine (ATR) exposure worsens lung disease outcomes in individuals with idiopathic (spontaneous) pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a group of incurable lung diseases involving damaged/scarred lung tissue. Furthermore, chemotherapeutic products used to treat lymphoma (immune system cell cancer) like bleomycin can induce pulmonary fibrosis complications exacerbated by pesticide exposure. 

filed under Respiratory and atrazine

Tuesday, December 7, 2021

Houston Residents Sue City, Railroad, for Poisoning and Contamination Caused by Creosote Wood Preservative

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Houston Residents Sue City, Railroad, for Poisoning and Contamination Caused by Creosote Wood Preservative

(Beyond Pesticides, December 2, 2021) 'Thousands of residents in Houston, Texas are suing Union Pacific Railroad Company for contaminating their properties with highly hazardous creosote wood preservatives. One of these lawsuits comes from Latonya Payne, legal guardian of Corinthian Giles, a 13-year-old boy who died of leukemia after a five year battle with the disease. A recent report found that the community is in the midst of a childhood leukemia cancer cluster, with disease rates five times the national average. ...EPA is currently in the process of reauthorizing creosote use for another 15 years with the knowledge that it is virtually impossible to produce and use without causing contamination and poisoning. Creosote was used to treat and extend the life of railroad ties at a location in Houston’s Greater Fifth Ward up until 1984, but since that time a plume of contamination in the soil has slowly worked its way through the low-income, predominantly black community currently living near the old site..... In light of these “unique benefits,” the agency (EPA) did not even consider the viability of alternatives, such as steel, composites, and fiberglass that could replace the hazardous wood preservative process with non or less toxic materials.'

filed under Legal/Litigation and Treated Wood

Monday, December 6, 2021

CN Rail fined $100K for spraying herbicide on tracks without clearance, damaging vegetation

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CN Rail fined $100K for spraying herbicide on tracks without clearance, damaging vegetation   (CBC News  May 28, 2021) The railway pleaded guilty on Thursday for failing to get proper authorization to spray the herbicide between Terrace and Prince Rupert in August 2017, according to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service. The railway is required to remove invasive plants and noxious weeds along its tracks and throughout its railyards under the B.C. Weed Control Act, but must have an approved Pest Management Plan in place before work begins to ensure pesticides are used responsibly.   Under that plan, CN was required to leave a buffer of five metres between non-selective pesticide applications and bodies of water with fish species.   Selective methods were permitted to be applied within one metre of such waterways.

Monday, December 6, 2021

Herbicide Use in the Railroad Industry

on a new page on Railroad herbicide use

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Herbicide Use in the Railroad Industry

 (by Andrew L. Hughes, Hughes Law Office, June 16th, 2021) ISA article. Canadian rail companies also regularly spray but I don't know Canadian list of used pesticides. 

filed under Railroad Pesticide Use

Saturday, December 4, 2021

PACTPA 2.0: Putting people before pesticides

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PACTPA 2.0: Putting people before pesticides (PANNA, dec 2021)

After a brief attempt in 2020, the Protect America’s Children from Toxic Pesticides Act (PACTPA) was re-introduced by Senator Cory Booker on November 23 of this year, and PAN is among the organizations that support its passage!  This bill would overhaul U.S. pesticide regulations, ultimately mandating new rules to protect people and the environment.  link to full text of bill.

PACTPA would:

  • Ban dangerous pesticides including organophosphate insecticides, neonicotinoid insecticides and paraquat herbicides;
  • Close loopholes that have allowed the EPA to issue emergency exemptions and conditional registrations to use pesticides even before they go through full health and safety reviews;
  • Create a petition process for the people which will allow citizens to request review of pesticides that would otherwise be approved for use indefinitely;
  • Support local community protective actions from preemption of veto by state law;
  • Protect farmworkers from harm by requiring injury reports, directing EPA review of these reports, improved pesticide label instructions and requiring labels in Spanish and any other language that can be shown to have 500 or more applicators using that language; and
  • Broaden the knowledge base by requiring suspension and review of pesticides deemed unsafe by other nations.

SNAP Comment: These changes would also be welcome in Canada with the following differences. Although conditional registrations are apparently not allowed in Canada any more, Under Section 18 of the Pest Control Products Regulations, emergency registration is still allowed 'for a period not exceeding one year'.and cannot re renewed. Point 5 mentions requuiring injury reports. In Canada,the only mandatory reporting of negative effects has to be doneby the manufacturs themselves. MDs or the public caan submit injury reports but do not have to so that would be  great addition for Canada, and not only for farmworkers.

filed under Legislation/ USA

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Climate Change Consequences and the Organic Response

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Climate Change Consequences and the Organic Response (Pesticides and You, vol 27 , No1, Spring 2007) 

 'Since 1981, data from the FST has revealed that soil under organic agriculture management can accumulate about 1,000 pounds of carbon per acre foot of soil each year (1,123 kg/ha/ yr metric). This accumulation is equal to about 3,500 pounds of carbon dioxide per acre taken from the air and sequestered into soil organic matter.... Conventional no till (or no tillage where plowing is replaced by herbicides) soil carbon increases in just the first few inches and this effect is extinguished at 3 to 6 inches (5 to 10 cm) or before this level,.. Why does the soil carbon level increase in organic systems but not in conventional systems when crop biomass is so similar? We believe the answer lies in the different decay rates of soil organic matter under different management systems.'

filed under Organics/Climate Change

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

A powerful and underappreciated ally in the climate crisis? Fungi

Mycorrhizal fungal networks are a major global carbon sink. When we destroy them, we sabotage our efforts to limit global heating

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A powerful and underappreciated ally in the climate crisis? Fungi    Mycorrhizal fungal networks are a major global carbon sink. When we destroy them, we sabotage our efforts to limit global heating      (Toby Kiers and Merlin Sheldrake, The guardian, Tue 30 Nov 2021)

'Through fungal activity, carbon floods into the soil, where it supports intricate food webs – about 25% of all of the planet’s species live underground. Much of it remains in the soil, making underground ecosystems the stable store of 75% of all terrestrial carbon.... Logging wreaks havoc below ground, decreasing the abundance of mycorrhizal fungi by as much as 95%, and the diversity of fungal communities by as much as 75%. A large study published in 2018 suggested that the “alarming deterioration” of the health of trees across Europe was caused by a disruption of their mycorrhizal relationships, brought about by nitrogen pollution from fossil fuel combustion and agricultural fertiliser.

Globally, at least 5bn tons of carbon dioxide are sequestered within mycorrhizal networks each year, a quantity roughly equivalent to the amount of carbon dioxide emitted annually by the US (unpublished data suggests this figure is closer to 17bn tons). Even small reductions in the prevalence of fungal networks have significant consequences: a release of just 0.1% of the carbon now stored in Europe’s soils is equal to the annual emissions from 100m cars.'

filed under Organics/Climate Change


 

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

California Supreme Court Upholds $87M Award in Glyphosate Damage Lawsuit, Bayer/Monsanto Challenge Fails

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CA Supreme Court Upholds $87M Award in Glyphosate Damage Lawsuit, Bayer/Monsanto Challenge Fails

(Beyond Pesticides, November 30, 2021) The chronicle of developments in the glyphosate saga has just grown longer: the California Supreme Court has rejected a request by Bayer AG for review of the August 2021 First District Court of Appeal (San Francisco) ruling, for the plaintiffs, that Monsanto knowingly marketed a product — Roundup — whose active ingredient (glyphosate) could be dangerous. The $87 million in damages awarded to the plaintiffs in the litigation, Alberta and Alva Pilliod, has thus survived Bayer’s challenge.

Lest the announcement generate too much excitement (welcome as the move is), Beyond Pesticides noted that: (1) this still leaves Roundup on the market for agricultural food production — where glyphosate gets the heaviest use — and particularly, for use with genetically engineered crops; and (2) what will replace glyphosate in the company’s herbicide formulations is not yet clear, but the residential herbicide market will likely shift to other toxic weed killers to replace glyphosate uses.

filed under Legal/Litigation/glyphosate

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Pesticide Exposure Contributes to Preterm Births and Low Birth Weight

organochlorine pesticides (OCPs)

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Pesticide Exposure Contributes to Preterm Births and Low Birth Weight

(Beyond Pesticides, November 18, 2021) A study published by King George’s Medical University, India, finds exposure to xenobiotic substances like pesticides during pregnancy increases risks associated with preterm birth, including a rise in cesarean section (C-section) deliveries and a decrease in fetal body weight.   All of the blood samples from premature newborns and their mothers have higher levels of  OCPs (organochlorine pesticides) than full-term newborns. Aldrin, dieldrin, and hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) are the most prominent OCPs present in maternal and umbilical cord blood samples, followed by DDT, endosulfan, and endrin aldehyde. However, blood samples also contain concentrations of other pesticide types including, organophosphates (OPs) (i.e., dichlorvos, malathion, chlorpyrifos, profenofos), synthetic pyrethroids (i.e., cypermethrin, fenvalerate, cyhalothrin-L, deltamethrin, cyfluthrin), and neonicotinoids (neonics) (i.e., imidacloprid). Regarding specific birth outcomes, DDT metabolite DDE and dieldrin have significant associations with low birth weight. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) (USA) reports the preterm birth rate is increasing annually.

filed under children and reproductive health

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

EPA finds two widely used pesticides harm majority of endangered species

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EPA finds two widely used pesticides harm majority of endangered species (By Ashley Curtin, Nation of Change November 17, 2021) US story. 

Atrazine and glyphosate are both causing severe harm to many of the plants and animals protected under the Endangered Species Act. “It’s no surprise that these chemical poisons are causing severe harm to imperiled wildlife since U.S. use exceeds 70 million pounds of atrazine and 300 million pounds of glyphosate every year,” Nathan Donley, environmental health science director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said. 

SNAP Comment: While atrazine use is low in Saskatchewan (11 kg in 2003), likely because there was hardly any corn production at that time, glyphosate was the top selling herbicide in 2003 with over 9 million kgs sold (9/10th of total commercial sales based on 75% reporting). Note that atrazine is widely used in southern Ontario and Quebec at the very least.

filed under glyphosate, atrazine and endangered species.

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Fungal Resistance to Antimicrobial Pesticides Leads to Deadly Infection

in health care settings

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Fungal Resistance to Antimicrobial Pesticides Leads to Deadly Infection

(Beyond Pesticides, November 19, 2021) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced, in mid-October, a revision of its guidance on the evaluation of antimicrobial pesticides used against Candida auris (C. auris). This pathogen is a type of fungus (a yeast) that can cause serious infection, and can spread readily among patients and staff in hospitals and other congregate healthcare settings (such as nursing homes). C. auris has developed resistance to what used to be the therapeutic impacts of major antifungal medications.

filed under resistance

Thursday, November 18, 2021

Organic Takes on Existential Health and Environmental Crises, While Some Critics Lack Context (Response to New Yorker piece)

if there is money to be made somewhere, someone will commit fraud. It should not reflect on other honest producers.

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Organic Takes on Existential Health and Environmental Crises, While Some Critics Lack Context (Response to New Yorker piece)

(Beyond Pesticides, November 12, 2021) 'Omnivorous readers may have encountered an article, in the November 15 issue of The New Yorker magazine, titled — at best misleadingly, and certainly sensationally — “The Great Organic-Food Fraud.

What the article fails to do is render any comprehensive picture of how National Organic Program certification and inspection work, and the underlying principles, values, and standards in federal law (the Organic Foods Production Act), nor does it review either the benefits of organic agriculture broadly or the massive harmful impacts of conventional, chemical-intensive agriculture in the U.S. Beyond Pesticides provides ballast, in this Daily News Blog article, to the failings of the New Yorker article and the damage it might do to the organic movement.'

SNAP Comment: If there is money to be made somewhere, someone will commit fraud. It should not reflect on other honest producers.

filed under organic

Thursday, November 18, 2021

Unless You Go Organic, Switching to ‘Healthier’ Mediterranean Diet Increases Pesticide Exposure Three-fold

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Unless You Go Organic, Switching to ‘Healthier’ Mediterranean Diet Increases Pesticide Exposure Three-fold

(Beyond Pesticides, November 9, 2021)' Replacing a modern, ‘western’ diet of highly processed foods with a Mediterranean diet filled with conventional, chemically-grown fruits and vegetables triples exposure to toxic pesticides, according to research recently published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.   For organophosphate insecticides in particular, levels increased nearly 4x (from 7 to 25 μg/d)' ( urine concnetration).. 'Between the organic and conventional Mediterranean diet, individuals that ate organic had 91% lower pesticide residue than those consuming foods only produced through conventional chemical farming practices. Researchers found that the primary source for pesticide residue came from chemically grown fruit, vegetables, and whole grain cereals.      The research is so convincing, it may be possible to base future public health research upon. “One of the difficulties of assessing the public health impacts of dietary exposure to pesticides is that once pesticides are widely used in food production everybody gets exposed,” said Leonidas Rempelos, PhD. “This study demonstrated the potential of using organic food consumers as a ‘low pesticide exposure control group’ to investigate the effect currently used and newly released pesticides on public health.”

filed under pesticides in food

Thursday, November 18, 2021

Secret Inert Ingredient in ‘Bee Safe’ Pesticide Found to Kill Bumblebees

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Secret Inert Ingredient in ‘Bee Safe’ Pesticide Found to Kill Bumblebees

(Beyond Pesticides, November 11, 2021)' Evidence is building that so-called ‘inert’ ingredients in pesticide formulations are harming pollinators and undermining regulatory determinations that designate products as ‘bee-safe.’ According to a new study published in Scientific Reports, the fungicide Amistar causes lethal and sublethal effects that can be primarily attributed not to its active ingredient azoxystrobin, but to alcohol ethoxylates, a co-formulant, or inert ingredient intentionally added to a pesticide formulation.

Further, Amistar’s formulation in Europe may differ from its formulation in the United States and other countries, despite that fact that chemical company Syngenta/ChemChina is the primary registrant in both locations.

Researchers found that bees that weighed more at the beginning of the study were more likely to survive. That is because alcohol ethoxylates were causing sub-lethal impacts that didn’t necessary kill every exposed bumblebee outright.   Dissection after the experiment determined that alcohol ethoxylates were creating dark brown patches in bumblebee guts. This was leading to a range of observable warning signs. “Whilst 30 percent of bees exposed to the fungicide product died, the other 70 percent were far from healthy; they had damaged guts, were eating about half as much food and were losing weight,” said study coauthor Ed Straw, PhD. “Pesticide regulation typically only looks at whether or not a bee dies, but we found that even bees who survive can be under severe stress.”

...other research done under field-realistic conditions within the PoshBee project show similar results. This combination of results, enabled by this European-wide project, really supports the idea that co-formulants in pesticides need to be considered more seriously as threats to bee health.”

SNAP comment: In Canada, inerts are called formulants/Canada. The CAS number for alcohol ethoxylates is 84133-50-6. They are listed as a formulant in the latest PMRA formulants list (2017). It is listed in category 4B "formulants of minimum concern under specific conditions of use". Section 4.6:"When a formulant reaches List 4B, no further regulatory action is anticipated unless the use pattern for which it is being considered is beyond that approved, in which case the PMRA will require an independent review". A formulants are still secret except if very toxic or allergens, I suspect there is no listing of alcohol ethoxylates in pesticide formulations or on MSDS sheets. As of 18 November 2021, there are 44 PMRA registered products containing azoxystrobin, none with the name Amistar.

filed under wildlife/insects and formulants

Thursday, November 18, 2021

Couple’s $86M award in Monsanto pesticide case stands

glyphosate

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Couple’s $86M award in Monsanto pesticide case stands

(Associated Press, 17 or 18 November 2021) 

Thursday, November 18, 2021

Disease Carrying Mosquitoes More Prevalent in Neighborhoods of Low Socioeconomic Status

study done in Puerto Rico

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Disease Carrying Mosquitoes More Prevalent in Neighborhoods of Low Socioeconomic Status

(Beyond Pesticides, November 16, 2021) 'Populations of disease-carrying mosquitoes are higher in urban areas of lower socioeconomic status, according to research published this year in the Journal of Urban Ecology.    , it is the resulting physical and structural differences between the neighborhoods that are the biggest contributors. The human built environment in lower income areas are more likely to have infrastructure that is poorly maintained, with more litter and stagnant water in the streets due to lack of sanitation services and a functioning drainage system. It was noted that two of the lowest socioeconomic status neighborhoods flooded multiple times during the course of research. All of these factors increase larval mosquito habitat and subsequently the risk of mosquito borne disease.'

SNAP comment: study done in Puerto Rico.

filed under Mosquito Control

Thursday, November 18, 2021

Aquatic Wildlife Populations Take A Nosedive after Neonicotinoid Exposure

thiacloprid, a neonic insecticide often cited by industry and regulators as having lower toxicity concerns than other neonicotinoids.

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Aquatic Wildlife Populations Take A Nosedive after Neonicotinoid Exposure

(Beyond Pesticides, November 10, 2021) 'The diversity and abundance of freshwater aquatic insects plunges when commonly used neonicotinoid (neonic) insecticides leach into waterways, finds research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The experiments used 'thiacloprid, a neonic insecticide often cited by industry and regulators as having lower toxicity concerns than other neonicotinoids. Mimicking a pulse that may come from a nearby insecticide application, each group of ditches was dosed every two weeks for a period of three months.'

'By the end of the study, compared to the control group overall insect biomass declined by 11, 4, and 50% along a gradient of increasing amounts of neonic dosing. Diptera, the large order of flies, accounted for the bulk of biomass declines. Within one order of Diptera known as Chironomidae midges, populations crashed from an initial identification of 29 species down to a single species in the highest dosed ditches.'

A range of other aquatic insects such as beetles, dragonflies, caddisfles and mayflies were also harmed. 

'“We saw dramatic declines in all the species groups studied, such as dragonflies, beetles and sedges,” said study author Henrik Barmentlo, PhD, both in absolute numbers and in total biomass. “In the most extreme scenario, the diversity of the most species-rich group, the dance flies, even dropped to a single species.”'

SNAP Comment: As of 18 November 2021, there are 3 thiacloprid priducts registered by the PMRA.

filed uder neonicotinoids and aquatic organisms

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

California Releases Strategy for Land Management Practices that Confronts Climate Crisis

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California Releases Strategy for Land Management Practices that Confronts Climate Crisis   (Beyond Pesticides, November 5, 2021) 

'Once again earning its environmental leadership reputation, California has released a draft strategy document designed to catalyze near- and long-term climate action through focused attention on the state’s natural and working lands, and on nature-based solutions.     “The draft Strategies do not go far enough in setting ambitious targets that would transition our agricultural systems away from toxic pesticides and towards safer and more climate-friendly alternative agricultural systems like agroecological and organic agriculture.”
'The coalition letter makes these recommendations to CNRA:
Include an ambitious pesticide reduction target to: (1) reduce the use of synthetic pesticides by 50% by 2030, and (2) reduce the use of hazardous pesticides by 75% by 2030 — focusing first on organophosphates, fumigants, paraquat, and neonicotinoids.
Explicitly support organic and agroecological systems as climate resilience and mitigation strategies.

filed under Pesticide Reduction Strategy (new page)

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Paraguay: Failing to prevent contamination violates indigenous people’s right to traditional lands - UN Human Rights Committee

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Paraguay: Failing to prevent contamination violates indigenous people’s right to traditional lands - UN Human Rights Committee 
(GENEVA, 13 October 2021) 

'The Campo Agua’e indigenous community lives in an area closely surrounded by large commercial farms that use fumigation, a process that utilizes chemical smoke to kill pests, to produce genetically modified soybeans. The fumigation, including the use of banned agrochemicals continuously for more than ten years in the area, had killed indigenous community’ chickens and ducks, affected subsistence crops and fruit trees, impacted hunting, fishing and foraging resources, contaminated the waterways and harmed people’s health.'


Then it goes on to mention lack of government monitoring of spraying and making full reparation including repairing environmental damage.


SNAP  comment: So under human rights, there is a duty to monitor spraying? There are a few Canadian and provincial pesticide inspectors, way too few to monitor much, so Canada also suffers from a lack of monitoring. Depending on which chemicals were fumigated, and what their half life is, it may not be possible to repair environmental contamination for a long time. The ecological damage would be even harder to reverse.

filed under Human Rights

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

45 Different Cancers Associated with Work-Related Pesticide Exposure

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45 Different Cancers Associated with Work-Related Pesticide Exposure

(Beyond Pesticide, November 4, 2021) 'A scientific literature analysis by the Federal University of Goias, Brazil, finds occupational (work-related) exposure to agricultural pesticides increases the risk for 45 different types of cancer.   The present study investigated the association between cancer incidences and work-related pesticide exposure using scientific literature from the Scopus® database between January 2011 and December 2020.The database contains scientific literature from over 20 nations, including the U.S., France, Brazil, and India. Furthermore, researchers note pesticide use increased during this decade, along with the number of acute pesticide poisonings among farmworkers and the general public. The analysis finds an association between pesticides (i.e., insecticides, herbicides, fungicides) and 45 different cancers. Multiple myeloma (plasma cell cancer), bladder cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and prostate cancer are the most prevalent forms of cancer. Among the evaluated studies, the U.S. has the most cancer incidents.'

filed under Cancer

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Researchers Uncovering Patterns that Help to Explain Chemical Sensitivities

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Researchers Uncovering Patterns that Help to Explain Chemical Sensitivities

(Beyond Pesticides, November 3, 2021) A significant and increasing share of the U.S. ( and Canadian) population is reporting sensitivities to certain chemicals.

'TILT is characterized by a two-step process. First, there is an “initiation exposure event,” whereby an individual is either repeatedly exposed to low levels of certain chemicals, or experiences a major exposure incident. In the second stage, affected individuals are “triggered” even by minute exposures, not only to the chemical that affected them in the first place, but also to other chemicals that didn’t affect them previously. Exposure to a trigger results in a range of debilitating symptoms, such as weakness, chronic fatigue, asthma, rash, and headache, that can sometimes leave exposed individuals incapacitated and unable to lead a normal life. This disease is not similar to pollen allergies that can be tested by immunoglobin antibodies. TILT sufferers are often bounced from doctor to doctor based on individual symptoms, have significant difficulties receiving a diagnosis, and must navigate a world filled with triggering compounds, ranging from pesticides, to fragrances, molds, and other indoor air contaminants, traffic exhaust, pharmaceutical drugs, certain food, or food and drug combinations, or other volatile compounds.

They found that the most prevalent initial exposure was from chemicals considered to be Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) or Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds, with pesticides next, and combustion products the third most frequent exposure. The study notes, “As a broader category, synthetic organic chemicals and their combustion products were the primary exposures associated with chemical intolerance, including pesticides, peroxides, nerve agents, anti-nerve agent drugs, lubricants and additives, xylene, benzene, and acetone.

 TheQuick Environmental Exposure and Sensitivity Inventory", or QEESI test, an internationally recognized tool for quickly evaluating an individual for TILT, and can be used both by medical professionals and patients.   The presence of TILT undermines classical toxicological concept that “the dose makes the poison.” The authors indicate that a better phrase may be that “dose plus host makes the poison,” with an understanding that past exposures and various genetic factors are likely at play in terms of individual tolerance to environmental pollutants.

SNAP Comment: many organic chemicals including petroleum products including xylene, benzene, naphta, ethylene, kerosene, toluene, naphthalene and more are still listed in the PMRA's currentl list of formulants so VOCs and pesticides are far from being mutually exclusive.

filed under immune/MCS

Thursday, November 4, 2021

Paul Stamets on Seven Mycoattractant and Mycopesticide Patents released to Commons!

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Thursday, November 4, 2021

Global Pollinator Declines Threaten Plant Biodiversity

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Global Pollinator Declines Threaten Plant Biodiversity

(Beyond Pesticides, October 27, 2021) 'Declines in pollinator populations throughout the world may result in the loss of tens of thousands of wild flowering plants that rely on their services, according to research published this month in the journal Science Advances. “Our paper provides the first global estimate of how many plant species mostly or completely rely on animal pollinators to make seeds and thus to reproduce,” wrote author James Rodger, PhD,'

About 175,000 plant species – half of all flowering plants, depend on pollinators. "This means declines in pollinators could cause major disruptions in natural ecosystems, including loss of biodiversity.” 'Accordingly, without pollinators half of plant species would experience a reduction in fertility by over 80%, and one third of flowering plant species with no longer produce seeds at all.'

filed under wildlife/insects

Thursday, November 4, 2021

Cover Crops Attract Pest Predators which Reduce Pesticide Use

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Cover Crops Attract Pest Predators which Reduce Pesticide Use

(Beyond Pesticides, November 2, 2021) 'Cover crops create habitat that draw in pest predators and help mitigate crop injury, finds research published in the journals Agroecosystems and Biological Control from scientists at the University of Georgia. Expanded predator diversity can reduce pest pressure that drives conventional chemical farmers to apply toxic pesticides, and the authors of the study find the practice to be economically viable within these cropping systems.' Study on cotton production.  'Predator communities were found to be much more diverse (7 to 10x more) in cover cropped fields.   Researchers found the benefits of cover cropping to be most pronounced in the early spring. But as the cover crop degrades, differences between cover cropped and control plot predator communities began to even out.' However, termination of the cover crop utilized an unnamed chemical herbicide. Thus a range of predator insects that may have assisted in further, or more sustained pest management may have been killed off by the use of a chemical to terminate the cover crop. '

filed under Organics/farming  While not strictly organic, this research uses the organic method of cover crop.

Thursday, November 4, 2021

Women in Agricultural Work at Increased Risk for Skin and Blood Cancers from Pesticide Exposure

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Women in Agricultural Work at Increased Risk for Skin and Blood Cancers from Pesticide Exposure

(Beyond Pesticides, October 21, 2021) A study published in Environment International finds higher rates of various cancers among agricultural workers, with multiple myeloma (blood cancer) and melanoma (skin cancer) disproportionately impacting female farmers.. In addition, the study finds elevated rates of prostate cancer among men compared to the general population... Moreover, recent studies find an association between the blood disease monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and pesticide exposure. MGUS is a likely precursor for MM (mulriple myeloma) development, where risk increases in people whose MGUS protein levels are abnormally high.'

filed under Cancer

Thursday, November 4, 2021

Glyphosate Kills Microorganisms Beneficial to Plants, Animals, and Humans

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Glyphosate Kills Microorganisms Beneficial to Plants, Animals, and Humans

(Beyond Pesticides, October 28, 2021) A study published in Frontiers in Environmental Science finds the popular herbicide glyphosate negatively affects microbial communities, indirectly influencing plant, animal, and human health. Exposure to sublethal concentrations of glyphosate shifts microbial community composition, destroying beneficial microorganisms while preserving pathogenic organisms. 

filed under glyphosate, soils, and digestive tract/microbiome

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

EPA to Create Advisory Councils to Restore Scientific Integrity in Pesticide/Chemicals Division

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EPA to Create Advisory Councils to Restore Scientific Integrity in Pesticide/Chemicals Division

(Beyond Pesticides, October 20, 2021) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced last week plans to establish a new position and two advisory councils in order to enhance scientific integrity within the agency’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP). SNAP Comment: would that also be useful in Canada?.

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

Common Insecticide Malathion Linked to Chronic Kidney Disease

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Common Insecticide Malathion Linked to Chronic Kidney Disease

(Beyond Pesticides, October 19, 2021) 'Exposure to the insecticide malathion increases risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a study recently published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.... Risk was not significantly increased by exposure to the other pesticides studied'.(2,4-D, chlorpyrifos, and 3-PBA, the major metabolite for most synthetic pyrethroid insecticides).   'Despite strong links between malathion and a range of different cancers, EPA deigned the chemical as having “suggestive evidence of carcinogenicity,” not the stronger “likely carcinogen” designation initially proposed by EPA staff.'

SNAP Comment: As of 19 October 2021, there are 13 malathion products registered in Canada, 5 of those for domestic use (use by consumers, all for outdoor use only)

filed under kidney and malathion
 

Monday, October 18, 2021

Common Fungicide Causes a Decrease in Antioxidant Responsible for Defense Against Diseases like COVID-19

the fungicide fludioxonil

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Common Fungicide Causes a Decrease in Antioxidant Responsible for Defense Against Diseases like COVID-19

(Beyond Pesticides, October 8, 2020) 'Research from the University of Wisconsin—Madison (UWM), suggests that fludioxonil—a commonly used agricultural fungicidedecreases the human body’s ability to defend itself against illnesses, like COVID-19, and promotes disease permanency. Tristan Brandhorst, a Ph.D. scientist at UWM, notes that a pesticide-induced reduction in the antioxidant glutathione could be responsible for this lack of bodily defense against disease.  Dr. Brandhorst recently discovered that the chemical causes metabolic shock to fungi, hindering glucose transport across the cell membrane. Additionally, further analysis finds that exposure to fludioxonil decreases glutathione levels in non-fungal cells, promoting “the ability of the fungicide fludioxonil to act on a sugar-metabolizing enzyme common to all cells, and to produce the damaging compound methylglyoxal.”

SNAP Comment:As of 18 October 2021, a PMRA label search indicates that fludioxonil is not nor has it been registered in Canada..

filed under immune/infection and health/overview/links

Monday, October 18, 2021

Common Mosquito Pesticide Exacerbates Health Issues Associated with Zika Virus

Microcephaly

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Common Mosquito Pesticide Exacerbates Health Issues Associated with Zika Virus

(Beyond Pesticides, September 28, 2021) 'A widely used mosquito pesticide may exacerbate the effect of the Zika virus on fetal brain development, according to research published by an international team of scientists in the journal Environmental Pollution. Pyriproxyfen, an insect growth regulator often used as a mosquito larvicide, is registered for use in hundreds of commonly used pesticide products.' Through tadpole studies and  studies of stem cells created from mouse brains, researchers determined that not only was pyriproxyfen toxic to brain cells, but that it also modified cells to increase production of Musaschi-1 protein, which the Zika virus employs in order to transmit the virus to other cells in an individual’s body.

SNAP Comment: As of 18 October 2021, a PMRA label search indicates that pyriproxyfen is not nor has it been registered in Canada

filed under nervous system effects/brain damage and overview/links...

Saturday, October 16, 2021

Commonly Used Neurotoxic Pesticide Exposure Increases ALS Risk to Workers and Residents

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Commonly Used Neurotoxic Pesticide Exposure Increases ALS Risk to Workers and Residents

(Beyond Pesticides, September 30, 2021) Individuals working or living in areas with frequent neurotoxic pesticide use experience more amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) incidences than the general population.  “We identified pesticides applied to crops in the area of residences associated with risk of ALS in a large healthcare claims network. Both the study results and the confirmation studies validate pesticides have the highest positive association with neurotoxicity. Scientists find and 2,4-D (herbicide), glyphosate (herbicide), carbaryl (insecticide), and chlorpyrifos (insecticide) significantly increase ALS risk among residentially exposed populations.

filed under immune/auto-immune...

Saturday, October 16, 2021

Weeds Are Now Developing Resistance to Herbicides They’ve Never Been Exposed To

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Weeds Are Now Developing Resistance to Herbicides They’ve Never Been Exposed To

(Beyond Pesticides, October 13, 2021) Pesticide use in conventional chemical-intensive farming is so pervasive that weeds are developing resistance to herbicides they have never encountered before. According to research published in Plant and Cell Physiology and New Phytologist, the notoriously difficult-to-control weed waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus) is outpacing commercial crops in its ability to detoxify after herbicide exposure. “This is probably the first known example where waterhemp has evolved a detox mechanism that a crop doesn’t have."    A observant study published in 2018 laid out the solution clearly: the best method to reduce herbicide resistance in target weeds is to reduce the overall use of herbicides.'.

filed under resistance 

Saturday, October 16, 2021

Conventional Agriculture Decreases Diversity of Gut Bacteria in Foraging Bats

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Conventional Agriculture Decreases Diversity of Gut Bacteria in Foraging Bats

(Beyond Pesticides, September 29, 2021) Bats foraging in chemical-intensive banana plantations have much less gut diversity than bats foraging in organic banana fields and natural forestland, finds research published this month in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 

Gut diversity in organic bats was found to be similar to the diversity analyzed in forest bats. The study indicates that it is likely that organic practices are maintaining a “high diversity of commensal microbiota,” while on the other hand, “less diverse gut microbiota in bats foraging in conventional monocultures may suggest that these habitats potentially have negative physiological consequences for the animals (e.g., gut inflammation and metabolic disease), and may act as ecological trap.”

filed under mammals and digestive tract/microbiome

Saturday, October 16, 2021

Monoculture Agriculture Leads to Poor Soil Health

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Monoculture Agriculture Leads to Poor Soil Health

(Beyond Pesticides, October 6, 2021) 'Agricultural soils under monoculture cropping systems are not as healthy as soils with diverse plantings, finds research recently published in the journal Agrosystems, Geosciences and Environment. Soil and soil quality are declining rapidly in the United States and around the world, with recent data indicating that the U.S. Corn Belt has lost 35% of its topsoil.' The research compared a soy,/corn monocultures to perennial grass.   'The study notes these perennial systems have much more microbial diversity, over eight times more mycorrhizal fungi, and higher ratios of fungi to bacteria.     The higher ratio of fungi to bacteria is likely indicative of the frequency of plowing in the monoculture systems, which occurred each year after harvest, according to the study. Repeated tillage breaks fungal connections that help stabilize soil, which can lead to worsening soil structure.

Prior studies that utilize the long-term cropping systems studied in the current paper indicated the regular use of 28% urea-ammonium nitrate fertilizer, glyphosateglufosinate, and atrazine have a strong propensity to harm soil health.'

filed under soils

Saturday, October 16, 2021

Study Adds to 40 Year Analysis Linking Brain Cancer to Pesticide Exposure

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Study Adds to 40 Year Analysis Linking Brain Cancer to Pesticide Exposure

(Beyond Pesticides, September 23, 2021) 'A study by Claremont Graduate University finds exposure to agricultural pesticides increases brain cancer risk up to 20 percent. According to demographic information, white farmers have the highest rate of brain cancer. However, those managing livestock, where insecticides are widely used, have higher rates of brain cancer incidents than those managing crops.'

filed under cancer/ links...

Saturday, October 16, 2021

IPM (Integrated Pest Management) Fails to Stop Toxic Pesticide Use

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IPM (Integrated Pest Management) Fails to Stop Toxic Pesticide Use

(Beyond Pesticides, October 15, 2021) Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a 60-year-old approach to agricultural practice that, when first conceived and implemented, had among its goals a significant reduction of synthetic pesticide use, and the health, environmental, and ecosystemic benefits that would flow from that. However, as a study published earlier in 2021 concluded, IPM has overall been unsuccessful in achieving those goals. The researchers propose to replace IPM with “Agroecological Crop Protection ACP,” the application of agroecology to protecting crops from damage (usually by insects or weeds).

filed unde IPM/effectiveness

Friday, October 15, 2021

Persistent Organic Pollutants, including Banned Pesticides, Remain Present in all Fetal Organs Regardless of Maternal Chemical Contamination

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Persistent Organic Pollutants, including Banned Pesticides, Remain Present in all Fetal Organs Regardless of Maternal Chemical Contamination

(Beyond Pesticides, September 16, 2021) "A study published in Chemosphere finds persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), are present in the serum and placenta of pregnant mothers, as well as multiple fetal organs... However, this study is one of the first to demonstrate the presence of chemical toxicants in fetal tissue that are not present in maternal serum or placental samples. Prenatal development is one of the most vulnerable periods of exposure when the fetus is most susceptible to the harmful effects of chemical contaminants."

filed under children

Friday, October 15, 2021

New Factsheets Alert Communities to Adverse Effects of Commonly Used Landscape Pesticides

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New Factsheets Alert Communities to Adverse Effects of Commonly Used Landscape Pesticides

Health and environmental effects disclosed on factsheets to guide community decisions on lawn and landscape management that do not poison people and contaminate the environment. WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 14, 2021) 

The US had more pesticides registered for home use than Canada so not all of the 40 are relevant for Canada. The common pesticides used on lawns comtain 2,4-D, dicamba and mecopropGlyphosate is registered for weeds on hard surfaces or spot spray. Most insect control products contain permethrins

Health Effects of 40 Commonly Used Lawn Pesticides   updated simple 2 page factsheet. 

Environmental Effects of 40 Commonly Used Lawn Pesticides updated simple 2 page factsheet.

Saturday, August 28, 2021

Socioeconomic and Environmental Benefits in Organic Farming Exceed Chemical Practices

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Saturday, August 28, 2021

Slugs and Snails Controlled with Bread Dough, Really

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Slugs and Snails Controlled with Bread Dough, Really

(Beyond Pesticides, August 25, 2021) 

Slugs and snails overwhelmingly chose to feed on the bread dough baited traps....Although researchers used toxic metaldehyde to kill slugs when they got to the bait, discretely located traps can ensure that a pesticide is not used in a broadcast manner and disposed of properly. However, many traps and baits, such as the Snailer, will work with bread dough and water without the need for additional pesticide, as they bar pests from exiting and cause the slug or snail to drown.'

filed under alternatives/ insects and invertebrates additional info/slugs  
 

Thursday, August 26, 2021

PESTICIDE REFORM: LETTER TO MINISTERS

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PESTICIDE REFORM: LETTER TO MINISTERS

(Safe food Matters, 2021-08-15)

Re: Steps that Can Be Taken Now without Act Amendment

Monday, August 23, 2021

Global Review Identifies Key Drivers of Pollinator Decline, Threat for Humanity

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Global Review Identifies Key Drivers of Pollinator Decline, Threat for Humanity

(Beyond Pesticides, August 17, 2021)  'Overall, land cover, land management, and pesticide use are identified as ‘very important’ or ‘important’ drivers of pollinator declines in nearly every geographic region of the world. While climate change is also identified as such, experts do not have as much confidence in its importance when compared to other factors putting pollinators at risk. Pests and pathogens are identified as very important risks in North America and Latin America, and generally rank above concerns over pollinator management and invasive species. Genetically engineered cropping systems are identified as a lower threat in most regions of the world, but very important threat in Latin America, where hazards are identified due to high use of glyphosate resistant crops and subsequent data on the dangers of that chemical to pollinators.'

filed under bee die-off and wildlife/insects

Monday, August 23, 2021

Organochlorine Pesticides among South China Sea Coral Reefs

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Organochlorine Pesticides among South China Sea Coral Reefs

(Beyond Pesticides, August 12, 2021) A recent study published in Chemosphere identifies the concentration, consequences, and potential sources of 22 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) among corals in the South China Sea (SCS) for the first time. SCS corals exhibit a higher affinity toward bioaccumulation of OCPs, which are legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs) under the Stockholm Convention—a global treaty to eliminate POPs. The study finds the distribution of OCPs in coral tissue matches that of the surrounding oceanic air samples.... Long-range atmospheric transport and condensation are significant contributors to the global contamination of environmental pollutants like OCPs.

filed under wildlife/ aquatic organisms

Monday, August 23, 2021

Of Multiple Stressors, Pesticides Are the Most Harmful to Bees by Acting Synergistically to Increase Mortality

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Of Multiple Stressors, Pesticides Are the Most Harmful to Bees by Acting Synergistically to Increase Mortality

(Beyond Pesticides, August 11, 2021) Multiple stressors, including pesticides, parasites, and poor nutrition, act synergistically to increase the risk of bee mortality, according to a meta-analysis recently published in the journal Nature. The findings are yet another indictment of the U.S. pesticide regulatory system’s ability to protect pollinators, as the authors note that their results, “…demonstrate that the regulatory process in its current form does not protect bees from the unwanted consequences of complex agrochemical exposure.”

At the most general level, multiple stressors were synergistic in the context of bee mortality, but additive for effects on overall fitness. Looking further into the data, it was determined that exposure to multiple pesticides had the most robust connection to synergistic impacts.

filed uder bee die off

Friday, August 20, 2021

Debilitating Ear Blisters Plague Long Island Turtle Populations from Pesticide Use

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Debilitating Ear Blisters Plague Long Island Turtle Populations from Pesticide Use

(Beyond Pesticides, August 5, 2021) A recent report by Turtle Rescue of the Hamptons finds Long Island, New York turtles are experiencing higher rates of deadly aural abscesses or ear blisters from pesticide use... However, synergism (collaboration) between viral infection and toxic chemical exposure increases aural abscess instances...Chemical contamination promoting disease/viral infection is not a new phenomenon among wildlife. ... Turtle Rescue facility workers note that aural abscess incidents are getting worse due to COVID-19. Advocates suggest that with more individuals remaining at home, chemical inputs are increasing, particularly for pesticides like disinfectants and lawn care chemicals.'

filed under wildlife/reptiles

Friday, August 20, 2021

Pesticides and Other Volatile Chemicals Cause Air Pollution Linked to Premature Deaths

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Pesticides and Other Volatile Chemicals Cause Air Pollution Linked to Premature Deaths

(Beyond Pesticides, July 29, 2021) ' Between 340,000 and 900,000 premature deaths each year can be linked to air pollution caused by the release of volatile organic compounds, such as pesticides, paints, and cleaning agents, from anthropogenic sources...“The older idea was that to reduce premature mortality, you should target coal-fired power plants or the transportation sector,” lead author of the study Benjamin Nault, PhD, said. “Yes, these are important, but we’re showing that if you’re not getting at the cleaning and painting products and other everyday chemicals, then you’re not getting at a major source.”... This new research finds that anthropogenic secondary organic aerosols (ASOAs), including intermediate and semi-volatile organic compounds like pesticides, paints, cleaners, and other personal care products, are a major, underrepresented source of PM2.5 mortality.'

filed under health/overview

Friday, August 20, 2021

Typical Neonicotinoid Insecticides at Any Level Likely to Kill Off Wild Pollinators

imidacloprid experiment

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Typical Neonicotinoid Insecticides at Any Level Likely to Kill Off Wild Pollinators

(Beyond Pesticides, August 4, 2021) 'Neonicotinoid insecticides applied to nursery plants sold at garden centers kill off wild, solitary pollinators regardless of the amount applied, according to research published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B....

Although not recorded in the study, a press release published by University of California, Riverside indicates that the first time the experiment was tried, researchers used the EPA recommended label concentration of the product, and all bees died within a few short days.

At the significantly lower rate, scientists found that high irrigation watering reduced the amount of imidacloprid detected in plant nectar. Nonetheless, researchers observed the same harmful effects on leafcutter bes as the group exposed to lower amounts of irrigation.'

filed under bee die offneonicotinoids and wildlife/insects

Friday, August 20, 2021

Increase Breast Cancer Risk Through Hormone (Endocrine) Disruption

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Increase Breast Cancer Risk Through Hormone (Endocrine) Disruption

(Beyond Pesticides, July 29, 2021) New research published in Environmental Health Perspectives finds nearly 300 different chemicals in pesticides, consumer products, and contaminated resources (i.e., food, water) increase breast cancer risks. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, causing the second most cancer-related deaths in the United States...The study results find 296 chemicals associated with an increase in estradiol or progesterone. 182 and 185 different chemicals cause an increase in estradiol and progesterone, respectively, while 71 chemicals are responsible for the increased synthesis of both hormones.  

filed unde endocrine disruption and cancer

Friday, August 20, 2021

Nematodes Show Promise as Biological Control Agent for Non-native Fire Ants

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Nematodes Show Promise as Biological Control Agent for Non-native Fire Ants

(Beyond Pesticides, August 3, 2021) Research published this summer in the journal iScience outlines a promising, pesticide-free approach to manage non-native fire ants that have invaded many coastal communities along the eastern United States.

filed uner alternatives/insects/links/ants

Thursday, August 19, 2021

Researchers Develop Pesticide-Free, Mosquito-Proof Clothing

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Researchers Develop Pesticide-Free, Mosquito-Proof Clothing

(Beyond Pesticides, July 27, 2021) Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed pesticide-free clothing able to prevent 100% of mosquito bites for the wearer, and published proof of the garment’s effectiveness in a study in the journal Insects. If able to be scaled at a commercial level, the fabrics have the potential to transform personal protective measures for mosquitoes,

filed under alternatives/ insects

Thursday, August 19, 2021

Insecticide Chlorpyrifos Interacts with Genes to Increase Autism Risk, Research Finds

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Insecticide Chlorpyrifos Interacts with Genes to Increase Autism Risk, Research Finds

(Beyond Pesticides, July 20, 2021) Chlorpyrifos exposure results in the expression of genetic mutations associated with autism spectrum disorder in a laboratory model, finds research published in Environmental Health Perspectives by scientists at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health....Organoids were exposed to chlorpyrifos at four and eight weeks of development, representing a short term, high exposure scenario. “High-dose, short-term experimental exposures do not reflect the real-life situation, but they give us a starting point to identify genetic variants that might make individuals more susceptible to toxicants,” says Dr. Smirnova.

filded under chlorpyrifos and nervous system effects /autism

Thursday, August 19, 2021

Report Finds True Cost of Food in 2019 Was $2.1 Trillion in Adverse Health, Environmental, and Other Effects

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Report Finds True Cost of Food in 2019 Was $2.1 Trillion in Adverse Health, Environmental, and Other Effects

(Beyond Pesticides, July 23, 2021) The Rockefeller Foundation has just published a report, True Cost of Food: Measuring What Matters to Transform the U.S. Food System, which identifies the real-but-under-recognized downsides of the U.S. food system. 

'The report calls for a true accounting of the costs of food in the U.S. Beyond Pesticides welcomes the broad framework of the report, but notes that a true accounting would necessarily include the costs of the externalities of conventional agriculture, including those related to pesticides: the costs of pollution and its cleanup (when that even happens), of lost pollination and biodiversity, of lost productivity from illness, and of health care costs related to pesticide use. Remarkably, for all its repetition of deleterious impacts on climate, biodiversity, and health, the report barely mentions either pesticides’ roles in causing such impacts, or the clear solution to so many of the negatives in the food system — organic, regenerative agriculture.'

filded under food

Thursday, August 19, 2021

Deer Ticks Developing Resistance to Popular Tick Control Chemical: Implications of Lyme Disease

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Deer Ticks Developing Resistance to Popular Tick Control Chemical: Implications of Lyme Disease

(Beyond Pesticides, July 22, 2021) A new study published in the Journal of Medical Entomology finds black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapulari) in New York are developing potential resistance to widely used tick-control pyrethroid insecticide, permethrin.

filed under resistance and pyrethrins

Monday, July 26, 2021

Kids Who Eat Organic Food Score Higher on Cognitive Tests, Study Finds

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Kids Who Eat Organic Food Score Higher on Cognitive Tests, Study Finds

(Beyond Pesticides, July 7, 2021) Organic food consumption among children is associated with higher scores on tests measuring fluid intelligence and working memory, research published in the journal Environmental Pollution finds. This spanish study looked at all exposures... Likewise, the result associating organic food consumption with higher rates of cognition could be indicative of socio-economic status as opposed to specific food consumption.' Many previous studies have shown a higher pesticide burden in children and how pesticides affect development.Links.

filed under children

Monday, July 26, 2021

Conservation Genomics Pinpoint Pesticides and Pathogens in Decline of Bumblebees

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Conservation Genomics Pinpoint Pesticides and Pathogens in Decline of Bumblebees

(Beyond Pesticides, July 13, 2021) Bumblebees exposed to pesticides and pathogens display changes in gene expression that can be pinpointed and analyzed by cutting edge research tools “We’re looking directly at bee tissues  to try and get clues to the stressors that are affecting this bee. I think this is a gamechanger for sure. With a single study, we are able to implicate a couple of really obvious things we’ve talked about for years – pathogens and pesticides – in the case of Bombus terricola.”  says study coauthor Amro Zayed, PhD.

'Researchers discovered 61 differentially expressed genes, including those involved in detoxification, as well as those associated with neurodegenerative disorders and immune response. ..Bumblebees display gene expressions that are associated with exposure to neonicotinoid insecticides, fipronil, and a range of pathogens, including deformed wing virus and sacbrood virus.... A 2015 report by the European Academies Science Advisory Council found, “Several studies have demonstrated synergistic effects of neonicotinoid residues with bee parasites and viruses.' 

filed undeer neonicotinoids and wildlife/insects

Monday, July 26, 2021

Death of as Many as 107,000 Bumblebees from Neonicotinoid Insecticides Studied

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Death of as Many as 107,000 Bumblebees from Neonicotinoid Insecticides Studied

(Beyond Pesticides, July 16, 2021) Recently published research reviews the 2013 Wilsonville, Oregon mass bumblebee die-off from application of the neonicotinoid dinotefuran on 55 linden trees in a big-box-store parking lot. In that single event, the research paper (published in Environmental Entomology) estimates between 45,830 and 107,470 bumblebees from some 289–596 colonies were killed. Reporting on the new study, by Entomology Today, quotes primary conclusions of the co-authors: “Our study underscores the lethal impact of the neonicotinoid pesticide dinotefuran on pollinating insect populations,” and, “It is likely that the vast majority of mass pesticide kills of beneficial insects across other environments go unnoticed and unreported.”

SNAP Comment: As of 26 July 3032, there are 7 dinotefuran products registered in Canada by the PMRA for dogs and cats, outdoor spraying of some external structures and as a cockroach gel. 

filed under neonicotinoids and wildlife/insects

Monday, July 26, 2021

Chemicals, including Pesticides, in Wastewater Discharge Contaminate Oysters in Pacific Northwest

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Chemicals, including Pesticides, in Wastewater Discharge Contaminate Oysters in Pacific Northwest

(Beyond Pesticides, July 08, 2021) 'A Portland State University (PSU) study finds oysters of varying distances from wastewater discharge pipes along the Oregon and Washington state coast contain low levels of chemical contaminants....Although wastewater treatment facilities clean water draining from sinks and toilets, the process does not adequately remove all contaminants. The process can leave behind pharmaceutical drugs and personal care products (e. g., shampoos, make-up, deodorant) residues in treated water. PSU has already found that pesticides from the forestry industry threaten clams, mussels, oysters (bivalves) along the Oregon coast.

Although this study finds that chemical concentrations present in oysters remain under federally established guidelines, aquatic environments continuously encounter environmental pollutants and toxic compounds. These contaminants are known to have harmful biological consequences on both aquatic and terrestrial organisms.

The use of pharmaceuticals, like antibiotics and antifungals treatments, and pesticides in local marine ecosystems (e.g., insecticides to control sea lice in farmed salmon) results in coastal habitat loss and genetic health risks like pest resistance among wild marine organisms.'

filed under wildlife/aquatic organisms. 

Monday, July 26, 2021

Parents of Harmed Children Sue Manufacturer of Brain-Damaging Insecticide Chlorpyrifos

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Parents of Harmed Children Sue Manufacturer of Brain-Damaging Insecticide Chlorpyrifos

(Beyond Pesticides, July 14, 2021) Corteva (formerly DowDupont) is facing a potential class-action lawsuit after several California families filed suit claiming that the use of the insecticide chlorpyrifos around their homes resulted in birth defects, brain damage, and developmental problems in their children.

filed under Legl/Litigation

Wednesday, July 7, 2021

IARC Monograph on Glyphosate

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IARC Monograph on Glyphosate

filed under cancer/links between individual pesticides and cancer

Monday, July 5, 2021

Dr. Matt Bett s presentation to N B Standing Committee examining glyphosate use in forests

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Dr. Matt Bett's presentation to N B Standing Committee examining glyphosate use in forests (Professor of Forestry, Oregon State University, 24 June 2021) i hour video presentation. 

This covers effects of all herbicide used in Oregon, including glyphosate. Biodiversity decreased in plots sprayed once (light spraying)  twice (industrial standard) or 3 times (experimental). Wildlife loss is likely due habitat loss due to herbicide use. Although tree growth is 18-20% higher in treated plots, the red spruce germinates very well under canopy and just has to be released by cutting stems besides it. Economic discounting analysis indicates that it likely doesn't 'pay'; to spray. 

filed under Forestry

Monday, July 5, 2021

Disease Carrying Mosquitoes Developing Resistance to Widely Used Mosquito Control Pesticides

permethrin

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Disease Carrying Mosquitoes Developing Resistance to Widely Used Mosquito Control Pesticides

(Beyond Pesticides, July 1, 2021) Yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti) are evolving resistance to the pyrethroid insecticide permethrin, according to a study published by Colorado State University, highlighting the need to adopt ecologically-based mosquito management. Widespread, intensive use of the pesticide in mosquito control has allowed genetic mutations to persist among these mosquito populations, causing subsequent resistance to permethrin.  Insecticide resistance has been an issue since the introduction of DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) in the 1940s.

filed under resistance and pyrethrins

Monday, July 5, 2021

Rod Cumberland presentation on glyphosate to N B Standing Committee examining glyphosate use in forests

Effects of glyphosate on deer populatio

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Monday, July 5, 2021

Widely used neonic insecticides may be a threat to mammals, too

Neonicotinoids can also harm rabbits, birds, and deer

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Widely used neonic insecticides may be a threat to mammals, too
Neonicotinoids, used on corn seed and other crops, are already accused of contributing to declines of insect pollinators. Now there’s evidence they can also harm rabbits, birds, and deer.(By Elizabeth Royte, Food and Environment Reporting Network, February 5, 2021)

'Over the past several years, scientists have found that only about 5 percent of neonic seed coatings are taken up by crop plants. The rest washes or wears off seeds. The chemicals accumulate in soils and waterways, where a wide range of wildlife is exposed to them. Evidence is growing that compounds tailored to take out invertebrates can also harm mammals, birds, and fish. In a 2019 study, Roy set up camera traps in agricultural fields where she had deliberately spilled treated seed. Her motion-triggered cameras recorded more than a dozen bird species (including ring-necked pheasants, geese, and turkeys), plus bears, raccoons, rodents, rabbits, foxes, and skunks, all feeding on the treated seed.'
Add deer, antelope and likely all the moose living in farmland these days.

filed under neonicotinoids and wildlife/mammals

Thursday, July 1, 2021

Pesticide Contamination in Waterways Raises New Alarm for Aquatic Life, Citing Poor Regulation

German study. Canadian guidelines are set much higher than European.

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Pesticide Contamination in Waterways Raises New Alarm for Aquatic Life, Citing Poor Regulation

(Beyond Pesticides, June 23, 2021) Small streams are prone to excessively high levels of pesticide contamination that are even more hazardous than once thought, according to a pilot study generated by a team of German researchers. The results indicate significant risks for the health of aquatic ecosystems and should be used as evidence for establishing greater protections from toxic pesticide use, researchers say. With many aquatic benchmarks set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lower than those established in Germany and the European Union, and evidence of widespread pesticide contamination in America’s waterways,

SNAP Comment: 1.Canada only has unenforceable guidelines for pesticides in water. 2. These guidelines are generally set at a much higher level than in europe. 3. We also have limited funds therefore studying many fewer pesticides. 4. In addition, in many areas no inormation is available on local pesticide use short of interviewing farmers. 

filed in water

Thursday, July 1, 2021

Water quality issues : pesticides

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Water quality issues : pesticides (Government of Canada, 2017-11-23)

filed under water

Thursday, July 1, 2021

Vineyard Pesticides Linked to Parkinson’s

French study. 80% of pesticides used are fungicides

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Vineyard Pesticides Linked to Parkinson’s

(Beyond Pesticides, June 30, 2021) 'Vineyard farmers who spend more money on pesticide use are more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease, according to research published by French scientists in the journal Environmental Research. With Parkinson’s disease on the rise around the world, and emerging evidence growing for a Parkinson’s pandemic, it is critically important to suss out the factors at play... Parkinson’s disease incidence is 16% higher. No connections were found for other cropping systems...  Although vineyards account for only 3% of French land, 20% of pesticides purchased are for vineyards. Among the pesticides used, 80% are fungicides.'

filed under Parkinson's

Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Threat to Ocean Health: Pesticide Resistant Fish Lice Plague the North Atlantic Ocean

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Threat to Ocean Health: Pesticide Resistant Fish Lice Plague the North Atlantic Ocean

(Beyond Pesticides, June 3, 2021) A report published in Royal Society Open Science finds pesticide-resistant parasitic lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) are endangering wild and farmed fish populations in the North Atlantic. Extensive use of pesticides to rid the parasite has led to widespread resistance to multiple pesticides, prompting increasing infection rates among North Atlantic salmon populations.

filed under Resistance

Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Forestry Use of Glyphosate Reduces Fertility of Perennial Flowers and May Reduce Pollination

BC study

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Forestry Use of Glyphosate Reduces Fertility of Perennial Flowers and May Reduce Pollination

(Beyond Pesticides, June 22, 2021) 'Glyphosate herbicide use in forested areas persists in the environment for years and can prompt morphological changes in perennial flowers that reduce their fertility and may make them less attractive to pollinators. 

filded  under glyphosate and forestry/herbicides in forestry

Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Pesticide Pollution Continues Unabated, According to New Data

US study

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Pesticide Pollution Continues Unabated, According to New Data

(Beyond Pesticides, June 4, 2021) 'The release of the most recent U.S. Geological Services (USGS) study of pesticide contamination of rivers on the U.S. mainland finds that degradation of those rivers from pesticide pollution continues unabated. USGS scientists looked at data from 2013 to 2017 (inclusive) from rivers across the country and offered these top-level conclusions: “(1) pesticides persist in environments beyond the site of application and expected period of use, and (2) the potential toxicity of pesticides to aquatic life is pervasive in surface waters.”'

The study 'quantified concentrations of 221 compounds — 57 herbicides, 38 insecticides, 11 fungicide parent compounds, and 115 pesticide degradates (breakdown products). Herbicides constitute 88% of the total pesticide use represented in the sampling.'

filed under water

Monday, May 31, 2021

New Commercial Pesticide Toxicity Analysis Highlights Need to Shift to Organic Products

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New Commercial Pesticide Toxicity Analysis Highlights Need to Shift to Organic Products

US study based on products available to consumers at Lowe's and Home Depot.

(Beyond Pesticides, May 20, 2021) Beyond Pesticides and Friends of the Earth (FOE) collaborated to analyze herbicide products at two of the most popular home and garden retailers, Home Depot and Lowe’s. This new Commercial Herbicide Analysis highlights the adverse health and environmental effects of widely available toxic pesticides while encouraging retailers to expand on—and consumers to use—safer, least/non-toxic pesticide products.

The analysis...reveals that approximately half of all Home Depot herbicide products (24 of 51) and Lowe’s herbicide products (23 of 40) contain ingredients considered Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HPPs).

 The following active ingredients pose the most harm to human, animal, and ecosystem health, including cancer, reproductive harm, neurotoxicity, and hormone (endocrine) disruption: glyphosate, 2,4-D, dicamba, mecoprop, and pendimethalin. Of these five chemicals, all but dicamba are classifiable as HHPs. View the analysis   

SNAP Comment: 2,4-D, dicamba and mecoprop are generally used in combination in common herbicide formulas. 17 2,4-D, 16 mecoprop, 15 dicamba and 36 glyphosate products are registered for domestic use in Canada as of 30 May 2021. Pendimethalin is not registered in Canada.

filed under Household Pesticide Use and exposure

Monday, May 31, 2021

Conventional Meats Contaminated with Multi-Drug Resistant Bacteria, at Significantly Higher Rates than Organic Meats

about antibiiotic resistance

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Conventional Meats Contaminated with Multi-Drug Resistant Bacteria, at Significantly Higher Rates than Organic Meats

(Beyond Pesticides, May 18, 2021) Organic meat is far less likely to be adulterated with multi-drug resistant bacteria (MDRB) than conventional meat, according a study published earlier this month in Environmental Health Perspectives.

Organic is not safer by chance, but by design. Organic standards, governed by the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, were crafted with the goal of protecting public health and ecosystem services. Organic standards prohibit the use of antibiotics in poultry after their second day of life, and in mammals after the mother’s third trimester. Organic certified meats are also required to follow a stricter processing protocol, and in split operations organic meats cannot be processed on the same equipment as conventional meats without first undergoing cleaning and disinfecting.

In addition to food safety, past studies have found organic meats and other animal products to be more nutrient dense than its conventional counterparts.'

filed under organic/food

Sunday, May 30, 2021

Outrage as regulators let pesticides from factory pollute US town for years

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Outrage as regulators let pesticides from factory pollute US town for yearsContamination from an ethanol plant in Mead, Nebraska, came from some of the world’s largest agricultural companies   (The Guardian, Carey Gillam, 29 May 2021)  Nebraska story. 

SNAP Comment: I sure hope that the new canola crushing plants in Regina, apparenlty for oil (some for diesel replacement) production, will not accept treated seeds In any case, .the increase in canola porduction will undoubtedly bring an increase in pesticide use. 
'The state attorney general’s office then sued the company for multiple alleged environmental violations, citing “an ongoing threat to the environment”, and late last month Nebraska lawmakers passed a bill restricting the use of pesticide-treated seeds for ethanol production.
Fish die-offs are reported miles downstream from the plant. University researchers have reported the decimation of dozens of honeybee colonies, and state officials have received reports of sick and dying geese and other birds, as well as disoriented dogs and unexplained ailments in people.
Regulators said they have found unsafe pesticide levels in a farm pond, and water used for drinking and for irrigating crops is also feared contaminated, according to records within the Nebraska department of environment and energy (NDEE). Pesticide residues have been detected in soil samples taken from an area park.
AltEn advertised itself as a “green recycling” location where agricultural companies could dispose of unwanted supplies of these pesticide-treated seeds. Bayer AG, which owns Monsanto, along with Syngenta, Corteva, and other large companies, were among those dumping seeds coated with an array of insecticides and fungicides at AltEn, according to AltEn marketing materials.
The situation is but the latest example of how industrial agricultural practices can create hazards dangerous to human and environmental health, according to Blood, who grew up on a farm in Hastings, Nebraska, and suspects cancers developed by many Hastings residents were linked to chemicals in the soil and water. The area was designated a federal superfund site because of the contamination.'

filed under Exposure to Pesticides
 

Sunday, May 30, 2021

Ecological Mystery Unravels, With Toxic Pesticide Use at the Center

from brominated herbicides

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Ecological Mystery Unravels, With Toxic Pesticide Use at the Center

(Beyond Pesticides, May 12, 2021) Earlier this year, a team of scientists solved an ecological mystery that had persisted for decades. Throughout the southeastern United States, bald eagles and other top-level avian predators were experiencing mass deaths from a disease known as vacuolar myelinopathy (VM), a neurological ailment that causes lesions in affected animal’s brains. Now, scientists have determined that the chemical bromine, likely introduced by brominated herbicides in attempts to manage the invasive species, is the trigger for the production of the cyanobacteria’s neurotoxin... Most sources of bromine in a freshwater ecosystem are likely to be added by humans.

The use of a bromide-based product, intended to kill a plant that harbors a bacterium that, in the presence of bromine, produces a lethal neurotoxin is far beyond the scope of any risk assessment conducted by pesticide regulatory agencies.'

SNAP Comment: There are 29 diquat pesticides registered in Canada as of 30 May 2021 but apparently no diquat dibromide.or bistribromide.Diquat ion is considered by PAN as highly hazardous pesticide. .

filed under wildlife/birds and risk assessment   

Sunday, May 30, 2021

Swiss voters to cast ballots on pesticide-free farming

Swiss voters to cast ballots on pesticide-free farming

Switzerland is holding a referendum that could result in a total ban on synthetic pesticides. But environmentalists, farmers and agrochemical companies are at odds over a potential switch to organic agriculture. (DW, May 2021)

Friday, May 21, 2021

Conflicts of interest: Not a good look for science

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Conflicts of interest: Not a good look for science (PAN, 20 May 2021)

SNAP Comment: These tactics have all been developed and widely practiced by industry for decades on a multitude of products and issues including pesticides. Now we see them used to destroy democracy in the USA.
'There are several case examples covered in this 95-page INEP publication, and it’s really worth a read. One example from 2020, exposed in Environmental Health News, was an article on endocrine disruption published by 19 toxicologists in eight different journals. However, it was not a work of original research; in reality it was an opinion piece by toxicologists with ties to the chemical industry.
None of these toxicologists had studied endocrinology or endocrine disrupting chemicals.
In 2013, the same group of toxicologists published an article in six toxicology journals, around the time of a European Union legislative effort to regulate endocrine disrupting compounds. These editorials were meant to “foster the views of the chemical industry at the expense of human health.” This is not a good look for toxicology...
The tactics used to confuse the science around tobacco and more recently around the climate crisis include: distraction, creating doubt, calling for more studies (because of doubts!). Sound familiar? This is not new news, we’ve seen the pesticide industry employ these same tactics time and time again, specifically around the neurotoxic pesticide chlorpyrifos over the past 20 years.
link to the Industry Documents Library where one can research.

filed under Industry Shenanigans
 

Thursday, May 20, 2021

Meta-Review: Pesticides Kill or Harm Soil Invertebrates Essential to Soil Health

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Meta-Review: Pesticides Kill or Harm Soil Invertebrates Essential to Soil Health  (Beyond Pesticides, May 7, 2021) 

'A recent meta-review of nearly 400 studies finds that, in 71% of the cases reviewed, pesticides kill or otherwise harm soil invertebrates that contribute mightily to soil health. 

 In some cases, the organisms that are the most extensively studied are known to be less sensitive to pesticides than other organisms, suggesting that we have limited knowledge of the extent of harm caused by pesticides.”

filed under wildlife/terrestrial invertebrates

Thursday, May 20, 2021

Meta-Review: Pesticides Kill or Harm Soil Invertebrates Essential to Soil Health

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Meta-Review: Pesticides Kill or Harm Soil Invertebrates Essential to Soil Health

(Beyond Pesticides, May 7, 2021) Soil health is one of the linchpins on which the food production that sustains human life — as well as biodiversity, pollinator health, and carbon sequestration — depend. A recent meta-review of nearly 400 studies finds that, in 71% of the cases reviewed, pesticides kill or otherwise harm soil invertebrates that contribute mightily to soil health.

Thursday, May 20, 2021

Bayer Loses Bid to Overturn Neonicotinoid Ban in Europe

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Bayer Loses Bid to Overturn Neonicotinoid Ban in Europe

(Beyond Pesticides, May 11, 2021) The ruling from the European Court of Justice rejected all grounds on which the company filed its appeal, noting, “It must be held that the arguments put forward by Bayer CropScience cannot, in any event, succeed.” In denying the appeal, the court ruled Bayer responsible for paying its own legal fees, as well as the fees of environmental organizations that intervened to defend the ban.

filed under Legal/litigation

Thursday, May 20, 2021

Breakdown Products (Metabolites) from Pesticides May Be More Toxic than Parent Compound, Study Finds

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Breakdown Products (Metabolites) from Pesticides May Be More Toxic than Parent Compound, Study Finds  The original study adds 'The blind spot of pesticide risk assessment' to the title.

(Beyond Pesticides, May 6, 2021) Nearly half of all breakdown products (transformation products-TP) from four common-use environmental pesticides produce stronger endocrine (hormone) disrupting (ED) effects than the parent compound, according to new research published in Environment International. The four pesticides studied were 'pyriproxyfen (Pyr), malathion (ML), benalaxyl (BX), and fenoxaprop-ethyl (FE), together with their 21 TPs through in vitro and in silico approaches, Also link to another article listing 300 endocrine disrupting products. 

SNAP Comment: 0 registered pyriproxyfen (4 historical) and benalaxyl products in Canada,13 malathion products and 0 fenoxaprop-ethyl currently registered (4 historical)/

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Pesticide Exposure Increases Susceptibility to Covid-19, Gulf War Veterans Found At Risk

tested with chlorpyrifos

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Pesticide Exposure Increases Susceptibility to Covid-19, Gulf War Veterans Found At Risk

(Beyond Pesticides, April 28, 2021) 'According to recent data, out of 160,000 Covid-19 cases among veterans, the mortality rate was more than 4%. Researchers are pointing to Gulf War Syndrome, and past exposure to organophosphate pesticides as part of the problem. “We have identified a basic mechanism linked with inflammation that could increase susceptibility to COVID-19 infection among people exposed to organophosphates,” said Saurabh Chatterjee, PhD, from the University of South Carolina.

 Cells exposed to IL-6 and chlorpyrifos had much higher ACE2 expression, indicating a higher risk of infection. Additionally, cells exposed to these materials also recorded higher rates of apoptosis, or cell death.'

filed under immune/infections

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

The main ingredient in RoundUp doesn’t just kill plants. It harms beetles, too.

Glyphosate seems to interrupt a key symbiotic relationship in sawtooth grain beetles.

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The main ingredient in RoundUp doesn’t just kill plants. It harms beetles, too.    Glyphosate seems to interrupt a key symbiotic relationship in sawtooth grain beetles.   (Philip Kieffer, Popular Science, May 13, 2021) 

'But sawtooth grain beetles rely on a symbiotic relationship with a particular type of (unnamed) bacteria to build their shells. That bacteria in turn uses the shikimate pathway to manufacture the raw building blocks the beetles need.

Glyphosate appears to kill off those partners. After exposure to the chemical, the beetles make softer, weaker shells. It doesn’t kill them outright, but it leaves them more vulnerable. “They are doing way worse,” Engl says. “Their cuticle is thinner, and this is creating a higher risk of desiccation and higher mortality.”

The sawtoothed grain beetle is a crop pest, but Engl says it’s a model for all kinds of other beetles, which constitute about a quarter of all known animal species. “The beetle is generally used by us to understand the associations between insects, their microbial partners, and their ecological importance, so it’s a proxy for many insects,” Engl says.'

filed under wildlife/insects and glyphosate

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Research Shows Adverse Impacts of Glyphosate on the Human Gut Microbiome

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Research Shows Adverse Impacts of Glyphosate on the Human Gut Microbiome

(Beyond Pesticides, April 30, 2021) A bioinformatics tool developed by researchers from the University of Turku in Finland indicates that “54% of species in the core human gut microbiome are sensitive to glyphosate.” 

The researchers’ bioinformatic method categorizes EPSPS enzymes into four classes, each of which has a different sensitivity to glyphosate, with one of the four classes being particularly vulnerable.  In addition, the co-authors suggest that glyphosate may impact other metabolic pathways (beyond the Shikimate), positing that the mitochondria electron transport chain appears sensitive to the compound.

filed under glyphosate and digestive tact/human microbiome

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Study Finds Eagle Populations Experiencing Widespread Rodenticide Exposure

anticoagulant rodenticides

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Study Finds Eagle Populations Experiencing Widespread Rodenticide Exposure

(Beyond Pesticides, April 21, 2021) 'The vast majority of bald and golden eagles in the United States are contaminated with toxic anticoagulant rodenticides, according to research published in the journal PLOS One earlier this month. 

 Prior studies have deemed anticoagulant rodenticides “super-predators” in ecosystems for the widespread damage that can result from their use. This is because rodents that eat these chemicals, often contained in toxic baits, do not die immediately. While a rodent is likely to die from this poison, ingesting it also turns it into a sort of poison trojan horse for any predator that may take advantage of its slow decline. An eagle that eats a poisoned rodent at the edge of death will be the next to succumb to the anticoagulant effects of the chemical. 

The second-generation anticoagulant rodenticide brodifacoum was the most detected compound in sampled eagles.

filed under wildlife/birds and rodenticides

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Glyphosate-Based Herbicides and Sustainable Agriculture Do Not Mix!

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Glyphosate-Based Herbicides and Sustainable Agriculture Do Not Mix!

(Beyond Pesticides, April 29, 2021) 'Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) are incompatible with sustainable agriculture goals, according to a recent scientific literature analysis by scientists at Tufts University, Massachusetts.

However, studies demonstrate glyphosate is the main contributor to human, biotic, and ecosystem harms as toxicities from herbicides are now double what it was in 2004. 

The National Academy of Sciences identifies four goals of sustainable agriculture—productivity, economics, environment, and social well-being for future generations. However, pesticides like glyphosate are ubiquitous in the environment, putting the health, economy, and food/resources for future generations at risk. 

filed under glyphosate 

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Health Canada Bans Chlorpyrifos

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Health Canada Bans Chlorpyrifos (Media release, Safefood Matters, 17 May 2021)

'The Agency quietly issued a three-year plan to ban late last week.... The Canadian policy and advocacy group Safe Food Matters Inc. (SFM) led a network of 10 public interest groups in a formal Notice of Objection to the PMRA’s December 2020 Environmental Impact Assessment approving ongoing use of Chlorpyrifos. SFM’s President Mary Lou McDonald, an environmental lawyer, commented:

PMRA’s environmental risk assessment on the chemical did not use proper methods of science, and PMRA was late to the party in seeing the dangerous health effects. This is not protecting Canadians from the risks of pesticides. 

Health Canada needs its own and better resources to properly assess risks, instead of relying on the assumptions and science fed to it by corporations and then relying on NGOs to tell them where they are wrong. The current system isn’t working.”

filed under Legislation/Regulatory/Canada

Sunday, April 25, 2021

Toxic Pesticides Are Polluting Over Half of Arable Land, Reinforcing Need for Global Organic Transition

world study

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Toxic Pesticides Are Polluting Over Half of Arable Land, Reinforcing Need for Global Organic Transition

(Beyond Pesticides, April 7, 2021) 'Toxic pesticides are putting more than half of the Earth’s farmland at risk of pesticide pollution that contaminates water, harms biodiversity, and ultimately undermines food security, according to research published in Nature Geosciences last month.   A pesticide was deemed to put a location at risk if the predicted environmental concentration of the pesticide was expected to be above the no-effect concentration for ecotoxicological harm. The high risk designation was noted when expected environmental concentrations were more than three orders of magnitude (1,000x) higher than the no-effect concentration.     Scientists determined that 75% of global agricultural land was at risk, with 31% at high risk. Considering the additive effects of pesticide use, researchers found that 64% of ag land was at risk from more than one of the 92 pesticide active ingredients evaluated. Shockingly, 21% of farmland is at risk by more than 10 pesticides.'

filed under Pesticides in Soils

Sunday, April 25, 2021

No Pollinator is Safe — New Evidence of Neonicotinoids Harming Wild, Ground Nesting Bees

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“No Pollinator is Safe” — New Evidence of Neonicotinoids Harming Wild, Ground Nesting Bees

(Beyond Pesticides, April 13, 2021) A new study is making it increasingly clear that current laws are not protecting wild, ground nesting bees from the hazards of neonicotinoid insecticides.... Blue Orchard Mason Bees (Osima spp) are at particular risk from pesticide-contaminated soil they use to create their nest. 

filed under wildlife/insects and neonicotinoids

Sunday, April 25, 2021

Invertebrates and Plants Face Increasing Threat from Pesticide Use, Despite Declining Chemical Use Patterns

pyrethroids, neonicotinoids, organophosphates, glyphosate

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Invertebrates and Plants Face Increasing Threat from Pesticide Use, Despite Declining Chemical Use Patterns

Pesticide use threatens aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates and plants more than ever, despite declining chemical use and implementation of genetically engineered (GE) crops in the U.S., according to a University Koblenz-Landau, Germany study.' Although the new generation of pesticides (e.g., neonicotinoids, pyrethroids) pesticides are more target-specific, requiring lower chemical concentrations for effectiveness, they have over double the toxic effects on invertebrates, like pollinators....'The study results find a decrease in total pesticide amounts by volume on U.S. farms by 40 percent over the last 25 years. Although bird and mammal toxicity decreases with a reduction in pesticide use (95 percent), invertebrates experience higher toxicity levels. Pyrethroid insecticides cause toxicity to double among aquatic invertebrates. Neonicotinoid insecticides present double the risk to terrestrial invertebrates. Overall, pesticide toxicity for terrestrial plants is highest regardless of whether fields are conventional, non-GE, or GE

see also  Pesticides are becoming increasingly toxic for the world's most important insects The toxicity of 381 pesticides in the U.S. more than doubled for pollinators and aquatic invertebrates over the past two decades.(PANNA, May 18, 2021)

filed under wildlife

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Pesticides Are More Widespread in Both Conventional and Organic Agricultural Soils than Previously Thought

Swiss study

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Pesticides Are More Widespread in Both Conventional and Organic Agricultural Soils than Previously Thought

(Beyond Pesticides, April 1, 2021) 'A legacy of toxic pesticide use in agriculture is showing up as residues on organic farms, emphasizing the threat of a history of weak regulatory standards that has left farmland poisoned and the urgent need to transition to organic. A study, published in Environmental Science & Technology, documents the findings of pesticide residues on organic farmland and shows a decrease in residues after transition, with lingering effects for decades.' Researchers studied residues of 46 current pesticides. Conventional soils had 9 times higher pesticide contamination and the longer land was organic, the lower the residue. These pesticide residues affect soil organisms and consequently soil processes and functions. More studies are needed. 

filed under pesticides in soils

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Hazardous Pesticide Breakdown Chemicals Found in Streams Nationwide, Raising Health Concerns

US study

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Hazardous Pesticide Breakdown Chemicals Found in Streams Nationwide, Raising Health Concerns     (Beyond Pesticides, March 31, 2021) Pesticide breakdown products are just as ubiquitous as their parent compounds in urban streams throughout the United States, according to research conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and published in Environmental Science and Technology.   Herbicide metabolites were detected more frequently than insecticides and fungicides, but one problematic insecticide metabolite alone, fipronil sulfone (breakdown of the active ingredient fipronil), has the potential to significantly increase the toxicity of a steam to aquatic organisms. With fipronil sulfone detected in 20% of sampled streams – more frequently than its parent compound—there are significant implications for the health of U.S. waterways.   SNAP Comment: A PMRA label search found 0 fipronil products registered in Canada.

filed under water

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Living Within 2.5 Miles of Chemical Farming Increases Risk of Childhood Brain Tumors

California study

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Living Within 2.5 Miles of Chemical Farming Increases Risk of Childhood Brain Tumors

(Beyond Pesticides, April 6, 2021) Pregnant women living within 2.5 miles of agricultural pesticide applications have an increased risk that their child will develop central nervous system (CNS) tumors, according to a study published in the journal Environmental Research by a team at University of California, Los Angeles. The results are particularly concerning as it reveals that individuals do not have to be in close contact with pesticides for risky, health-harming exposures to occur.    For astrocytoma tumors, the use of the pesticides bromacil, thiophanate-methyltriforine, and kresoxim-methyl increased risk of tumor development. Medulloblastoma was associated with the use of chlorothalonilpropiconazoledimethoate, and linuron. Development of ependymoma was linked to nearby use of thiophanate-methyl. In sum, the pesticides chlorthalonil, bromacil, thiophanate-methyl, triforine, kresoxim-methyl, propiconazole, dimethoate, and linuron were all linked to elevated rates of a CNS tumor.

SNAP Comment: California is one of the only locations where such a study can be performed because they keep pesticide use data. In Saskatchewan, we don't even have pesticide sales data since 2003! The transition from farmland to residential is equally abrupt in SK.  As of 20 April 2021, the number of registered products of the pesticides quoted above are registered by the PMRA: Linuron 4 (herbicide) (annual weeds in crops); bromacil, 6 (herbicide); thiophanate-methyl,(fungicide) 13. included uses for seed potatoes ((not an extensive search of uses); Triforine,2 (fungicide) for blueberries, other berries and fruit);  kresoxim-methyl 2 (fungicide) for pear scab and powdery mildew; chlorothalonil,38 labels (fungicide) formarket gardens, corn and fruit, golf courses, ornamentals and aerial applications (not an extensive search of uses); propiconazole,65 labels (fungicide) turf, golf courses. Christmas tree plantations, crops, market gardens (not an extensive search of uses); dimethoate (Cygon) 6 labels (systemic insecticide) flowers, vegetables, field crops, ornamental trees (not an extensive search of uses)

filed under children, hazads of living near fields, and cancer /links between individual chemicals....

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Roundup Shown to Kill Bees—But Not How You Might Expect

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Roundup Shown to Kill Bees—But Not How You Might Expect

(Beyond Pesticides, April 20, 2021) 'Roundup products manufactured by Bayer-Monsanto kill exposed bumblebees at high rates, according to a new study published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, which points to undisclosed inert ingredients (those that typically make up a majority of the product formulation) as the primary culprit.

Bumblebees sprayed with consumer use Roundup Ready-To-Use (contains glyphosate) experienced a shocking 94% mortality. Subsequent experiments were conducted at lower application rates for that product, and significant mortality was seen for the 1:1 dilution (98% mortality) as well as the 1:3 dilution rate (78% mortality). The agricultural use Roundup Proactive (contains glyphosate) saw lower rates of death at 30%. Weedol, a glyphosate-based consumer product, displayed a mortality rate (6%) similar to the unexposed control group of bumblebees (4%). However, Roundup Speed Ultra' (containing acetic acid and no glyphosate) 'was found to kill 96% of exposed pollinators.'.

SNAP Comment: Interesting that the UK formulation containing acetic acid andno glyphosate was so toxic as this is considered an alternative product.

filed under inerts/formulants and wildlife/insects

Monday, April 19, 2021

City of Regina Pests and Wildlife page

What the city does and what you can do

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City of Regina Pests and Wildlife page

Learn about invasive pests and how to keep them under control without compromising the health of our ecosystems. Learn what the city does and what you can do for many issues. 

Regina does not have a pesticide bylaw but these efforts are a step in the right direction.

filed under Alternatives

Monday, April 19, 2021

Stop the Spray groups in Canada working to ban glyphosate in forestry

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Stop the Spray Canada Facebood group _ members only

Stop the Spray Alberta Facebood group _ members only

Stop the Spray BC Facebood group _ members only

Stop Spraying in New Brunswick  Facebood group _ members only

Stop Spraying and Clear-Cutting Nova Scotia (SSACCNS) Facebood group _ members only

Stop the Spray Ontario Facebood group _ members only  They have a petition to sign “Ontario Legislative Assembly: Stop the use of non-essential chemical herbicides in Ontario's public forests ...”. 

From what I gather, Quebec and Saskatchewan do not currently allow forestry companies leasing provincial Crown land to spray herbicides on the forest. 

Other uses of pesticides in Canadian forests

  • In addition to forest companies, many provincial department of highways spray road edges to maintain visibility, railroads spray rail beds for weeds, and power companies spray under power lines. If you become aware of other uses, let SNAP know. 
  • Tree seedlings planted by tree planters also generally seem to be treated, likely with fungicide or insecticides as many tree planters reported to me. I needmore details about this use. 
  • At lest Saskatchewan sprays when needed for insects such as Spruce Budworm and Tent Caterpillars. Btk is an acceptable natural insecticide for organic agriculture and is effective for both. It has generally replaced much more toxic insecticides such as DDT and fenitrothion. Each province would have different rules about this. 

filed under forestry/Canada

Friday, April 16, 2021

Kenyan Farmers Are Resorting to Hand Pollination After Pesticide Use Kills Off Local Pollinators

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Kenyan Farmers Are Resorting to Hand Pollination After Pesticide Use Kills Off Local Pollinators

(Beyond Pesticides, March 24, 2021) "The worst predictions of scientists and advocates are playing out in the fields of eastern Kenya, as chemical-intensive farming there threatens the future of food production. 

Crop yields in the region have tapered off over the last two years, and farmers like Mr. Mbithi are pointing to pesticide use as the cause, citing past reliance on the herbicide Roundup (glyphosate) and the organophosphate insecticide malathion. “Pollinators such as bees and butterflies are not around due to chemicals which we spray in our farms,” he told RFI."  

filed under Bee Die-Off

Friday, April 16, 2021

Endangered Florida Manatees Contaminated with Glyphosate/Roundup Due to Widespread Use

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Endangered Florida Manatees Contaminated with Glyphosate/Roundup Due to Widespread Use

(Beyond Pesticides, March 30, 2021) Florida manatees are experiencing chronic glyphosate exposure that is likely to impact their immune system and make them more susceptible to other environmental stressors such as red tide and cold stress... Results found glyphosate in the bodies of 55.8% of Florida manatee samples. Most concerning, the amount of pesticide increased in a straight line over the course of the study.  Authors of the study indicate that it is appropriate to consider glyphosate a “pseudo-persistent” pollutant, “in which new applications of the herbicide replace the molecules that are being removed,” the study reads.'

filed under wildlife/mammals

Friday, April 16, 2021

Over 100 Chemicals Detectable in Pregnant Women, Including 98 “New” or Unknown Compounds

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Over 100 Chemicals Detectable in Pregnant Women, Including 98 “New” or Unknown Compounds

(Beyond Pesticides, March 25, 2021) 'A new University of California San Francisco (UCSF) study, published in Environmental Science & Technology, finds over 100 chemicals present in U.S. pregnant women’s blood and umbilical cord samples. This discovery ignites concerns over prenatal exposure to chemicals from consumer and industrial products and sources. Furthermore, 89 percent of these chemical contaminants are unknown sources and uses, lacking adequate information, or are not previously detectable in humans. This discovery ignites concerns over prenatal exposure to chemicals from consumer and industrial products and sources.

The study detects 109 chemicals within blood samples of mothers and newborns, including pesticides, plasticizers, compounds in cosmetics and consumer products, pharmaceuticals, flame retardants, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) compounds. Of the 109 chemicals, 55 lack preceding reports on their presence in humans, and 42 chemical compounds have little to no information regarding chemical classification, use, and source of contamination.'

filed under children

Friday, April 16, 2021

Hazardous Pesticide Breakdown Chemicals Found in Streams Nationwide, Raising Health Concerns

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Hazardous Pesticide Breakdown Chemicals Found in Streams Nationwide, Raising Health Concerns

(Beyond Pesticides, March 31, 2021) Pesticide breakdown products are just as ubiquitous as their parent compounds in urban streams throughout the United States, according to research conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and published in Environmental Science and Technology.   Herbicide metabolites were detected more frequently than insecticides and fungicides, but one problematic insecticide metabolite alone, fipronil sulfone (breakdown of the active ingredient fipronil), has the potential to significantly increase the toxicity of a steam to aquatic organisms. With fipronil sulfone detected in 20% of sampled streams – more frequently than its parent compound—there are significant implications for the health of U.S. waterways.

SNAP Comment: A PMRA label search found 0 fipronil products registered in Canada.

filed under water

Thursday, April 15, 2021

Advancing consideration of endocrine-disrupting chemicals under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999

Committee report – July 18-19 2018

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Advancing consideration of endocrine-disrupting chemicals under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999

Chemicals Management Plan Science Committee. Committee report – July 18-19 2018

filed under Legislation/Canada

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Common Use Organophosphate Insecticides Pose a Greater Threat to Women’s Health

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Common Use Organophosphate Insecticides Pose a Greater Threat to Women’s Health

(Beyond Pesticides, March 18, 2021) A new study published in Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology finds chronic (long-term) organophosphate (OP) pesticide exposure increases adverse health and cancer risk for U.S.women relative to men.   Study results demonstrate that non-smoking women with higher concentrations of OP metabolites are at greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease, bronchitis, asthma, and total cancer, including breast cancer. OP exposure contributes most significantly to cardiovascular disease risk in women 60 to 85 years old. Increasing prescription drug use to treat pulmonary issues among women with higher OP concentrations indicates a relationship between exposure and health issues. Although breast cancer risk is highest among women overall, female smokers have a significantly higher risk of developing breast cancer in combination with OP exposure. Lastly, OP exposure among male smokers can increase rates of prostate cancer.

filed under Fact Sheets/Organophosphates and cancer/links

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Glyphosate Profile

PROBABLE CARCINOGEN (IARC 2A)

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Glyphosate Profile (Carex Canada) CAREX Canada   PESTICIDES – PROBABLE CARCINOGEN (IARC 2A)

(CARcinogen EXposure) is a multi-institution team of researchers and specialists with expertise in epidemiology, risk assessment, toxicology, geographic information systems, and knowledge mobilization. The purpose of CAREX Canada is to provide a body of knowledge about Canadians’ exposures to known and suspected carcinogens, in order to support organizations in prioritizing exposures and in developing targeted exposure reduction policies and programs.

filed under glyphosate and cancer 

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Researchers Find Nontoxic Method Kills a Problematic Fungus When It Least Expects It

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Researchers Find Nontoxic Method Kills a Problematic Fungus When It Least Expects It

(Beyond Pesticides, March 17, 2021) Ultraviolet radiation (UV-C) applied at night can successfully kill powdery mildew in farm fields, providing a potential route to significantly reduce the use of toxic fungicides, new research published in the journal Plant Disease finds. “UV treatments applied once or twice weekly were as effective as the best available fungicides applied on similar schedules for control of strawberry powdery mildew,"

filed under Alternatives/Diseases

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Arkansas Plant Board Takes First Step to Roll Back Crop Damage Protections from Dicamba/Herbicide Drift

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Arkansas Plant Board Takes First Step to Roll Back Crop Damage Protections from Dicamba/Herbicide Drift    (Beyond Pesticides, March 23, 2021) 'Earlier this month, the Arkansas State Plant Board (ASPB) voted to loosen regulations curtailing use of the highly drift-prone herbicide dicamba. With an 8-7 vote, ASPB eliminated measures advanced in 2016 that protect growers from dicamba drifting off of genetically engineered (GE) soybean fields.'

filed under Legislation/regulatory/USA

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Pesticide Exposure, Agricultural Work Associated with Chronic Lung Disease

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Pesticide Exposure, Agricultural Work Associated with Chronic Lung Disease

(Beyond Pesticides, March, 16, 2021) Occupational and environmental exposure to pesticides and other contaminants in the environment increase the risk of developing a lung condition known as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), according to a meta-analysis published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports. IPF is a chronic, degenerative disease with no certain cause or cure. It is estimated to affect roughly 13 women and 20 men in 100,000 adults worldwide annually, with onset averaging age 66.   Pesticide use and agricultural work were found to have the strongest association with IPF. Pesticide exposure increased risk of IPF by 107%, whereas agricultural workers recorded an 88% increased risk.

filed under respiratory

Sunday, March 28, 2021

Economic Impact of Glyphosate Contamination on Organic Production in Saskatchewan

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Economic Impact of Glyphosate Contamination on Organic Production in Saskatchewan (COTA Organic summit, November 18. 2019)

  1. 26% producers had an unintended contact with glyphosate incident on their farm
  2. 46% of respondents had to take land out of production
  3. 20% of respondents lost a sale
  4. 52% of respondents reported a financial loss
  5. 20 % of exporters had loads rejected by buyer that had passed glyphosate residue testing before it left Saskatchewan.

filed under 

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Ecosystem Health: Pesticide Use from Forest Management Practices Threatens Essential West Coast Marine Organisms

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Ecosystem Health: Pesticide Use from Forest Management Practices Threatens Essential West Coast Marine Organisms

(Beyond Pesticides, March 11, 2021) A Portland State University (PSU) study finds that pesticides from the forestry industry threaten clams, mussels, oysters (bivalves) along the Oregon state coast. Bivalves are excellent indicator species, signaling environmental contamination through their sedimentary, filter-feeding diet. However, continuous pesticide inputs—from various forestry management regimes—into watersheds along Oregon’s coastal zone endanger these species in downstream rivers and estuaries (river mouths).... there is a lack of studies addressing the overall impact of multiple chemical mixtures and application on watersheds and subsequent aquatic transport. 

The study results detect 12 different chemical compounds (two herbicides, three fungicides, and seven insecticides) in both water and bivalve samples—five of which are current-use pesticides in forest management. Although pesticide concentration and type vary by season, organism, and watershed location, 38 percent of bivalve samples harbor pesticide concentrations high enough to accumulate in tissuesIndaziflam (a current-use herbicide in Oregon forestry) is present in seven percent of bivalve samples. Furthermore, water samples find current-use herbicides hexazinone and atrazine, and banned pesticides like DDT/DDE contribute to aquatic contamination downstream. The study uncovers that most contamination occurs along the Central Oregon Coast in the Siuslaw and Smith watersheds

Additionally, coastal and offshore aquaculture (farming of aquatic organisms) presents a new, looming threat to marine health. Namely, the use of antibiotics and pesticides on local marine ecosystems (e.g., insecticides to control sea lice in farmed salmon) results in coastal habitat loss and genetic and health risks to wild marine populations.

SNAP Comment: As of 23 March 2021, 7 Indaziflam products are registered in Canada, most for orchards and one for non residential/non-crop areas which includes railroads and utilities but not specifically forestry. 5 Hexazinone products with 3 used for alfalfa and blueberries, and 2 for woodland management and Christmas tree plantations, and 12 Atrazine labels which seem to be for use mostly in corn and agriculture. I suspect that extensive water testing in Canada would indicate the presence of many pesticides that likely could accumulate in bivalves and other aquatic organisms. If these particular products were found, the source would likely be agricultural and not forestry. 

filed under Wildlife/ aquatic organisms and forestry

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Despite 1,700 Dog and Cat Deaths from Flea Collars, EPA Silent; Children at Risk

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Despite 1,700 Dog and Cat Deaths from Flea Collars, EPA Silent; Children at Risk

(Beyond Pesticides, March 5, 2021) Pet owners will be alarmed to read the report, by USA Today, that a popular flea and tick collar — Seresto, developed by Bayer and sold by Elanco — has been linked to nearly 1,700 pet deaths, injuries to tens of thousands of animals, and harm to hundreds of people... Beyond Pesticides and other advocates have warned of the toxicity of pet pesticide treatments, not only to the animals themselves, but also, to children and other household members. There are nontoxic ways to protect pets from fleas and other pests, and to protect human family members at the same time.

The active pesticide ingredients in the Seresto pet collars are imidacloprid and flumethrin. The neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid is a commonly used pesticide associated with serious health and environmental decline. ... Flumethrin is a chemical in the pyrethroid class of synthetic neurotoxic insecticides, which have been repeatedly linked to neurological issues, such as seizures and learning disabilities in children, and to gastrointestinal distress, as well as to damage to non-target invertebrates, according to EPA’s own analysis.'

SNAP Comment: There are 99 imidacloprid products registered in Canada as of 23 March 2021, many of them registered for pet treatments. Flumethrin is not and has not bee registered in Canada. The Seresto trademark is not registered in Canada.

Filed under pets, neonicotinoids and pyrethrins

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Minnesota Deer Threatened by Ubiquitous Neonicotinoid Contamination, According to Study

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Minnesota Deer Threatened by Ubiquitous Neonicotinoid Contamination, According to Study  (Beyond Pesticides, March 10, 2021)  

'Preliminary results reveal that 61% of deer spleen samples contained neonicotinoids. Although MDNR notes that these levels are below allowable levels set by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for consumption of other foods like fruit and beef, it has not yet released exact numbers, and that fact alone does not equate to safety.

Subsequent reporting from the Minneapolis Star Tribune indicates that some of the deer spleens tested contained detections well above levels found in the South Dakota study that result in fawn birth defects (.33 parts per billion). A letter written to hunters who provided MDNR spleen samples informed them that initial testing found levels as high as 6.1 parts per billion.

The detections were not simply from one particular location, but widespread throughout the state, even in remote, forested areas.    These data reinforce long-standing calls by scientists and conservation groups to eliminate the use of neonicotinoids due to their broad ranging impacts on ecosystems. In 2018, the Task Force on Systemic Pesticides, an international group of over 240 scientists published a Worldwide Integrated Assessment (WIA) synthesizing 1,121 published peer-reviewed studies over the last five years. The scientists found that, “neonics impact all species that chew a plant, sip its sap, drink its nectar, eat its pollen or fruit and these impacts cascade through an ecosystem weakening its stability.”

filed under wiildlfe/mammals and neonicotinoids

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

EPA Proposes Cancellation of Highly Toxic Wood Preservative Pentachlorophenol (“Penta”)

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EPA Proposes Cancellation of Highly Toxic Wood Preservative Pentachlorophenol (“Penta”)

(Beyond Pesticides, March 9, 2021)   Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an interim decision to cancel of one of the most hazardous pesticides still used in the United States, pentachlorophenol (penta). Although long overdue, health advocates are hailing the agency’s action, taken due to significant risks to human health, the availability of alternatives, and the uncertain future of penta production. ...Although most uses of penta were eliminated in the 1980s, its application as a wood preservative remained.

Beyond Pesticides has extensive documentation on the history of penta production and regulation.linked to in this article.

SNAP Comment: As of 23 March 2021, there are still 2 commercial pentachlorophol products registered din Canada. SaskPower is still widely using penta-treated power poles and I suspect that penta is the product they use to retreat the poles to ensure a longer life. See Publications May 7, 2017 for Sask Power use and SNAP letter.

filed under Treated wood

Sunday, March 21, 2021

No more excuses: Global network demands phase-out of Highly Hazardous Pesticides by 2030

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No more excuses: Global network demands phase-out of Highly Hazardous Pesticides by 2030 (PAN, March 19, 2021)

Includes links to the PAN International Consolidated List of Banned Pesticides and PAN International List of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (PAN List of HHPs) (March 2021)

PAN’s Bans List shows that 162 countries have banned a total of 460 pesticide active ingredients or groups of actives regarded as still ‘currently in use’ in the global market, i.e. not obsolete. In total, there were 94 active ingredients that were newly added to the list of banned pesticides. This includes the world’s most popular weedkiller, glyphosate. The list also shows that for the first time, imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam – neonicotinoids linked to bee deaths – have all lost approval in the European Union (EU).

 filed under Pesticide Safety

Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Let s talk about herbicide residues in forest communities: what are they doing?

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 Let’s talk about herbicide residues in forest communities: what are they doing?(Dr. Lisa Wood, UNBC - November 13 2020) 1 hour and 16 minutes video presentation. Several charts indicating that  glyphosate and its breakdown products AMPA persist much longer in the "real world" scenario,.When plants such as raspberries and Blueberries are not kiilled outright by glyphosate, they accumulate glyphosate and AMPA intheir tissues and fruits. The first year after spraying, over 70% of samples contained glyphosate and AMPA.. It took 6 years for new raspberry samples contained no herbicide. 

filed under forestry/ herbicides

Stop the Spray Canada Facebook group

Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Glyphosate: Its Environmental Persistence and Impact on Crop Health and Nutrition

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Glyphosate: Its Environmental Persistence and Impact on Crop Health and Nutrition   (Ramdas Kanissery et al, Plants (Basel). 2019 Nov; 8(11): 499).

'The purpose of this brief review is to present and discuss the state of knowledge with respect to its persistence in the environment, possible effects on crop health, and impacts on crop nutrition.'

filded under Food/Nutrition

Monday, March 15, 2021

Massachusetts Regulators Restrict Consumer Use of Bee-Toxic Neonicotinoid Pesticides

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Massachusetts Regulators Restrict Consumer Use of Bee-Toxic Neonicotinoid Pesticides

(Beyond Pesticides, March 3, 2021) Earlier this week, pesticide regulators in the commonwealth of Massachusetts voted to restrict outdoor consumer uses of neonicotinoid insecticides. The move is the result of sustained advocacy from broad coalition of individuals and organizations focused on protecting pollinators and ecosystem health. 

SNAP Comment:  This law does not restrict use in pet products and nursery plants or commercial products used by pest control applicators if used indoors or for health reasons.As of 15 March 2021, there are 63 PMRA imidacloprid  and 3 dinotefuran (mostly for tiick and fleas on pets) 1 acetamiprid, and 1 Thiamethoxam (antgel).registered as insecticides consumer (domestic) products, Although I haven't checked the commercial products, there are likely some that can be used by pest control applicators.. 

filed under Bylaws/USA

Monday, March 15, 2021

Chemical control in forest pest management

a Canadian history

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Chemical control in forest pest management  (Stephen B. Holmes and Chris J.K. MacQuarrie, Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2016)

a history.from Roman and Chinese times to modern. In Canada it starts with DDT in Algonquin Park, Ontario, in 1944-45 and goes throuhg a slough of products including some that were never registered.like Mexacarbate used in Quebec and Ontario (1972-75) to pyrethrins and fenitrothion (until 1998). Then tebufenozide, an insect moulting hormone analogue, temporarily registerd in 1996 for moths and butterflies, like Spruce Budworm. The neonicotinoid imidacloprid is also used in forestry. For control pine bark beetle, the arsenic based herbicide MSMA has also been used on selective trees after bringing the beetles in with a pheromone attractant. Environmental effects of the various insecticides are also mentioned. The article also discusses botanical based insecticides like azadirachtin and spinosyns. The article also discussesaerial application.

filed under forestry

Monday, March 15, 2021

Solitary Wild Bees Harmed by Neonicotinoid Pesticides Applied by Soil Drenching

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Solitary Wild Bees Harmed by Neonicotinoid Pesticides Applied by Soil Drenching

(Beyond Pesticides, March 2, 2021) 'Populations of solitary ground nesting bees decline after exposure to neonicotinoid insecticides, according to a study published in Scientific Reports late last month. In addition to ground-nesting bees, neonicotinoids have been shown to harm butterflies, hummingbirds, songbirds, aquatic species and mammals, including human,.. Squash seeds were treated with the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam, the neonicotinoid imidacloprid was applied as a soil drench, and chlorantraniliprole was sprayed on plant foliage. A fourth group of hoop houses did not have a pesticide applied in order to act as a control.

Results show that the soil drench (imidacloprid) presents significant hazards to ground nesting bees. Hoary squash bees in this group initiated 85% fewer nests, harvested 5 times less pollen, and produced 89% fewer offspring than the untreated control group... Whatever the etiology of the deleterious effects observed, study authors are certain that their data points to unacceptable hazards from the use of imidacloprid.' 

filed under wildlife/insects and neonicotinoids

Monday, March 15, 2021

Implications for Human Health: Glyphosate-Related Soil Erosion Re-Releases Toxic Pesticides from Soil

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Implications for Human Health: Glyphosate-Related Soil Erosion Re-Releases Toxic Pesticides from Soil

French West Indies study. (Beyond Pesticides, March 4, 2021) A new study finds glyphosate use stimulates soil erosion responsible for releasing banned, toxic pesticide chlordecone (Kepone), which was used in banana production. ... Researchers note, “Chlordecone fluxes drastically increased when glyphosate use began, leading to widespread ecosystem contamination. As glyphosate is used globally, ecotoxicological risk management strategies should consider how its application affects persistent pesticide storage in soils, transfer dynamics, and widespread contamination.” Conventional pesticide use contaminates soil and their respective Critical Zone (CZ) compartments.

SNAP Comment: I wonder how many other chemicals it might release through erosion... However, there was a lot more soil drifting in SK before chem fallowing with Roundup.

filed under glyphosate, water and soils

Monday, March 15, 2021

Update on the Neonicotinoid Pesticides

(Government of Canada, 30 September 2020)

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Update on the Neonicotinoid Pesticides (Government of Canada, 30 September 2020)

filed under Legislation/Regulatory/Canada

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

In Cahoots with Pesticide Industry, Former U.S. Officials Try to Stop Mexico from Banning Glyphosate, But Fail

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In Cahoots with Pesticide Industry, Former U.S. Officials Try to Stop Mexico from Banning Glyphosate, But Fail

(Beyond Pesticides, February 17, 2021) New details are emerging around the pressure campaign Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and his administration withstood as the country moved towards banning Bayer/Monsanto’s glyphosate (Roundup) herbicide. According to documents obtained by a Freedom of Information Act request and published in the Guardian, U.S. Trade Representative, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) worked in coordination with Bayer/Monsanto and the agrichemical industry umbrella group Croplife America to stop the Mexican government from embracing a precautionary approach to pesticide regulation. While the Trump administration and its collaborators were successful in a similar campaign against Thailand, there are no indications that Mexico will rescind its final decision to ban glyphosate, made at the end of last year. 

filed under Industry Shenanigans/Regulatory and legal and glyphosate

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

Aggressive Cancer in Sea Lions Linked to Legacy Pesticides and Herpesvirus Precursor, Implications for Human Health

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Aggressive Cancer in Sea Lions Linked to Ocean Pollution and Herpesvirus Precursor, Implications for Human Health

(Beyond Pesticides, February 11, 2021) California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) are experiencing high rates of urogenital carcinoma (UGC) cancer incidences from the combined effect of toxic “legacy” pesticides like DDT and the viral infection Otarine herpesvirus-1 (OtHV1), according to a new study published in Frontiers in Marine Science. Previous research documents the role herpesvirus infection, genotype, and organochlorine pesticides play in sea lion cancer development. However, synergism (collaboration) between viral infection and toxic chemical exposure increases cancer development odds.

“This study has implications for human health, as virally associated cancer occurs in humans, and likelihood of cancer development could similarly be increased by exposure to environmental contaminants. Efforts to prevent ecosystem contamination with persistent organic pollutants must be improved to protect both wildlife and human health.”

Filed under Wildlife/Mammals

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

Herbicide Use in “Regenerative” No-Till Contaminates Waterbodies

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Herbicide Use in “Regenerative” No-Till Contaminates Waterbodies

US study. (Beyond Pesticides, February 19, 2021)  'Tackling any one problem without precautionary attention to potential consequences of a solution — before it is enacted — is the opposite of the holistic understandings and strategies needed to solve environmental crises. Piecemeal approaches often generate unintended consequences. To wit: Vermont Public Radio (VPR) reports on revelations from a retired state scientist, Nat Shambaugh, who finds that farmers’ efforts to reduce agricultural runoff from fields into waterbodies, by planting cover crops, has resulted in significant increases in the use of herbicides to kill off those crops.'  

filed under Risk Assessment and water

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

Eliminating Pesticides Increases Crop Yields, Debunking Myth of Pesticide Benefits

soil fungi eliminate nematodes

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Eliminating Pesticides Increases Crop Yields, Debunking Myth of Pesticide Benefits

(Beyond Pesticides, February 12, 2021) Recent research points to an example of such ecosystem efficacy. The study, by researchers in California and China, sought to evaluate whether increased population densities of fungi might be suppressing nematode populations in California production fields frequently planted with the cole crops (such as brussels sprouts and broccoli) they favor. The research finds that a diverse population of fungi in soils is highly likely to be effectively killing nematodes that threaten such crops

These research results demonstrate how faulty the use of fungicides — which in 2012 amounted to 105 million pounds in the U.S — is likely to be. These compounds destroy fungi that provide a variety of beneficial and economically valuable ecosystem (and crop) services. Fungi decompose and recycle nutrients, improve moisture retention, and even act as biological controls for some fungal diseases. Many other pesticides, including glyphosate (which is an antibiotic) threaten microbial life, as well.

filed under Alternatives/insects and invertebrates

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

Glyphosate and Other Weed Killers Create Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria in Agricultural Soils

as well as glufosinate and dicamba

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Glyphosate and Other Weed Killers Create Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria in Agricultural Soils

(Beyond Pesticides, February 24, 2021) 'Soil sprayed with weedkillers glyphosate, glufosinate, or dicamba are likely to contain higher amounts of antibiotic resistant bacteria, according to research published earlier this month in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution. Each year in the United States, at least 2 million people develop an antibiotic resistant infection, and over 23,000 die. Authors of the study say widespread herbicide use is likely playing a role. “Our results suggest that the use of herbicides could indirectly drive antibiotic resistance evolution in agricultural soil microbiomes, which are repeatedly exposed to herbicides during weed control,” said Ville Friman, PhD of the University of York in the United Kingdom.

Contrary to the pesticide industry’s claim that these chemicals break down quickly and become inert by binding to soil particles, large proportions of the herbicides remained in the soil at the end of the 60-day experiment, stemming back from the first application. For glyphosate 18% remained, glufosinate 21%, and dicamba 34%.

... scientists determined that herbicide exposure triggers evolutionary pressures on bacteria similar to those exposed to antibiotics.

“Interestingly, antibiotic resistance genes were favoured at herbicide concentrations that were not lethal to bacteria,” said Dr. Friman. “This shows that already very low levels of herbicides could significantly change the genetic composition of soil bacterial populations. Such effects are currently missed by ecotoxicological risk assessments, which do not consider evolutionary consequences of prolonged chemical application at the level of microbial communities.”'

The field 'Samples matched up closely to the results of the microcosm experiment:'

filed under glyphosate, dicamba and Health/Antibiotic Resistance

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

Implications for Human Health: Chronic Inhalation of Paraquat in Low-Doses Disrupts Sense of Smell

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Implications for Human Health: Chronic Inhalation of Paraquat in Low-Doses Disrupts Sense of Smell

SNAP Comment: As of 9 March 3021, the PMRA still lists 3  paraquat labels as being registered in Canada. The commercial product is Gramoxone 200 SL

(Beyond Pesticides, February 18, 2021) 'New research published in the journal Toxicological Sciences finds extended inhalation of the common herbicide paraquat causes male mice to lose some sense of smell, even at low doses. This study highlights the significance of understanding how specific chemical exposure routes can influence disease development. Olfactory (relating to the sense of smell) impairment is a precursory feature of Parkinson’s disease (PD), and studies connect paraquat poisoning to PD risk.'

filed under Health/Nervous System Effects/ Parkinson Disease, Low Dose Effects and Loss of Smell

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

New Mexico Bill Will Protect Children from Toxic Pesticides Where They Learn and Play

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New Mexico Bill Will Protect Children from Toxic Pesticides Where They Learn and Play

(Santa Fe, New Mexico, February 11, 2021)—New Mexico State Senator Brenda McKenna  introduced the Public Schools Pesticide Management Act (PSPMA) (SB 326) in order to protect school children from exposure to toxic pesticides where they learn and play. The legislation advances ecological pest management, an environmentally healthy way to protect children and the public from weeds and pests, within all schools, classrooms, community parks, and playgrounds in the state.

Under PSPMA, only organic and minimum risk pesticides, the least toxic, yet still-effective products on the market will be allowed. Toxic pesticide use will be permitted only under a defined public health emergency, as determined by a public health official.

filed under bylaws

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

Hummingbirds Harmed by Pesticides Killing Off Bees, Butterflies, and Other Pollinators

effects of neonicotinoid imidacloprid

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Hummingbirds Harmed by Pesticides Killing Off Bees, Butterflies, and Other Pollinators

(Beyond Pesticides, February 23, 2021)  'Well known for their nectar-fueled hovering flight powered by wings beating over 50 times per second, hummingbirds display unique reactions to toxic pesticides. Research by scientists at the University of Toronto finds that hummingbirds exposed to systemic neonicotinoid insecticides for even a short period of time can disrupt the high-powered metabolism of this important and charismatic animal.

Given their high energy demands and with such razor thin margins for error, neonicotinoids may significantly damage hummingbird’s fitness in the wild.' 

filed under wildlife/birds and neonicotinoids

Friday, January 22, 2021

Alternatives to CCA-Treated Wood

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Alternatives to CCA-Treated Wood (PANNA Green Resource Center)

'Pressure-treated lumber is used in applications where decay and insect damage are of concern, such as for playground equipment, decks, telephone poles, building foundations, picnic tables, landscaping ties, wharfs, retaining walls, and fence posts. Preservative treatment chemicals make the wood inedible for fungi, insects, and other organisms that can destroy wood. Until its use for residential applications was voluntarily restricted by industry in January 2004, copper chromated arsenate (CCA) was the most common wood preservation treatment that a typical homeowner would encounter.' (same timeline in Canada)

Rubbing a cloth on the CCA treated wood in a playground collected toxic levels of arsenic and chromium.

When arsenic treated wood is new, it tends to have a greenish tint. When CCA wood is older, it is harder to tell. 

filed under treated wood/CCA 

Friday, January 22, 2021

Study Finds Link Between Pesticide Exposure and Rare Blood Cancer Predecessor (MGUS)

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Study Finds Link Between Pesticide Exposure and Rare Blood Cancer Predecessor (MGUS)

(Beyond Pesticide, January 14, 2021) Long-term exposure to permethrin and legacy organochlorine pesticides (aldrin, dieldrin, and lindane) increase the risk of developing monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), a blood disease that likely precedes multiple myeloma (MM)—a type of blood cancer,    This study highlights the importance of understanding how pesticide use can increase the risk of latent diseases, which do not readily develop upon initial exposure. Study researchers state, “Our findings provide important insights regarding exposures to specific pesticides that may contribute to the excess of MM among farmers.

The presence of abnormal proteins (monoclonal M protein) in the blood within bone marrow is a characterization of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. Although MGUS is benign (non-cancerous) and largely asymptomatic, it can be premalignant or a precursor for cancer development. Annually, one percent of individuals with MGUS will develop cancers like multiple myeloma, lymphoma, or amyloidosis. However, the cancer risk increases in people whose protein levels are abnormally high, which can occur upon repeated exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, like pesticides. Moreover, multiple myeloma is a rare type of blood cancer of the plasma cells, killing nearly 40 percent of 32,270 people it afflicts in the U.S. annually.

filed under cancer/ links between individual pesticides and cancer.

Friday, January 22, 2021

Genetically Weakened Skin Barrier Allows for Easier Absorption of Toxic Chemicals

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Genetically Weakened Skin Barrier Allows for Easier Absorption of Toxic Chemicals

Genetically Weakened Skin Barrier Allows for Easier Absorption of Toxic Chemicals   (Beyond Pesticides, January 21, 2021)  (I)ndividuals with genetically weakened skin barrier protection experience higher rates of toxic chemicals (i.e., pesticides) absorption through the skin. Studies provide evidence that filaggrin genetic mutations can exacerbate the impacts of chemicals upon dermal (skin) exposure, causing various skin diseases like dermatitis and other chemical-related effects like asthma and cancer. Filaggrin is a protein that is critical to skin cell structure or epidermal homeostasis.   Dermal exposure is the most common pesticide exposure routes, compromising 95 percent of all pesticide exposure incidents. Furthermore, many pesticides contain chemicals that act as sensitizers (allergens). Therefore, it is essential to mitigate direct skin contact with these toxic chemicals and enforce proper application protocol.      Researchers find that pesticide levels are two times higher in individuals with FLG null mutations. Therefore, increased chemical absorption can have implications for human health.   FLG null mutations are relatively common, especially among people of European descent.

filed under Exposure and Skin

Friday, January 22, 2021

Ethanol Plant Processing Pesticide Coated Seeds Contaminates Nebraska Town

seeds treated with neonicotinoids

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Ethanol Plant Processing Pesticide Coated Seeds Contaminates Nebraska Town

US info. (Beyond Pesticides, January 13, 2021)  Under FIFRA (the Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act), a clause known as the “treated article exemption” permits seeds to be coated with highly toxic pesticides without any requirement for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to assess environmental or public health effects of their use.This allows hazardous pesticides (primarily insecticides and fungicides) to be used indiscriminately with no effective oversight. Research finds that over 150 million acres of farmland are planted with toxic seeds, including nearly four tons of bee-killing neonicotinoids each year.

The AltEn plant is unique in that it is accepting unused treated seeds for farmers, advertising the site as a “recycling” facility, according to The Guardian. Apart from biofuel production, ethanol plants usually sell their spent, fermented grains to livestock farmers for feed. Processing toxic seeds has made that product too hazardous for cattle, so AltEn has been selling it to farmers as a soil amendment.

The neonicotinoid clothianidin was found in a waste mound at an astounding 427,000 parts per billion (ppb). A wastewater storage pond found high levels of three neonicotinoids – imidacloprid, cloathianidin, and thimethoxam. Thiamethoxam was discovered at 24,000 ppb, over 300 times higher than its acceptable level in drinking water (70ppb), and roughly 1,300 times higher than the level considered safe for aquatic organisms by EPA (17.5ppb).

Expectedly, pollinators near the plant are dying off. Judy Wu-Smart, PhD, bee researcher at University of Nebraska documented a sustained collapse of every beehive used by the university for a research project on a farm within a mile of the AltEn plant.

SNAP Comment: SK apparently has two ethanol plants with several more in Canada. I hope we donot make the same mistake under the idea of recycling. Why not? Because we did it about treated wood, allowing it to be used or burnt in an unsafe manner under the guise of 'recycling" and 'reusing.' Let's face it,some products are just too toxic for tha

filed under neonicotinoids and safety
 

Friday, January 22, 2021

EPA Confirms Widespread PFAS Contamination of Pesticides, Announces “Investigation,” Stops Short of Action to Protect Public

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EPA Confirms Widespread PFAS Contamination of Pesticides, Announces “Investigation,” Stops Short of Action to Protect Public

(Beyond Pesticides, January 20, 2021) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has confirmed that PFAS (per and polyfluorinated alykyl substances) ‘forever chemicals’ are contaminating containers that store pesticide products, and subsequently the products themselves.

According to EPA, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) containers used to store and transport pesticides are commonly treated with fluoride in order to create a “chemical barrier” that will “prevent changes in chemical composition.” The fluorinated container is supposed to be more stable, and “less permeable, reactive, and dissolvable.”

Testing so far has been limited to one pesticide product supplier (likely the company Clarke, maker of Anvil 10+10), but resulted in detection of 9 different PFAS chemicals at levels the agency has not yet released. Earlier testing found PFAS chemicals well above safety limits established by states, as well as EPA’s health advisory.    There are also indications that fluorinated HDPE containers may have other storage uses, such as food packaging. EPA announced that it is subpoenaing the company that fluorinates HDPE containers under the Toxic Substances Control Act, but has done little else from a regulatory standpoint.    Contamination of widely used storage and transportation containers with chemicals that have been linked to cancer, liver damage, birth and developmental problems, reduced fertility, and asthma is a scandal without compare. It is unclear how long such a practice has been commonplace without any regulatory oversight. 

filed under Formulants/Inerts and Contaminants/ Contaminants

Sunday, January 10, 2021

Federal Court Blocks EPA from Weakening Farmworker Protections

US story.

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Federal Court Blocks EPA from Weakening Farmworker Protections

(Beyond Pesticides, January 5, 2021) 'In the waning days of 2020, a federal court provided a hint of hope that farmworkers will retain basic buffer zone protections from toxic pesticides. The District Court for the Southern District of New York  issued in late December a temporary restraining order against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), prohibiting the agency from implementing industry-friendly rules that weaken application exclusion zones (AEZs) for farmworkers.'

SNAP COMMENT: The work is never done...

filed under Legislation/Regulatory/ USA

Sunday, January 10, 2021

Pesticides and Road Salt: A Toxic Mixture for Aquatic Communities

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Pesticides and Road Salt: A Toxic Mixture for Aquatic Communities

(Beyond Pesticides, January 7, 2021) Insecticides and road salts adversely interact to alter aquatic ecosystems, reducing organism abundance and size, according to a study in the journal Environmental Pollution. Pesticide use is ubiquitous, and contamination in rivers and streams is historically commonplace, containing at least one or more different chemicals.

Researchers performed a toxicity evaluation of six insecticides from three chemical classes (neonicotinoids: thiamethoxam, imidacloprid; organophosphates: chlorpyrifos, malathion; pyrethroids: cypermethrin, permethrin). Additionally, researchers note the potentially interactive effects of these insecticides with three concentrations of road salt (NaCl).   Researchers find that differing pesticide classes directly impact aquatic communities, and exposure to insecticides indirectly alters the food web in freshwater communities.    Although pesticides and road salts individually impact aquatic communities, this study is the first to demonstrate their interactive effects. 

filed under wildlife/aquatic organisms

Sunday, January 10, 2021

In support of the city of Prince Albert purchasing a Thermal Weed Control machine

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SNAP letter in support of Parks Manager Tim Yeaman's proposal to buy a Thermal Weed Control option to diminish pesticide use in the city.

In support of the city of Prince Albert purchasing a Thermal Weed Control machine 

filed under publications

Sunday, January 10, 2021

Long-Term Roundup Exposure Found to Harm Keystone Wildlife Species

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Long-Term Roundup Exposure Found to Harm Keystone Wildlife Species

(Beyond Pesticides, January 6, 2021)  “The problem is that much of the evidence is rooted in outdated toxicity tests which only look at the number of animals that die on exposure to extremely high concentrations of these chemicals,” Dr. Orsini said. “These tests also overlook the pathological effects arising from long-term exposure to low doses. What we’re proposing is that toxicity is measured by looking at what happens to the animal at a molecular and fitness level following long-term exposure, which encompasses the entire animal life cycle.”

Changes in fitness were seen for every trait except mortality. Roundup delayed average age of sexual/reproductive maturity, reduced size at maturity, decreased the total number of offspring produced, and increased developmental failure – as determined by the number of aborted eggs, and juveniles borne dead..  Researchers also observed damage to DNA, with glyphosate and Roundup showing only slight differences in affected pathways      Roundup and glyphosate were also found to indirectly alter both the makeup and total number of microbiota in the water flea’s gut. These changes were correlated with alterations to the way fat and carbon are metabolized, as well as the animal’s detoxification pathways.

filed under glyphosate and wildlife/aquatic organisms  

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Flying Blind in Weed Control

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Flying Blind in Weed Control  (by Margaret Wilson, Rodale Press, 10 December 2020) 

'Learn from the experts at Rodale Institute why blind cultivation may be the answer to getting ahead of weeds on your farm.'

filed under Weeds

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Winter House Guests

how to deal with them naturally

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Winter House Guests (NCAP)

includes rodents, seed bugs, ladybugs, and natural pest repellents.

filed under Alternatives

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Chemicals to Avoid: Groundbreaking Database of Illnesses from Pesticide Exposure Launched

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Chemicals to Avoid: Groundbreaking Database of Illnesses from Pesticide Exposure Launched

(Beyond Pesticides, December 11, 2020) The national environmental and public health group Beyond Pesticides announced today the updating of its Pesticide-Induced Diseases Database (PIDD), including over 1,100 study entries, with a relational search feature to address the complex pervasiveness of adverse health effects of pesticides

filed under pesticides and health

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

The global distribution of acute unintentional pesticide poisoning: estimations based on a systematic review

385 million farmers and farmworkers are poisoned every year around the world.

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The global distribution of acute unintentional pesticide poisoning: estimations based on a systematic review    {Wolfgang Boedeker et al, BMC Public Health volume 20, Article number: 1875 (2020), 7 December 2020) 

'A recent systematic review of unintentional acute pesticide poisonings found that an estimated 385 million farmers and farmworkers are poisoned every year around the world. That’s about 44% of the global population of 860 million people working in agriculture. Fatalities were also estimated, and found to be around 11,000 annually. This is the first global estimate of unintentional pesticide poisonings done since 1990.'

filed under Pesticide Poisoning

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

The Lynchpin of Industrial Ag

Pesticides are the lynchpin of an unsustainable industrial agriculture system.

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The Lynchpin of Industrial Ag   (PANNA, The Pesticide Problem, Pesticides:The Big Picture) 'Pesticides are the lynchpin of an unsustainable industrial agriculture system.

This model of farming is inefficient and does not represent the cutting edge of modern farming. In 1940, we produced 2.3 food calories for every fossil fuel calorie used. By industrializing our food and farming systems, we now get a single food calorie for every 10 fossil fuel calories used — a 23-fold reduction in efficiency.'

filed under Pesticide Use

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

New Test Will Help Researchers Understand Pesticide Threats to Wild Bat Populations

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New Test Will Help Researchers Understand Pesticide Threats to Wild Bat Populations

(Beyond Pesticides, December 10, 2020) 'A new test developed by a team of Mexican and Canadian scientists will help field researchers detect early warning signs of pesticide exposure in wild bat populations.

The test in question is referred to as a micronucleus test. Although it does not measure the level of pesticide contaminating a bat’s body, it can assess genotoxicity (the effect of pesticides and other chemical agents that damage genetic information in a cell). This is done by taking blood samples of bats, and testing for the presence of micronuclei formation, which are materials in blood that contain damaged chromosomes not incorporated into a cell after cell division. 

What little research that has been conducted on the harm pesticides cause to bats shows significant cause for concern. Agricultural pesticide use results in a large proportion of a bat’s insect diet being contaminated with highly toxic chemicals. Bats are particularly sensitive to pesticides that bioconcentrate in fat (lipophilic pesticides); they develop large stores to use while migrating or hibernating, and high concentrations of toxic pesticides in this fat can result in significant poisoning as the body burns it off.  Despite the unique ways in which pesticides harm bats, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not evaluate a pesticide’s effect on bats prior to registration.   Because bats are unusually long-lived for animals their size — lifespans range from 20 to 40 years — their bodies can accumulate pesticide residues over a long period, exacerbating adverse effects associated with those pesticides that can accumulate in fatty tissue.' A bat's 'consumption of large volumes of pesticide-contaminated insects can mean that these compounds may reach toxic levels in their brains — making them more susceptible to White Nose Syndrome.'.

ffiled under wildlife/mammals and monitoring pesticides

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Video: Seed Keepers and Truth Tellers (PANNA)

From the Frontlines of GM Agriculture.

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Video: Seed Keepers and Truth Tellers (PANNA)

Seedkeepers and Truth Tellers From the Frontlines of GM Agriculture. You can find more information regarding the video and contributors at the video's home site, seedsandtruth.com.

filed under gmos

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

What’s Bad for Bees Could Be Bad for Marine Life, Too

The neonicotinoid imidacloprid hampers arthropods in the ocean.

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What’s Bad for Bees Could Be Bad for Marine Life, Too   Preliminary research shows that a popular insecticide hampers arthropods in the ocean. (by Ramin Skibba, PANNA, May 4, 2020)

'They found that coral exposed to the insecticide had reduced polyp activity—an indication of increased stress. Shrimplike amphipods were affected, too. Even at low doses, imidacloprid exposure inhibited their movement. And for some, high levels of exposure were fatal.

Hladik says most of the concentrations of neonics tested in Davis’s experiment were unrealistically high—beyond what is seen in the wild. But even low doses, she adds, could still be a hazard for marine life.'

filed under neonicotinoids and wildlife/ aquatic organisms

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Investigation on Weed Killer Dicamba Adds to Pattern of Corporate Deception on Pesticide Hazards

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Investigation on Weed Killer Dicamba Adds to Pattern of Corporate Deception on Pesticide Hazards

(Beyond Pesticides, December 18, 2020) 'The Midwest Center’s investigation finds that Monsanto and BASF, makers of the extremely problematic herbicide dicamba, engaged in a variety of deceitful, unethical, and possibly fraudulent practices to enable its use. The bottom line is that the companies knew, before they released dicamba, about the massive damage it would cause — and then put it on the market.'

filed under Industry Shenanigans