Archives for 2021

Sunday, January 10, 2021 Pesticides and Road Salt: A Toxic Mixture for Aquatic Communities: view details »
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: view details »
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: view details »
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(Beyond Pesticides, January 6, 2021)  “The problem is that much of the evidence is rooted in outdated toxicity tests which only look at the number of animals that die on exposure to extremely high concentrations of these chemicals,” Dr.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
Sunday, January 10, 2021 Federal Court Blocks EPA from Weakening Farmworker Protections US story.: 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
Tuesday, January 5, 2021 Chemicals to Avoid: Groundbreaking Database of Illnesses from Pesticide Exposure Launched: view details »
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.: view details »
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.: view details »
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: view details »
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.: view details »
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.: view details »
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: view details »
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
Tuesday, January 5, 2021 Flying Blind in Weed Control: view details »
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: view details »
Winter House Guests (NCAP)
includes rodents, seed bugs, ladybugs, and natural pest repellents.
filed under Alternatives

Archives for 2021

Pesticides and Road Salt: A Toxic Mixture for Aquatic Communities

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

Long-Term Roundup Exposure Found to Harm Keystone Wildlife Species

Federal Court Blocks EPA from Weakening Farmworker Protections

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

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

The Lynchpin of Industrial Ag

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

Video: Seed Keepers and Truth Tellers (PANNA)

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

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

Flying Blind in Weed Control

Winter House Guests