Insecticides

Flupyradifurone, organophosphates (including chlorpyrifos and malathion), neonicotinoids,  Sulfoxaflor and flupyradifurone, organophosphates, pyrethrins, cancer/links, nervous system effects/ADHD and autism, heath/diabetes, health/reproductive health,  health/low dose effects, wildlife section/mammals,  Legislation/Regulation/ USA p.2  and /internationa, children 2 

The new diamide insecticides were intended as replacement for neonicotinoids but, for most purposes,neonics are still allowed in Canada. Studies on 2 diamides (Cyantraniliprole and Chlorantraniliprole) indicate they are more toxic to aquatic insects than imidacloprid (neonic)

Some insecticides:and how many are registered in Canada.

• Cyantraniliprole 20 (from 21 historically)
•  Chlorantraniliprole 41
• chlorpyrifos 0 (from 297)

Pesticide Effects on Enzymes, Oxidative Stress, and Cell Damage in Newborns and Mothers, Study Finds  (Beyond Pesticides, July 28, 2026) In a study published in Science of The Total Environment, researchers at the Federal University of Paraná in Brazil link pesticide exposure during pregnancy, particularly involving organophosphate and carbamate insecticides, with oxidative stress, which causes cell damage, and adverse health effects in both mothers and their newborns.      In analyzing enzyme activity and biomarkers in samples of maternal peripheral (circulating) blood and umbilical cord blood from mother and newborn pairs, the data shows altered levels in both.      “The findings suggest relevant biochemical alterations in the maternal–newborn dyad, involving cholinesterase inhibition and oxidative imbalance,” the authors state. Notably, the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is inhibited in 96% of umbilical cord blood samples and the oxidative stress biomarker 8-OHGua is elevated in both mothers and newborns, indicating oxidative DNA damage. While many studies report associations between environmental pesticide exposure during pregnancy and alterations in fetal development, there are still many data gaps regarding indirect biomarkers of chronic pesticide exposure in pregnant women and newborns that this study addresses. #pesticide #exposure #oxidativestress #enzymes #maternal #newborn #health #dailynews

lan to reintroduce banned pesticide in France overruled by constitutional council ‘Duplomb law’ provision to allow use of acetamiprid, toxic to pollinators, found not to abide by environmental charter. ( the Guardian, 7 August 2025)         'The petition on the website of France’s lower-house National Assembly called the measure a “frontal attack on public health”. Beekeepers have described the chemical as “a bee killer”, and its effects on humans are also a source of concern, though its risk remains unclear in the absence of large-scale studies.        SNAP Comment:  There are 12 Canadian registered acetamiprid products, including one domestic formulation (for consumers) with the following warning: 'For outdoor use only. Do not apply indoors. Apply to outdoor plants when insect problems are noticed. Do not apply this product in a way that the spray will contact persons, either directly or through drift. Keep children and pets out of treated areas until sprays have thoroughly dried.'  

Banned DDT discovered in Canadian trout 70 years after use, research finds   Potential danger to humans and wildlife from harmful pesticide discovered in fish at 10 times safety limit (The Guardian, 21 April 2025)      Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, known as DDT, was used on forested land in New Brunswick, Canada, from 1952 to 1968. The researchers found traces of it remained in brook trout in some lakes, often at levels 10 times higher than the recommended safety threshold for wildlife.       “DDT is a probable carcinogen that we haven’t used in 70 years here Canada, yet it’s abundant in fish and lake mud throughout much of the province at shockingly high levels,” said Josh Kurek, an associate professor in environmental change and aquatic biomonitoring at Mount Allison University in Canada and lead author of the research.  “This mess can’t be cleaned up,” said Kurek. “DDTs can persist in lake mud for decades to centuries and then cycle in the food web. The best approach is to manage the public’s exposure of legacy DDTs by encouraging everyone to follow fish consumption guidelines and consider reducing exposure.“Our findings are a clear wake-up call to abandon our overreliance on synthetic chemicals. Lessons need to be learned so we don’t repeat past mistakes.'     SNAP Comment: I am wondering whether this might be linked (or causal) to the neurological degeneration cases in New Brunswick....

What the Story of DDT, America’s Most Notorious Chemical, Can Teach Us Today     Interview of author of How to Sell a Poison. The Rise, Fall and Toxic Return of DDT (By Gosia Wozniacka, Civil Eats, July 6, 2022)     In How to Sell a Poison, historian of medicine Elena Conis traces the history of DDT, its impacts, and the implications of the shifting science. In a masterful narrative style that reads like a novel, Conis tells the stories of ordinary people and the nascent environmental movement that sought to expose the chemical’s harms. Her book offers insights about the mechanisms of science denial, disinformation campaigns, and the role of politics and other social forces in shaping a nation’s approach to regulating a toxic substance.       Civil Eats spoke with Conis about the light that DDT’s story sheds on the many other toxic chemicals used today, how social inequality, race, and environmental pollution are linked, and why the tobacco industry funded a secret campaign to bring back DDT.

Researchers find infant deaths increased after farmers used more pesticides to compensate for rise of pests    Researchers find infant deaths increased after farmers used more pesticides to compensate for rise of pests  (by Emily Chung, Benjamin Shingler, CBC News, Sep 05, 2024)       Because bats play a crucial role in eating up and controlling insect pests, 'Eyal Frank, an environmental economist at the University of Chicago, decided to look at what happened when white-nose syndrome spread into new counties in the eastern U.S., decimating bat populations.    He found that farmers responded to the resulting insect outbreaks by increasing their pesticide use 31 per cent. Pesticides are toxic, and often associated with human health impacts such as increases in infant deaths.    Frank found that infant mortality went up eight per cent after the arrival of white-nose syndrome in a county, according to his study published today in the journal Science.     Frank also found evidence that not only were the pesticides expensive, but they weren't as good as the bats at controlling insects — farmers' revenue from crop sales fell 29 per cent in areas hit by the bat pandemic.      He estimates that in total, farmers in communities with bat die-offs lost $26.9 billion between 2006 and 2017. Putting a number to damages from infant mortality resulted in a societal cost of $39.6 billion from the loss of bats.'

Study Confirms Connection Between Exposure to Pesticides and Male Reproductive Problems   (Beyond Pesticides, December 1, 2023) 'One of the new studies, a meta-analysis of 25 studies on the connection between pesticides and male reproductive problems, finds that men exposed to organophosphate (such as glyphosate and malathion) and carbamate (such as carbaryl and methiocarb) insecticides have lower sperm concentrations than the general population. This is especially true of men exposed in work settings. The senior author of the study, Melissa J. Perry,ScD of the George Mason University College of Public Health, told HealthNews, “The evidence available has reached a point that we must take regulatory action to reduce insecticide exposure.”

Mother and Child Health: Learning Disorders and Prenatal Pesticide Exposure Study Results Released    (Beyond Pesticide, December 20, 2022) A meta-analysis published in Chemosphere finds prenatal pesticide exposure, or pesticide exposure during pregnancy has a positive association with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit/hyperactive disorder (ADHD). Particularly, exposure to chemical classes organophosphate (OP) and pyrethroid (PYR) insecticides, in addition to the mother’s age during pregnancy (≥30 years old), increased the risk factor of ASD. ADHD risk increases among offspring whose mothers encounter organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) during gestation.

Estrogen-Mediated Cancers in Humans Have Links to Endocrine Disrupting Pesticides   ( focus on organochlorines)  (Beyond Pesticides, December 13, 2022)  Adding to the science, a review published in Environmental Exposure, Biomonitoring and Exposure Assessment highlights how specific estrogen-mimicking pesticides increase the risk of disease, particularly hormone-related cancers among women (i.e., breast, ovarian, endometrial cancer) and men (i.e., testicular, prostate cancer). Like pesticides, endocrine disruptors are xenobiotic (i.e., chemical substances foreign to an organism or ecosystem).   Pesticides are one of the most potent xeno-estrogenic compounds, as estrogenic strength and environmental half-life exceed those of other xeno-estrogenic compounds. Focusing on organochlorine pesticides (OCs), the study evaluates the chemical effects on the physiological (anatomic) system to increase cancer risk. Using human studies, researchers assessed how estrogen-medicated cancer develops in women and men. Various OCs, including aldrin, dieldrin, endosulfan, HCH, DDT, 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid, phenoxy acid herbicides, and methoxychlor, have associations with hormone-related cancers.    Despite the ban on many OCs across the globe, these chemicals remain in the environment. Many OCs can exist in the body for at least three to six years, in soil for decades, and in water for at least a century. Moreover, consumption of food and water resources contaminated with OCs can cause these chemicals to bioaccumulate in the body, resulting in the biomagnification of OCs.

Study Links Carbamate Insecticides to Diabetes and other Metabolic Diseases   (Beyond Pesticides, January 25, 2017) A study conducted at the University of Buffalo recently revealed a connection between two common insecticides and an increased risk for certain metabolic diseases, including diabetes. Researchers found that by binding to and disrupting melatonin receptors that control numerous physiological functions, chemicals such as insecticides can affect melatonin levels, creating a higher risk for metabolic diseases to develop. The study, Carbamate Insecticides Target Human Melatonin Receptors, was published in Chemical Research in Toxicology and was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, which is part of the National Institutes of Health. The implicated chemicals in this research, carbaryl and carbofuran, are notoriously dangerous carbamate insecticides. SNAP Comment: Independent research once more finding helath issues with pesticides. As of this writing, there are still 30 carbaryl insecticide products available in Canada and none with carbofuran. Canada's Cabofuran registration expired at the end of 2012.