Water

see also neonicotinoids, glyphosate, glyphosate 2, water, soils, wildlife, wildlife/aquatic organisms, exposure to pesticides

Most of the glyphosate in European rivers may not come from farming, researchers suggest  (by Universitaet Tübingen, Phys Org, 26 July, 2024)    In Europe, the seasonal water concentrations of glyphosate in water were mostly constant and not related to pattern of use. 'Initial laboratory tests have now been completed and confirm the hypothesis of glyphosate formation in wastewater treatment plants from this laundry additive.' (aminopolyphosphonates). 'However, there is also some good news: "We do not see glyphosate formation when we simulate conditions directly in the washing machine."   'The situation in the U.S. is different from that in the EU; concentration patterns of glyphosate in U.S. river water closely follow those of other herbicides, indicating a dominant agricultural input. In contrast to Europe, aminopolyphosphonates are hardly used in the U.S. in laundry detergents.'   SNAP Comment: This illustrates the problem of using sewage sludge to grow food, a widely accepted practice.

Harming Wildlife, Pesticides in Waterways Run into the Great Lakes Year-Round  (Beyond Pesticides, February 14, 2023) The waterways that flow into the Great Lakes are experiencing year-round pesticide contamination that exceeds benchmarks meant to protect aquatic life, according to research published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry by scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). It is evident that the toxic soup that many U.S. waterways are carrying is unsustainable and threatens the foundation of many food chains. Imbalances in aquatic environments can ripple throughout the food web, creating trophic cascades that further exacerbate health and environmental damage.

filed under water

Plastic Sports Bottles Leach Thousands of Chemicals, including a Common Insect Repellent   (Beyond Pesticides, February 17, 2022)  (The insect repellent) 'DEET was confirmed to be present in every plastic bottle tested. Scientists indicate that DEET’s presence is likely a result another chemical with a similar chemical structure to DEET. In particular, the plasticizer material laurolactam is implicated. Either the plasticizer was produced with impurities that mimic DEET, or it was transformed into DEET  in the dishwasher through a chemical reaction with other materials in the plastic bottles.   The scientists opine that the identification of DEET may in fact be the source of ubiquitous DEET detection in the environment. A phenomenon that has long been ascribed to its use as a repellent, the widespread presence of DEET in the natural world by chemical happenstance may be yet another side-effect of a world where chemical pollution has exceeded the safe limits for humanity.

Impacts of Neonics in New York Water Their Use and Threats to the State’s Aquatic Ecosystems (Pierre Mineau; Pierre Mineau Consulting, probably 2019)     'Neonics now frequently appear in New York surface waters at levels expected to cause significant harm to the state’s aquatic ecosystems...Detected levels of imidacloprid alone in New York streams exceed levels at which deleterious effects on stream ecology were observed in other research. The probability that imidacloprid and other neonics are causing ecosystem-wide damage in New York is very high. Substantial reductions in outdoor neonic use are needed to mitigate further damage... Water sampling for other neonics has been sparse, but given the high runoff potential for clothianidin' (only approved in NY for seed treatment) 'and thiamethoxam (both greater than imidacloprid), and their significant use in New York, regular monitoring for these chemicals is needed. ' SNAP Comments: The article discusses in detail what benchmark values are, how they are established and what they should be. Also extensive list of references.

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. 

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.'

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.

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.

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.'  

Pet flea treatments poisoning rivers across England, scientists find (The Guardian, 17 November 2020)   Discovery is ‘extremely concerning’ for water insects, and fish and birds that depend on them.    The research found fipronil in 99% of samples from 20 rivers and the average level of one particularly toxic breakdown product of the pesticide was 38 times above the safety limit. Fipronil and another nerve agent called imidacloprid that was found in the rivers have been banned from use on farms for some years (NOTE: In the UK, not Canada) .  There are about 10 million dogs and 11 million cats in the UK, with an estimated 80% receiving flea treatments, whether needed or not. The researchers said the blanket use of flea treatments should be discouraged and that new regulation is needed. Currently, the flea treatments are approved without an assessment of environmental damage.  “Fipronil is one of the most commonly used flea products and recent studies have shown it degrades to compounds that are more toxic to most insects than fipronil itself...”  “The problem is these chemicals are so potent,” he said, even at tiny concentrations. “We would expect them to be having significant impacts on insect life in rivers.” One flea treatment of a medium-sized dog with imidacloprid contains enough pesticide to kill 60 million bees, he said.   The researchers found the highest levels of the pesticides downstream from water treatment plants, showing that urban areas were the main source and not farmland.   The washing of pets was already known to flush fipronil into sewers and then rivers, while dogs swimming in rivers provides another pathway for contamination. see also Flea Treataments Found to Contaminate Waterways.(Beyond Pesticides, November 20, 2020)for more in depth analysis. 'Though these compounds are banned for agricultural uses in the United Kingdom (UK), risk assessment for them, as used on animals, has been minimal because of the assumption that the amounts used for veterinary treatments would mean far-less-significant environmental impact than might be expected with agricultural-scale use..”"  SNAP Comment: As of 19 November 2020, the PMRA label search indicates that fipronil was never registered in Canada. Research indicates that may formulations are licnesed in the USA for a wide variety of usages, likely including flea treatment. In Canada, there are 99 registered insecticides containing Imidacloprid, 50 of which are specifically for flea treatment. 

Ecosystem-Killer Fipronil More Toxic Than Previously Thought, Found in Waterways Throughout the U.S.   (Beyond Pesticides, October 27, 2020) The insecticide fipronil is more toxic to aquatic insects than previously thought, often present in U.S. waterways, and can trigger trophic cascades that disrupt entire aquatic ecosystems, finds new research published by the U.S. Geological  Survey (USGS). The data have important implications for waterways throughout the country, but particularly in the Southeast U.S. where the chemical was found at hazardous levels in over half of sampled steams.  SNAP Comment: As of 28 October 2020, the PMRA label search comes up with 0 fipronil products, either curently or historically registered.

U.S. Geological Survey Finds Mixtures of Pesticides Are Widespread in U.S. Rivers and Streams    (Beyond Pesticides, September 24, 2020) 'A new report by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project, reveals the presence of pesticides is widespread in U.S. rivers and streams, with over almost 90 percent of water samples containing at least five or more different pesticides. Thousands of tons of pesticides enter rivers and streams around the U.S. from agricultural and nonagricultural sources, which contaminate essential drinking water sources, such as surface water and groundwater.    'The median number of pesticides present per water samples from each land-use type is highest in agricultural settings with 24 pesticides, and lowest in mixed (both agricultural and developed land) settings with seven pesticides. Developed areas fall in the middle, amassing 18 pesticides per water sample. Pesticides in water samples are potentially acutely to chronically toxic to aquatic invertebrates and chronically toxic to fish. Of the 221 pesticide compounds analyzed, 17 (13 insecticides, two herbicides, one fungicide, and one synergist) are primary drivers of toxicity in aquatic taxonomic groups. According to the PTI analysis, one pesticide compound contributes to >50% of the sample toxicity, while other present pesticides only contribute minimally to toxicity.

filed under water 

Unregulated, “Shocking” and Destructive Levels of Pesticide Mixtures Found in Waterways    (Beyond Pesticides, July 17, 2020)    'Researchers have discovered that the rivers and creeks that discharge into the lagoon of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) are riddled with mixtures of pesticides. The University of Queensland team expected to find some such mixtures in their sampling, but was shocked to find that 99.8% of their samples contained up to 20 different pesticides. Michael Warne, PhD, lead researcher and associate professor at the University of Queensland’s School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, says, “The issue with having mixtures of pesticides is that as the number of pesticides increases the impact to aquatic ecosystems generally increases.”    The discovery of such intensive penetration of pesticides in the GBR Lagoon adds to the chronicling of damage being wrought on these marine wonderlands'

The Pesticide Atrazine and 200 Other Toxic Chemicals Found in Fracking Wastewater; Contamination Goes Unregulated (Beyond Pesticides, June 4, 2020)  SNAP Comment: US study. New analysis method. Is there fracking in Saskatchewan?  'No Canadian province has fewer regulations surrounding the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) than Saskatchewan. Other provinces – and some US jurisdictions and foreign countries – have banned fracking or chosen to heavily regulate it because of its environmental and public health risks.' (Is anyone out there? Exploring Saskatchewan’s civil society involvement in hydraulic fracturing, Energy Research & Social Science, Volume 39, May 2018, Pages 192-197)           'A new, simultaneous chemical identification method has found the presence of the weed killer atrazine and 200+ other hazardous chemicals in hydraulic fracturing (fracking) wastewater or produced water...Although produced water is a waste product of fracking, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allows many states to reuse produced water in agriculture and other industries or dispose of it into waterways. Currently, EPA waives requirements that chemical companies (e.g., Syngenta in the case of atrazine) monitor for the presence of pesticides in waterways, endangering public health of the environment.. A Yale University public health analysis finds fracking operations release fifty-five chemicals into the air and water that are known carcinogens, 20 of which increase the risk of leukemia and lymphoma. Other fracking health implications include asthma and low birth weights. Oil and natural gas production is exempt or excluded from several major federal environmental laws, allowing the industry to use produced water in agriculture or dispose of it in waterways without restrictions.  Many states use treated produced water to irrigate organic and non-organic crops, compensating for excessive water use, as the federal government leaves fracking regulations largely up to state governments. Even if treated produced water bypasses agriculture use, oil and gas companies dispose of produced water in waterways or ground pits (wastewater disposal wells). Chemical carcinogens, solvents, and petroleum distillates are present in produced water, directly polluting drinking water sources. . Chemicals in produced water are not always the same for every fracking operations, and many chemicals still need proper identification.

Study Finds Urban Runoff is a Toxic Soup Containing Dozens of Pesticides and Other Industrial Chemicals  (Beyond Pesticides, September 6, 2019) 'Heavy rains in urban areas bring together a toxic mixture of man-made chemicals which make their way to waterbodies at levels that can harm aquatic life...Although U.S. government agencies continue to accurately identify chemical hazards in the everyday environment, precaution and action on these emerging threats has not materialized. ' 'The team tested for 438 different compounds, including pesticides, pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other industrial chemicals.'   'Nearly 50% (215) of the 438 chemicals tested for were found at least once during the course of the study. Most sites contained 73 or more chemicals per site, with pesticides being the most frequently detected chemical group, accounting for 35% of all detections....'The following chemicals were what the researches deemed “pervasive across all samples:” DEET, nicotine, cotinine (nicotine metabolite), caffeine, carbendazim (a metabolite of the pesticide benomyl), methyl-1H-benzotriazole (industrial corrosion inhibitor), creosol (wood preservative), fipronil, bisphenol A (BPA), pluoranthene (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, PAH), and pyrene (PAH). Each of these chemicals were found in over 90% of samples tested. (NOTE: pesticides in italics).   Nearly 75% of imidacloprid detections exceeded EPA’s benchmark for chronic impacts to aquatic life, while 44% of fipronil samples surpassed this limit.

Levels and trends of current-use pesticides (CUPs) in the arctic: An updated review, 2010–2018 (Jennifer E.BalmerabAdam et al, Science Direct, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emcon.2019.02.002) 'Since 2010, at least seven new CUPs have been measured in Arctic media: 2-methyl-4- chlorophenoxyacetic acid (MCPA), metribuzin, pendimethalin, phosalone, quizalofop-ethyl, tefluthrin and triallate. Considering the large number of pesticides in current use, the number measured in the Arctic is very limited, however, modelling studies have identified additional CUPs as potential Arctic contaminants that have yet to be investigated in the Arctic. Owing to their recent detection, reports of CUPs in the Arctic are limited, but growing. CUPs have been reported in a wide range of abiotic Arctic matrices, including air, snow, ice, freshwater and seawater, indicating their capacity for long-range atmospheric transport, however, concentrations are generally low in comparison to legacy pesticides and other persistent organic pollutants (POPs)...however, in contrast to POPs, the highest concentrations of many CUPs were found in lower trophic-level organisms'

Europe’s Waterways Contaminated by Pesticides and Antibiotics  (Beyond Pesticides, April 11, 2019) A recent study of 29 discrete, small European waterways found ubiquitous pesticide contamination. Analyzed samples contained a total of 103 different pesticides and 21 veterinary drugs... Pesticides find their way into water systems via dry deposition (absorption of particles from the atmosphere), pesticide drift, and runoff from contaminated soils...There were 24 unapproved pesticides in the water samples. Rather than illegal current use, it is more likely that these are leftover pesticides from former, legal applications and are only now leaching into the waterways.'  SNAP's Comment: If they had checked for human used drugs, the contamination would likely have been much worse. 

Drinking Water Contaminated with Neonicotinoid Insecticide Byproducts  (Beyond Pesticides, February 8, 2019)  'The experts discovered two metabolites of imidacloprid (a neonicotinoid insecticide) residues that had not previously been identified in drinking water — desnitro-imidacloprid and imidacloprid-urea. The researchers note both that these metabolites have never been evaluated for their potential risks to human and environmental health, and that there may be potential risks of anthropogenic compounds that can be created when water with neonicotinoid residues, and thus, these metabolites, undergo typical water treatment (often chlorination and/or pH treatment)...The presence of neonics in drinking water is concerning per se, because federal regulators have never addressed what might be “safe” levels of such insecticides in tap water,

Occurrence of Neonicotinoid Insecticides in Finished Drinking Water and Fate during Drinking Water Treatment   (Kathryn L. Klarich et al, Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett., 2017, 4 (5), pp 168–173, April 5, 2017) 'Neonicotinoid insecticides are widespread in surface waters across the agriculturally intensive Midwestern United States. We report for the first time the presence of three neonicotinoids in finished drinking water and demonstrate their general persistence during conventional water treatment...Clothianidin, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam were ubiquitously detected in finished water samples at concentrations ranging from 0.24 to 57.3 ng/L Samples collected along the University of Iowa treatment train indicate no apparent removal of clothianidin or imidacloprid, with modest thiamethoxam removal (∼50%). In contrast, the concentrations of all neonicotinoids were substantially lower in the Iowa City treatment facility finished water using granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration. 

DDT in Glacial Melt Puts Alaskan Communities at Risk  (Beyond Pesticides, December 11, 2018)   SNAP Comment: In addition to pesticide aerial transport causing deposition in the far North, similar Canadian and world studies have detected DDT and several other pesticides in all mountain glaciers studied including in Banff and Jasper where the mountain aquatic organisms and fish contained higher pesticide levels than those of the Arctic. The ice is certainly melting off most glaciers of the world, putting these pesticides in circulation, and the environment and people at risk everywhere including Saskatchewan where our major rivers are glacier-fed.

Breakfast Favorite Orange Juice Tainted by Glyphosate Herbicide Threatens Our Health and Florida's Environment  (Moms Across America, by Zen Honeycutt October 26, 2018)  The amount of glyphosate that is used in Florida on orange groves, sugar cane fields, and on city streets is enormous. Over 3.5 million lbs per square mile of glyphosate was sprayed in Florida according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) between 2000-2012. In addition, glyphosate herbicide AquaMaster was permitted to be sprayed directly in waterways such as Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades, a nature reserve. Local environmentalists are outraged by the lack of action from their governor and local authorities to discontinue the use of glyphosate herbicides and protect marine life. Glyphosate Test Results in Florida’s Water   Moms Across America commissioned the testing of water in Lake Okeechobee and off the coast of Cape Coral. Lake O results, where cyanobacteria was present, showed levels between half the amount and 2 times higher than is allowed in European drinking water. Because cyanobacteria digests glyphosate it would be expected that where cyanobacteria is present the water would sometimes test for lower levels of glyphosate. The test results off the coast of Cape Coral, at the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River where cyanobacteria was present* showed levels of glyphosate 5 -12 times higher than is allowed in European drinking water.

USGS Report Shows Dozens of Pesticides Consistently Found in Midwestern Streams, Underscoring the Need for Organic Practices   (Beyond Pesticides, August 22, 2017) Streams in the Midwestern U,S. are polluted with complex mixtures averaging over 50 pesticides each, according to a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) report published earlier this month. This is the latest and also most extensive study on pesticide contamination in U.S. streams to date. SNAP Comment: There are a few Saskatchewan studies of only a few pesticides each (Canada does not have the same resources as the US for testing) also indicating widespread contamination in Saskatchewan. Some Saskatchewan studies under Pesticides in SK Water. Complex mixtures of dissolved pesticides show potential aquatic toxicity in a synoptic study of Midwestern U.S. streams (Science of The Total Environment,online 9 August 2017)  In weekly water samples, 94 pesticides and 89 degradates were detected, with a median of 25 compounds detected per sample and 54 detected per site. Relatively few pesticides in water—atrazine, acetochlor, metolachlor, (the insecticides) imidacloprid, fipronil, organophosphate insecticides, and the fungicide carbendazim—were predicted to be major contributors to potential toxicity. Agricultural streams had the highest potential for effects on plants, especially in May–June, corresponding to high spring-flush herbicide concentrations. Urban streams had higher detection frequencies and concentrations of insecticides and most fungicides than in agricultural streams, and higher potential for invertebrate toxicity, which peaked during July–August. SNAP Comment: I wonder how many pesticides they actually tested for (i.e. were there any negativ findings?) I suspect that the reason only 7 pesticides were major contributors to potential toxicity is that they are the most heavily used. Hopefully this assertion is examined in the paper.I suspect that most of what is used would be found in an area's streams in Canada, should we check. However we re still in the dark as to pesticides used in each province.

Carcinogenic Contaminant in Common Pesticide   (Beyond Pesticides, April 27, 2017) Multinational chemical companies Dow Chemical Company and Shell Chemical Company knowingly sold and marketed fumigants contaminated with a cancer-causing chemical that had a strong propensity to leach into and remain in groundwater... The contaminant of concern, 1,2,3-trichloropropene (TCP), was a manufacturing by-product found in Dow’s Telone and Shell’s D-D fumigant pesticide products with the active ingredient 1,3-Dichloropropene. The products, used to kill soil-dwelling nematodes, are toxic in their own right, but contained TCP in their formulation from the 1940s until the mid-1980s. EWG’s report details widespread contamination of drinking water in California’s agricultural regions, with detections found in 562 wells, and 94 public water systems identifying TCP above legal limits. Thirty-seven additional public water systems serving nearly 4 million U.S. residents throughout the country were also found to contain TCP. SNAP Comment: Canada has much less money for testing than the US and, as a result, many fewer chemicals have been tested for. I don't know if TCP has ever been tested for iin Canada but I do know that Telone has been used...

Study Finds Neonicotinoids in Water Straight from the Tap  (Beyond Pesticides, April 5, 2017) A new study, Occurrence of Neonicotinoid Insecticides in Finished Drinking Water and Fate during Drinking Water Treatment, has detected neonicotinoids, a class of insecticides known for their detrimental effects on bees, in treated drinking water. The study authors “report for the first time the presence of three neonicotinoids in finished drinking water and demonstrate their general persistence during conventional water treatment.” In contrast, the Iowa City water treatment methods (granular activated carbon filtration) result in substantially lower levels of the neonicotinoids. SNAP Comment: Thankfully for Regina and Moose Jaw residents, our water is carbon filtered, which should help in removing some glyphosate. Everyone else beware. Buy a carbon water filter.

Insecticides Similar to Nicotine Found in about Half of Sampled Streams across the United States 8/18/2015.U.S. updated US research direct link to neonicotinoids in water, or copy and paste the title into the search box at the main site. Geological Survey. USGS discovered insecticides known as neonicotinoids in a little more than half of both urban and agricultural streams sampled across the United States and Puerto Rico, according to a study by the agency published today in Environmental Chemistry. “In the study, neonicotinoids occurred throughout the year in urban streams while pulses of neonicotinoids were typical in agricultural streams during crop planting season,” said USGS research chemist Michelle Hladik, the report’s lead author. Also filed under pesticide fact sheets under neonicotinoids 

Sewage Sludge (Biosolids) Contaminants Move to Groundwater (Beyond Pesticides, May 14, 2014) Chemical contaminants are sufficiently mobile and persistent that they can easily be transported to groundwater, with implication for local drinking water. Test for 57 contaminants of emerging concerns (chemicals that are increasingly being discovered in waters) found chemicals ranging from antibacterial soaps, chemical cleaners, cosmetics, fragrances, and prescription drugs, such as the antidepressant Prozac and the blood thinner Warfarin, which had migrated down the soil column. In fact, 10 of the chemicals examined migrated to depths of 7 to 50 inches over 18 months after treated sewage sludge was applied. (Colorado study)

USGS Documents Threat of Pesticides to Waterways; Farm Bill Amendment Undermines Clean Water Act (Beyond Pesticides, May 20, 2013)  The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) released a national assessment that shows the distribution and trends of pesticide use from 1992-2009, providing visible evidence that contamination of pesticides in our nation’s water is clearly a continuing threat.

Ontario study finds an 80% drop in toxic lawn pesticides found in urban streams and creeks since the province-wide pesticide ban  June 10, 2010  And for an audio recording of the news, please click here.

Dioxins from Triclosan Increasingly Found in Water (Beyond Pesticides, May 20, 2010.Posted in Antibacterial, Triclosan, Water) Triclosan is one of the most detected chemicals in US waterways. It is an endocrine disruptor with specific effect on male an dfemale hormones and the thyroid gland. It is extensively used in consumer goods and triclosan and its metabolites are present in, fish, umbilical cord blood and human milk and urine. It produces 4 specific dioxins which have increased 200-300%."In the most current sediments, these triclosan-derived dioxins account for about 30 percent of the total dioxin mass.” Dioxins are persistent organic pollutants that bioaccumulate in humans and other animals, especially in fatty tissue. Dioxin can be highly carcinogenic and can cause severe health problems.

Threatened Waters Turning the Tide on Pesticide Contamination. (Beyond Pesticides, October 2006). Note for Canadians: US environmental studies consistently measure many more pesticides than we study in Canada, because they have more funds. In Canada, research has also been hampered by the fact that we had no pesticide sales or use database. The Canadian risks of water contamination are therefore likely to be underestimated.

Leaching Potential (LP) Rankings for Herbicide Products Listed in the Alberta Crop Protection 2000 Handbook  In this document you will see that 2,4-D has a reasonably high leaching potential, and RoundUp formulations are in the middle. reference: Hill, B.D., Miller, J.J., Harker, K.N., Byers, S.D., Inaba, D.J., and Zhang, C. (2000). "Estimating the relative leaching potential of herbicides in Alberta soils.", Water Quality Research Journal of Canada, 35(4), pp. 693-710.