Insecticides

Environmental risk assessment approaches used by regulatory agencies around the world were developed on the basis of a methodology published by the National Academy of Sciences. For the hazard characterization step, it is generally accepted that once detectable, a response of an organism to a toxicant increases proportionally with the level of exposure until reaching an upper-limit or maximal-effect level (Emax) beyond which increasing toxicant dose will not increase the response (known as a monotonic dose-response).

Butterfly numbers are suffering a "shock collapse", a study shows today as conservationists raise concern farm pesticides are causing the worst population fall in six years. Despite a warm summer that would normally help them thrive, the majority of species studied in the annual Big Butterfly Count saw populations fall. Some saw their worst numbers since the citizen science project began in 2010.

Neonicotinoids are the most widely used class of insecticides worldwide, but patterns of their use in the U.S. are poorly documented, constraining attempts to understand their role in pest management and potential nontarget effects. We synthesized publicly available data to estimate and interpret trends in neonicotinoid use since their introduction in 1994, with a special focus on seed treatments, a major use not captured by the national pesticide-use survey.

The apparent stability of the bearded reedling (Panurus biarmicus) in Spanish inland wetlands contrasts with its threatened status in Spanish coastal wetlands. The species has already disappeared from some coastal areas in Catalonia and its situation is critical in the region of Valencia. In 2013 we studied the breeding populations in three wetlands in Valencia using two methods: census by exhaustive search of individuals (territory mapping) and distance sampling using line transects.

Un anno dopo la scadenza della moratoria biennale sui tre pesticidi neonicotinoidi, l’Efsa, Autorità europea per la sicurezza alimentare, ha emesso un parere sfavorevole su due dei tre prodotti chimici. Clothianidin, imidacloprid (entrambi della Bayer) pongono gravi rischi per le api. Sul terzo, il thiamethoxam (Syngenta), si è ancora in attesa della relazione che dovrebbe però confermare anche in questo caso lo “sconsiglio”.

Uno studio dell’Università di Trento (CIMeC e Dipartimento di Fisica), pubblicato oggi sulla rivista Scientific Reports indaga gli effetti che l’insetticida più usato al mondo (Imidacloprid) anche se presente nell’ambiente in concentrazioni ben al di sotto dei limiti letali, ha un effetto dannoso nel cervello degli insetti. Le ripercussioni rilevate nel cervello delle api riguardano l’ambito della memoria, dell’orientamento e, per la prima volta viene dimostrata anche una connessione con la perdita dell’olfatto.

La Fédération des apiculteurs du Québec applaudit la position de l'Agence de réglementation de la lutte antiparasitaire (ARLA) de Santé Canada, pour laquelle l'usage actuel de l'imidaclopride « ne peut durer ». La réévaluation par le ministère fédéral de ce pesticide de la famille des néonicotinoïdes a confirmé ses effets extrêmement nocifs pour les cours d'eau et les nappes phréatiques, pour les insectes dont se nourrissent les poissons et plusieurs mammifères, et pour les abeilles et les autres pollinisateurs.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects about 1 in 68 children in the United States, and a combination of genetic and environmental factors, along with complications during pregnancy have been associated with ASD diagnoses. A new study from the National Institute of Environmental Health Services has strengthened the link between prenatal exposure to agricultural pesticides and ASD. The study’s findings have been published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

Kaum größer als ein Spatz, perfekt getarnt im gelblich-grünen, noch jungen Eichenlaub, schmettert ein Ortolan-Männchen sein Lied. Jene Weise, die einst Ludwig van Beethoven beim Komponieren seiner 5. Sinfonie inspiriert haben soll. In Beethovens rheinischer Heimat ist der Vogel längst ausgestorben. Wie im übrigen Westen Deutschlands. Zwei Dinge machen dem Singvogel zu schaffen: in seinem deutschen Brutgebiet nehmen ihm Monokulturen und die intensivierte Landwirtschaft jede Lebensgrundlage.

Due to their high water solubility and diversity of application methods the movement of neonicotinoid insecticides into surface and ground waters has been of increasing concern.