Fungicides

Obama Administration Takes Important Step to Protect Endangered Species From Pesticides

The Environmental Protection Agency and several other federal agencies released new policies today designed to better assess the risks that pesticides pose to endangered species. These policies will ensure that mitigation measures recommended by the federal wildlife agencies are put in place to protect endangered species in agricultural areas, as well as in areas downstream that are affected by pesticide runoff. They come in response to an April 2013 report from the National Academy of Sciences that criticized the EPA for failing to fully assess the impact of pesticides on endangered species. “The actions announced today represent an important step forward in protecting our nation’s most endangered plants and animals from toxic pesticides, but this is just the first step,” said Brett Hartl, endangered species policy director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The EPA needs to do much more to ensure this new plan results in meaningful, on-the-ground conservation actions to protect our most endangered species and their habitats.”

Developments in the area of pollinator regulatory testing and risk assessment in North America

Continuing on from their recent article “Risk Assessment for Bees I – Recent Regulatory Developments in Europe” Huntingdon Life Sciences has published a follow-up article which focuses on developments in the area of pollinator
regulatory testing and risk assessment in North America.

In Argentinien leiden Menschen unter dem massiven und illegalen Einsatz von Pestiziden

Sie kommen mit körperlichen Defekten zur Welt oder erkranken überdurchschnittlich oft an Krebs: In Argentinien leiden Menschen unter dem massiven und illegalen Einsatz von Pestiziden. Das Gift trägt wesentlich zum wirtschaftlichen Erfolg des Landes durch Soja-Produktion bei. Mithilfe moderner Biotechnologie ist Argentinien zum weltweit drittgrößten Soja-Hersteller aufgestiegen. Der massive Einsatz chemischer Mittel hat an diesem Erfolg großen Anteil. Doch die giftigen Stoffe werden teilweise direkt neben Wohnhäusern und Schulen ausgebracht und kontaminieren das Trinkwasser. Wissenschaftler und Ärzte warnen vor der unkontrollierten Nutzung der Chemikalien: Sie glauben, dass aus diesem Grund immer mehr Menschen in Argentinien erkranken.

A new report has linked unregulated agrochemical use in Argentina to increased cancer rates, birth defects and other health problems there

The Associated Press’ report described pesticide use near heavily populated areas, children being regularly exposed to harmful agrochemicals, the contamination of water supplies, and workers who were not properly trained to handle such pesticides. The AP report focused on regions in Argentina that produce soybeans, cotton and corn. According to the news agency, Argentina adopted the use of genetically modified organisms, GMOs, as well as agrochemicals from Monsanto Co., in 1996 and all of the country’s soy crops, with corn and cotton just behind, are genetically modified. Despite the claims from Monsanto that pesticide use would decrease with GMO crops, the new report indicates instead a dramatic increase, from nine million gallons used in 1990 to 84 million gallons in 2013. That number, per square acre, is more than double the pesticide use in the United States, reports AP.

The majority of synergistic effects of pesticides in honeybees are ascribed to the inhibition of detoxifying P450 enzymes

During foraging activities honeybees are frequently exposed to different xenobiotics, most of them are agrochemical pesticides and beehive chemicals. The understanding of synergy mechanisms between xenobiotics is very important for the control of defined mixtures use and also for the prediction of potential toxicity of newly developed substances in agriculture and apiculture. This review is focused on the effects, mechanisms and molecular targets of xenobiotics in honeybees and possible complex mechanisms of their synergisms. The majority of synergistic effects observed in honeybees were ascribed to the inhibition of detoxifying midgut enzymes P450 involved in xenobiotic metabolism. The main inhibitors of P450 enzymes are specific compounds used to prolong the effects of pesticides as well as some fungicides. Some insecticides can also interact with these enzymes and influence the xenobiotics.

Costa Rica’s iconic spectacled caiman is not safe from pesticides

Costa Rica’s iconic spectacled caiman, a cousin of the crocodile, is protected by thousands of acres of prime forest preserved in the Tortuguero Conservation Area. But recent research shows that these conservation efforts alone might not be enough to protect the species from damaging human impacts. Up in the headlands of the Rio Suerte, upstream from the coastal tropical forests where caimans make their homes, is prime banana plantation territory. Researchers from the University of British Columbia found high levels of pesticides in the blood of the caimans that live downstream, including chemicals that are known to act as endocrine disruptors. Bananas, ubiquitous in our grocery stores, are one of those few fruits and vegetables the “locally grown” craze has missed. We import them by the millions and expect them to be cheap and identical—a commodity fruit. But growing bananas to meet the global demand requires massive plantations that use lots and lots of pesticides.

The myths surrounding the effectiveness of the industrial food system

In this Communiqué, ETC Group identifies the major corporate players that control industrial farm inputs. Together with our companion poster, Who will feed us? The industrial food chain or the peasant food web?, ETC Group aims to de-construct the myths surrounding the effectiveness of the industrial food system. ETC Group has been monitoring the power and global reach of agro-industrial corporations for several decades – including the increasingly consolidated control of agricultural inputs for the industrial food chain: proprietary seeds and livestock genetics, chemical pesticides and fertilizers and animal pharmaceuticals. Collectively, these inputs are the chemical and biological engines that drive industrial agriculture. This update documents the continuing concentration (surprise, surprise), but it also brings us to three conclusions important to both peasant producers and policy makers. 1. Cartels are commonplace, 2. The “invisible hold” of the market is growing, and 3. Climate research shows that we don’t know (that) we don’t know our food system.

The EPA is giving the green light to some pesticides without enough data to prove they are safe, a report for Congress warns

In a 52-page report released Monday, the Government Accountability Office raises concerns about EPA’s method of granting conditional approval for new uses of pesticides in advance of receiving full reports from the manufacturers to support the safety of their use. The findings in the report come amid growing concern over the effects of pesticides on humans and the environment, which have been linked to neurological disorders and cancer, among other things.
EPA officials, in response to recommendations in GAO’s report, “EPA Should Take Steps To Improve Its Oversight Of Conditional Registrations,” have agreed to update their systems to allow for the easier tracking of conditional registrations and better monitor submission of the needed data. However, the agency in a July 18 letter to Alfredo Gomez, GAO’s acting director, also defends its conditional registration program. While EPA has “made mistakes in how it has identified the states of conditionally and unconditionally registered pesticides” and has limitations in tracking the submission of data, “all conditionally registered products meet applicable legal standards, and pesticides have not been allowed in the marketplace without adequate testing to ensure safety.

Nefyto noemt het voorgenomen verbod van staatssecretaris Mansveld ten aanzien van het gebruik van gewasbeschermingsmiddelen buiten de landbouw onverantwoord

Nefyto, de belangenorganisatie voor de Nederlandse agrochemische industrie, noemt het voorgenomen verbod van staatssecretaris Mansveld van Infrastructuur en Milieu ten aanzien van het gebruik van gewasbeschermingsmiddelen buiten de landbouw onverantwoord en onaanvaardbaar. De organisatie wil samen met andere belanghebbende partijen in gesprek gaan met de staatssecretaris en ook met de partijen in de Tweede Kamer over aanpassing van de voorstellen. Nefyto roept andere belanghebbenden bij het behoud van het gebruik van gewasbeschermingsmiddelen buiten de landbouw op hun stem ook te laten horen. Staatssecretaris Mansveld heeft de Tweede Kamer via een brief laten weten dat zij het gebruik van gewasbeschermingsmiddelen buiten de landbouw wil verbieden. In juli 2013 stelde zij al vergaande maatregelen aan de Tweede Kamer voor. Zonder overleg met partijen die belang hebben bij gebruik en verkoop van deze producten, heeft zij nu besloten tot een vrijwel volledig verbod op het gebruik van bestrijdingsmiddelen buiten de landbouw. Nefyto vindt dit voornemen onverantwoord en onaanvaardbaar. In een reactie schrijft de toxicoloog Henk Tennekes dat de agrochemische industrie halsstarrig vasthoudt aan haar belangen en weigert compromissen te sluiten. Daarmee verspeelt de agrochemische industrie haar geloofwaardigheid en dat kan er toe leiden dat de sector op een bepaald moment ook niet meer serieus genomen wordt, aldus Tennekes.

Ctgb kritisch doorgelicht

Een internationale visitatiecommissie (IVC) onderzocht in het voorjaar 2013 indringend en diepgaand de werkwijze bij het College voor de toelating van gewasbeschermingsmiddelen en biociden (Ctgb). Tijdens deze visitatie is de wetenschappelijke en juridische kwaliteit van de besluitvorming maar ook de bedrijfsvoering (bijvoorbeeld het personeelsbeleid) tegen het licht gehouden. De commissie vermeldt in haar rapport een aantal aanbevelingen en spreekt het vertrouwen uit in de gang van zaken bij het Ctgb en daarmee ook in het Nederlands toelatingsbeleid voor gewasbeschermingsmiddelen en biociden. In een reactie schrijft de toxicoloog Henk Tennekes dat het College voor de toelating van gewasbeschermingsmiddelen en biociden (Ctgb) in Wageningen mede verantwoordelijk is voor falend agrarisch natuurbeheer, omdat het Ctgb veel te weinig oog had voor de kwalijke milieueigenschappen en extreme chronische toxiciteit voor geleedpotigen van imidacloprid, en deze stof vanaf 1994 in zeer ruime mate heeft toegelaten, waardoor extreme normoverschrijdingen in het oppervlaktewater werden veroorzaakt die een enorme bedreiging voor ongewervelde dieren vormen.