Fungicides

Pflanzenschutzmittel dürfen Nahrungsquellen von Bienen nicht vergiften. Das ergibt sich aus zwei Urteilen des niedersächsischen Oberverwaltungsgerichts in Lüneburg vom 20.08.2013. Das Gericht hat entschieden, dass bienengefährliche Pflanzenschutzmittel unter anderem auf Kartoffeln bereits dann nicht mehr angewandt werden dürfen, wenn damit zu rechnen ist, dass Bienen innerhalb des Wirkungszeitraums des Mittels die behandelten Pflanzen zwecks Nahrungssuche anfliegen. Die Revision wurde nicht zugelassen (Az.: 10 LC 113/11 und 10 LC 131/11).

Humans are modifying the global landscape at an unprecedented scale and pace. As a result, species are declining and going extinct at an alarming rate. I examined patterns of species’ declines in three different groups in relation to a number of anthropogenic variables. I found high losses of Canadian imperiled bird, mammal, amphibian and reptile species in regions with high proportions of agricultural land cover. However, losses of imperiled species are significantly more strongly related to the proportion of the region treated with agricultural pesticides. This is consistent with the hypothesis that agricultural pesticide use, or something strongly collinear with it (perhaps intensive agriculture more generally), has contributed significantly to the decline of imperiled species.

In Europe, the growth of counterfeit plant protection products is worrying. The ECPA estimates that 5 percent to 7 percent of annual turnover is affected by counterfeiting and illegal trade. At the time of the report, in U.S. dollars, this is about $260 million - $370 million of the European pesticide business across Europe. In some regional hot spots, 25 percent or more of the market is estimated to be counterfeit. These estimates are based on statistics, market dynamics, percentage of customs seizures and case-by-case country studies. And the problem is growing. In China and India, illegal pesticides are deemed to make up about 30 percent and 20 percent of these markets, respectively. The rapid growth of chemical manufacturing capabilities in these countries has made this possible. Pesticide imports from China into the European Union are growing eight times faster than average worldwide pesticide imports into the EU. This is a concern in light of the fact that 86 percent of counterfeited goods seized in 2006 came from China.

Research is urgently needed to evaluate the risks and benefits of nano-pesticides to human and environmental health. Melanie Kah and Thilo Hofmann from the Department of Environmental Geosciences of the University of Vienna recently performed an extensive analysis of this emerging field of research. The results were published June 6th in the internationally recognised journal "Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology". The study presents the current scientific state of art on nano-pesticides and identifies direction priorities for future research.

Assessment of whether pesticide exposure is associated with neurodevelopmental outcomes in children can best be addressed with a systematic review of both the human and animal peer-reviewed literature. This review analyzed epidemiologic studies testing the hypothesis that exposure to pesticides during pregnancy and/or early childhood is associated with neurodevelopmental outcomes in children. Studies that directly queried pesticide exposure (e.g., via questionnaire or interview) or measured pesticide or metabolite levels in biological specimens from study participants (e.g., blood, urine, etc.) or their immediate environment (e.g., personal air monitoring, home dust samples, etc.) were eligible for inclusion. Consistency, strength of association, and dose response were key elements of the framework utilized for evaluating epidemiologic studies. As a whole, the epidemiologic studies did not strongly implicate any particular pesticide as being causally related to adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants and children. A few associations were unique for a health outcome and specific pesticide, and alternative hypotheses could not be ruled out. Our survey of the in vivo peer-reviewed published mammalian literature focused on effects of the specific active ingredient of pesticides on functional neurodevelopmental endpoints (i.e., behavior, neuropharmacology and neuropathology). In most cases, effects were noted at dose levels within the same order of magnitude or higher compared to the point of departure used for chronic risk assessments in the United States. Thus, although the published animal studies may have characterized potential neurodevelopmental outcomes using endpoints not required by guideline studies, the effects were generally observed at or above effect levels measured in repeated-dose toxicology studies submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Suggestions for improved exposure assessment in epidemiology studies and more effective and tiered approaches in animal testing are discussed.

Recent declines in honey bee populations and increasing demand for insect-pollinated crops raise concerns about pollinator shortages. Pesticide exposure and pathogens may interact to have strong negative effects on managed honey bee colonies. Such findings are of great concern given the large numbers and high levels of pesticides found in honey bee colonies. Thus it is crucial to determine how field-relevant combinations and loads of pesticides affect bee health. We collected pollen from bee hives in seven major crops to determine 1) what types of pesticides bees are exposed to when rented for pollination of various crops and 2) how field-relevant pesticide blends affect bees’ susceptibility to the gut parasite Nosema ceranae. Our samples represent pollen collected by foragers for use by the colony, and do not necessarily indicate foragers’ roles as pollinators. In blueberry, cranberry, cucumber, pumpkin and watermelon bees collected pollen almost exclusively from weeds and wildflowers during our sampling. Thus more attention must be paid to how honey bees are exposed to pesticides outside of the field in which they are placed. We detected 35 different pesticides in the sampled pollen, and found high fungicide loads. The insecticides esfenvalerate and phosmet were at a concentration higher than their median lethal dose in at least one pollen sample. While fungicides are typically seen as fairly safe for honey bees, we found an increased probability of Nosema infection in bees that consumed pollen with a higher fungicide load. Our results highlight a need for research on sub-lethal effects of fungicides and other chemicals that bees placed in an agricultural setting are exposed to.

Charttechnischer Ausblick 07.08.13: Das sieht nicht mehr wirklich gesund aus. Tagelang schon kämpft SYNGENTA im Tageschart um eine Bodenbildung um 370 CHF, der Kampf endet scheinbar zugunsten der Bären. Noch liegt um 366 CHF ein letzter seidener Faden, darunter muss man sich aber sofort in Richtung 350 CHF orientieren. Wohingegen ab 375 CHF die Bullen zurück im Spiel wären, mit Ziel 395 CHF dann. Letztes Update 02.07.13: Das bemerkenswerte am heutigen Kaufsignal im Tageschart von SYNGENTA ist der Umstand, dass es weit und breit das einzige seiner Sorte ist. Während sich andernorts aber nur bearische Fortsetzungsmuster zeigen, bricht diese Aktie heute über sein noch junges Zwischenhoch und peilt damit das nächste Kursziel von 390 CHF an. Enttäuschend wäre hingegen ein Rückfall unter 365, in diesem Fall rechnen wir mit einem sofortigen Rutsch in Richtung 350 CHF.