A new peer-reviewed study shows an explosion in the toxicity of U.S. agriculture for insects over the past 25 years since neonicotinoid pesticides were introduced.
The study found that U.S. agriculture is 48 times more toxic to insect life, and that neonicotinoids account for 92 percent of the increase in toxicity.
A growing body of evidence points to neonicotinoids as a factor in insect declines, along with climate change and habitat destruction, leading some scientists to warn of an “insect apocalypse.” Insects make up the basis of the food webs that sustain life on Earth and play a critical role in the agricultural production of crops that feed us all. Pollinators, like bees, are responsible for one in three bites of food we eat.
“It is alarming that U.S. agriculture has become so much more toxic to insect life in the past two decades,” said Kendra Klein, Ph.D., study co-author and senior staff scientist at Friends of the Earth. “We need to phase out neonicotinoid pesticides to protect bees and other insects that are critical to biodiversity and the farms that feed us."
The new study found that the persistence of neonicotinoids creates a cumulative toxic burden in the environment that is much higher than that experienced by insects 25 or more years ago. This is because neonicotinoids are considerably more toxic to insects and far more persistent in the environment than other commonly used insecticides. While others break down within hours or days, neonicotinoids can be effective at killing insects for months to years after application.
The new study shows a dramatic increase in the toxic load of U.S. agriculture beginning in the mid-2000s. This is when neonicotinoids first started being used to coat the seeds of commodity crops like corn and soy. The findings show that corn and soy have contributed more than any other crops to the increase in toxic load. Research, including an Environmental Protection Agency assessment, shows that neonicotinoid seed coatings provide little to no economic benefits to farmers but come at a high cost to the environment.
The three neonicotinoids that contributed most to the increasing toxic load are imidacloprid and clothianidin, manufactured by Bayer, and thiamethoxam, a product of Syngenta-ChemChina.
The authors assert that existing regulations for the registration of pesticides in the U.S. are not adequate to prevent the introduction of chemicals that can cause catastrophic harm in the environment.
https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2019/08/06/new-study-us-agriculture-48-times-more-toxic-insects-25-years-ago
The study found that U.S. agriculture is 48 times more toxic to insect life, and that neonicotinoids account for 92 percent of the increase in toxicity.
A growing body of evidence points to neonicotinoids as a factor in insect declines, along with climate change and habitat destruction, leading some scientists to warn of an “insect apocalypse.” Insects make up the basis of the food webs that sustain life on Earth and play a critical role in the agricultural production of crops that feed us all. Pollinators, like bees, are responsible for one in three bites of food we eat.
“It is alarming that U.S. agriculture has become so much more toxic to insect life in the past two decades,” said Kendra Klein, Ph.D., study co-author and senior staff scientist at Friends of the Earth. “We need to phase out neonicotinoid pesticides to protect bees and other insects that are critical to biodiversity and the farms that feed us."
The new study found that the persistence of neonicotinoids creates a cumulative toxic burden in the environment that is much higher than that experienced by insects 25 or more years ago. This is because neonicotinoids are considerably more toxic to insects and far more persistent in the environment than other commonly used insecticides. While others break down within hours or days, neonicotinoids can be effective at killing insects for months to years after application.
The new study shows a dramatic increase in the toxic load of U.S. agriculture beginning in the mid-2000s. This is when neonicotinoids first started being used to coat the seeds of commodity crops like corn and soy. The findings show that corn and soy have contributed more than any other crops to the increase in toxic load. Research, including an Environmental Protection Agency assessment, shows that neonicotinoid seed coatings provide little to no economic benefits to farmers but come at a high cost to the environment.
The three neonicotinoids that contributed most to the increasing toxic load are imidacloprid and clothianidin, manufactured by Bayer, and thiamethoxam, a product of Syngenta-ChemChina.
The authors assert that existing regulations for the registration of pesticides in the U.S. are not adequate to prevent the introduction of chemicals that can cause catastrophic harm in the environment.
https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2019/08/06/new-study-us-agriculture-48-times-more-toxic-insects-25-years-ago
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