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- Monday, March 3, 2025
Microplastics Interact with Pesticides, Exacerbating Environmental Health Threats, Studies Find
Microplastics Interact with Pesticides, Exacerbating Environmental Health Threats, Studies Find
(Beyond Pesticides, February 25, 2025) A literature review of over 90 scientific articles in Agriculture documents microplastics’ (MPs) increase in the bioavailability, persistence, and toxicity of pesticides used in agriculture. The interactions between MPs and pesticides enhance the threat of pesticide exposure to nontarget organisms, perpetuates the cycle of toxic chemical use, and decreases soil health that is vital for productivity.
In agriculture, the primary sources of microplastics are plastic mulching, coatings on pesticides, and fertilizers such as biosolids, in addition to the particles carried to the fields by wind and water. As Dr. Tang says: “MPs are defined as plastic fragments measuring less than 5 mm in size and can either result from the breakdown of larger plastic waste (secondary MPs) or be produced intentionally for specific uses (primary MPs), like in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and industrial applications. Owing to their diminutive size, durability, and widespread presence, MPs have been recognized as a global pollutant that can interact with various environmental contaminants, including pesticides.”
- the bioavailability of pesticides can be altered by the mechanism of adsorption, where particles from the pesticides can adhere to the plastic’s surface.
- When microplastics influence the uptake of pesticides, they can cause a decline in pesticide effectiveness that results in lower agricultural yields and higher costs of having to apply more pesticides.
- “MPs could greatly extend the degradation half-lives of several pesticides,
- “In degradation experiments, MPs substantially prolonged the persistence of herbicides in aquatic environments, from 86.6–231 days in the control to 346.5–886.2 days in water.”
- Adverse impacts on soil structure and cohesion. (See here and here.)
- Effects on the ability of soil to retain water. (See here.)
- Affected presence of soil nutrients, such as organic matter, and microorganisms. (See here, here, here, here, here, and here.)
- Decreased microbial activity in the soil. (See here and here.)
- “Toxicity observed in the MPs after herbicide adsorption being markedly greater than in those without herbicides.”
- The presence of MPs “not only heightened chlorpyrifos accumulation in radishes but also diminished the fresh root biomass of the plants.”
filed under Formulants, Inerts and Contaminants/Contaminants
- Monday, March 3, 2025
Pesticides that Adversely Affect Cell Function Linked to Brain Cancer
Pesticides that Adversely Affect Cell Function Linked to Brain Cancer
(Beyond Pesticides, February 7, 2025) ...' a new meta-analysis identifies studies that pesticides can overwhelm cells’ defenses against them, interfere with cell communication in the brain, and disrupt the epigenetic (gene function) regulation of gene expression. In the journal Nucleus, Bilal Ahmad Mir, PhD and colleagues at the University of Kashmir in Srinagar, India, review what is known at the molecular level about pesticides’ role in brain cancer.
The brain, only two percent of the body’s mass, uses 15-20 percent of all the energy the body generates via aerobic metabolism, so oxygen homeostasis is of utmost importance. It is clear that pesticides induce the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are implicated in many diseases. In the brain, two important communication pathways can be disrupted by ROS: gap junctions, which are direct connections between cells allowing for transfer of molecules such as neurotransmitters, and synapses, where electrical signals travel between neurons. The brain is especially vulnerable because it needs both significant amounts of oxygen and higher levels of iron and copper than the rest of the body.
Many pesticide families have been demonstrated to produce ROS: organophosphates (chlorpyrifos, quinalphos, dichlorvos); organochlorines (paraquat, dieldrin); and pyrethroids (permethrin), for example.'
Many have multiple ways of harming cells... The weed killer araquat also interferes with the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+ and NADH) process, which involves enzymes crucial for regulating mitochondrial energy generation, the oxygen-iron and oxygen-copper reactions, signal transduction, genomic stability, gene expression regulation, circadian clock management, immunity, and inflammation.
filed under health/ cancer/links (2)
- Monday, March 3, 2025
Pesticides disrupt ecosystems and harm wildlife, study finds
Pesticides disrupt ecosystems and harm wildlife, study finds
(Environmental Health News, Feb 24, 2025)
In short:
- A review of 1,700 studies found that pesticides negatively affect more than 800 species, including plants, animals, fungi, and microbes.
- Researchers identified impacts such as reduced reproductive success, slower growth, and altered behaviors that threaten ecosystem stability.
- The study comes ahead of United Nations biodiversity talks in Rome, where officials will discuss strategies to address deforestation, pollution, and overexploitation.
Key quote:
"It is often assumed that pesticides are toxic primarily to the target pest and closely related organisms but this is clearly not true. Concerningly, we found pervasive negative impacts across plants, animals, fungi, and microbes, threatening the integrity of ecosystems." (Dave Goulson, study co-author, University of Sussex)
filed under Wildlife Section/Overview
- Monday, March 3, 2025
What Will Happen if We Continue like This?
short video
What Will Happen if We Continue like This? (PAN Europe, short video)
We interviewed the German Professor Dr. Carsten Brühl, specialist in ecotoxicology. His University Kaiserslautern-Landau recently published an alarming study in the journal “Scientific Reports”. Almost unbelievable but true, this was the first to examine #pesticide contamination over the course of a year.
They found a cocktail of pesticides not only during the spraying periods in the fields, but also throughout the year and in adjacent meadows. The significant impact on the environment has hardly been investigated. The rapid loss of biodiversity is a disaster for our environment and jeopardises our food production, which depends on healthy and biodiverse ecosystems for pollination and fertile soil. The current EU pesticide regulation is failing, as was shown in our recent report ‘Licence to Kill’.
In this campaign, we will interview scientists, review new scientific research and highlight the importance of lesser-known arthropods. Our aim is to stimulate the discussion to achieve the urgent protection of the natural abundance on which our lives depend.filed under Wildlife Section/Insects p.2
- Monday, March 3, 2025
Revealing Dirty Weed: Pesticides in Cannabis Raises Health Concerns, as Advocates Advance Organic Solution
California study
(Beyond Pesticides, February 6, 2024) 'Months after publishing a June 2024 study regarding concentrations of pesticides discovered in legal (and illegal) cannabis products in California, the Los Angeles Times has released a follow-up exposé highlighting extensive pesticide contamination, including from “hidden” pesticides that regulators have not monitored.
in total, 79 toxic chemicals were found in the products tested, 45 of which tested positive in cannabis products specifically. All but one of these “hidden pesticides” are prohibited from use on cannabis plants due to failing to meet California’s “use criteria”.
Limited research exists on the safety of these pesticides when burned and inhaled. ... the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not fully evaluate residues in inhaled tobacco smoke “because of the severity and quantity of health effects associated with the use of tobacco products themselves.”
5 pesticides were identified several hundred to thousand times over the permitted residue level or EPA criteria.
... unregulated products are more likely to contain one or more of the 66 regulated chemicals, whereas regulated products are more likely to contain one or more “hidden” chemicals, for which there is no required screening.;
Pesticides were also found in 50% of vape products.
SNAP Comment: ' All Cannabis products intended for sale or provided to any party under the Cannabis Act will require pesticide testing. Eurofins Experchem Laboratories can detect all 96 pesticide actives proposed by Health Canada, and our method has been validated.' Eurofins (March 2025) The list of tested pesticides is provided. Of the 5 pesticides identified as way above safe limits in this California study, chlorfenapyr, trifloxystrobin and bifenazate are tested for, but not pymetrozine or 2-phyenylphenol.
filed under Pesticides in Drugs
- Monday, March 3, 2025
Study Finds Increased Offspring Mortality in Pesticide-Laden Bird’s Nests
cetral Europe study of birds using fur to line their nests
Study Finds Increased Offspring Mortality in Pesticide-Laden Bird’s Nests
(Beyond Pesticides, February 11, 2025) In a Science of The Total Environment study, scientists test over 100 blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) and great tit (Parus major) birds’ nests for pesticide residues in comparison with the number of dead offspring and unhatched eggs within the nest. Fur-lined nests, from animals treated with ectoparasitic chemicals, expose birds to compounds that can impact reproductive success. The authors found fipronil, a phenyl pyrazole insecticide, in all nests, with the majority also containing the neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid and synthetic pyrethroid insecticide permethrin. The data shows higher insecticide levels are linked to increased offspring mortality and threaten biodiversity. This study highlights an important exposure route that is overlooked.
the researchers highlight the study’s novel design, saying, “To the best of our knowledge, no previous studies have been performed to detect and quantify veterinary ectoparasitic drugs in the fur used for nest-building and explored the potential associated effects in these bird species.” They continue, writing, “The environmental impact of insecticides used as ectoparasitic treatments for companion animals is not well understood, since they are not subject to detailed environmental risk assessment.”'
SNAP Comment: As of 3 March 2025, there are 0 fipronil, 98 imidacloprid, and 303 permethrin containing pesticides registered by the PMRA, many for treating pets and livestock.
filed under Wildlife Section/Birds p.2
- Wednesday, February 26, 2025
New report reveals dramatic increase in overuse of toxic pesticides in Canada
Canada has become the fifth largest pesticide user in the world
New report reveals dramatic increase in overuse of toxic pesticides in Canada (Ecojustice, 8 January 2025)
A new report from Ecojustice reveals that pesticide sales in Canada increased by a staggering 47 per cent between 2011 and 2021. These dramatic increases in sales lead to higher and higher exposures for people in Canada and their environment. The report calls on the Canadian government to take urgent steps to address its broken regulatory system and identify pesticides reduction as a clear policy goal to reach its biodiversity commitments and better protect the health of people in Canada.
Canada has become the fifth largest pesticide user in the world, despite having a colder climate than many other countries where pests are reduced in the winter. In 2005, 26 million kilograms of pesticides were estimated to be sold in Canada. Since then, annual pesticide sales have skyrocketed fivefold to more than 130 million kilograms.
The report identifies steps the Canadian government must take to reach our commitment of reducing the risk of pesticides by at least 50 per cent by 2030, and align itself with international best practices to better protect people and the environment. This includes:
- Establishing a clear long-term goal to eliminate the use of toxic pesticides.
- Realizing easy reductions in the short-term by eliminating certain high-risk, high-volume and low benefit practices such as forestry and cosmetic uses.
- Increasing supports to farmers to shift towards alternative pest management strategies.
- Significantly increasing transparency and weeding out undue and harmful industry influence in decision-making on harmful pesticides.
filed under Pesticide Use
- Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Environmental justice in the US-Canada trade war: why it matters
If Canada is serious about increasing trade with the EU, we must improve our pesticide use policies.
Environmental justice in the US-Canada trade war: why it matters (Muhannad Malas, Ecojustice,February 25, 2025)
This article discusses pipelines, future-proofing our economy as well as the section below on Increasing trade with non-U.S. partners.
'The EU is the world’s largest trading block and is known for having some of the highest environmental standards, particularly in agriculture and chemicals. A recent Ecojustice report revealed that Canada has become the fifth-largest user of pesticides in the world, many of which are banned in the EU.
The agricultural sector is one of Canada’s largest employers. Currently, 60 per cent — or $99.1 billion — of our exported agriculture and food products are destined for the U.S.
By contrast, our agri-food exports to the EU are estimated at only around $5 billion, presenting a significant opportunity for Canada to increase trade with the EU. If Canada is serious about increasing trade with the EU, we must improve our pesticide use policies.
This month, the EU published its latest Vision for Agriculture and Food,21 which signals the EU’s intent to restrict the import of agricultural products that contain banned pesticides. Canada must invest in alternative pest-management strategies and better support our farmers and the tens of thousands of agricultural migrant workers who ensure that Canadians have healthy food on their tables.
- Saturday, February 22, 2025
Federal Court rules Canada’s approval of glyphosate product unreasonable
Federal Court rules Canada’s approval of glyphosate product unreasonable (EcoJustice, 20 February 2025)
'In its decision, the Court noted that Health Canada’s 2022 conclusions that glyphosate-based pesticide products continued to pose acceptable risks was unsubstantiated by any scientific analysis. The Court set aside the renewal of the product, giving Health Canada six months to make a new decision on the renewal that transparently addresses new science on glyphosate risks.
After the hearing of the judicial review, an access to information request revealed that Health Canada planned a review of new glyphosate science in 2022 but proceeded to renew approvals for glyphosate products without completing this review. The planned review was not disclosed to the Court or the public.
A new report from Ecojustice reveals that Canada is now the fifth largest user of pesticides in the world, with sales increasing a staggering 47 per cent in just a decade. These pesticides pose potential harm to the health of humans and the environment.'
also see
Judge rejects Health Canada's 'trust us' approach in glyphosate pesticide approval Health Canada's approval of the glyphosate pesticide Mad Dog Plus failed to consider contradictory science, court rules. (by Stefan Labbe, Vancouver is Awesome)
filed under pesticide fact sheets/glyphosate 2 and legal/litigation/glyphosate
- Saturday, February 22, 2025
UK soil breakthrough could cut farm fertiliser use and advance sustainable agriculture
Research group says discovery could lead to new type of environmentally friendly farming
UK soil breakthrough could cut farm fertiliser use and advance sustainable agriculture
Research group says discovery could lead to new type of environmentally friendly farming (The Guardian, 22 February 2025)
'A biological mechanism that makes plant roots more attractive to soil microbes has been discovered by scientists in the UK. The breakthrough – by researchers at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, Norfolk – opens the door to the creation of crops requiring reduced amounts of nitrate and phosphate fertilisers, they say.
The team led by Charpentier has announced that it has discovered a mutation in the legume Medicago truncatula which enhances partnerships with bacteria and fungi that supply the roots with nitrogen and phosphorus. This process improves the plant’s take-up of nutrients.
Crucially, the team – whose research was recently published in Nature – showed the same gene mutation in wheat enhances similar partnerships in field conditions. This opens the door to the creation of wheat varieties that can exploit soil microbes to provide nutrients and so reduce the need to use large amounts of artificial inorganic fertilisers.
filed under Organics/Farming