Archives for 2025
- 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
- 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
- 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
Sleep Disorders in Farmers and Farmworkers Linked to Pesticide Exposure in Study Supporting Similar Findings
Thai farmers study
(Beyond Pesticides, January 31, 2025) A recent cross-sectional study in Heliyon highlights the link between sleep disorders in Thai farmers and pesticide exposure. The authors find pesticide exposure as an important risk factor for sleep disorders after surveying 27,334 farmers over the age of 20 who had work experience for at least five years.
.38 individual pesticides are included in the study... These pesticides were chosen based on findings from previous studies that indicated a connection to sleep health and their common usage in Thailand.”
“For individual pesticides, significant associations were observed in 19 out of 38 individual pesticides. There were twelve insecticides, including three organochlorine insecticides (chlorpyrifos, chlordane, dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane DDT), five organophosphates (ethyl p-nitrophenyl phenylphosphorothioate EPN, folidol, methamidophos, mevinphos, profenofos), three carbamates (carbaryl, carbofuran, methomyl), and imidacloprid.”
Overall, the study shows that the female group displays higher associations with sleep disorders. Significant associations are also noted for “two herbicides (diuron and paraquat) and five fungicides (benomyl, Bordeaux mixture, carbendazim, copper sulphate, metalaxyl). The association for some chemicals, e.g., chlorpyrifos, DDT, endosulfan, carbosulfan were in a dose-response pattern.”
“A notable strength of this study lies in its collection of exposure information for various pesticides, coupled with the use of medically diagnosed diseases confirmed by ICD-10 a medical classification list by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is considered more accurate than relying on self-reported outcomes.
SNAP Comment: Although several pesticides linked to sleep problems are not currently registered in Canada, many have been in the past. This study is a long-term exposure study so previous exposure to now banned pesticides may be relevant. Currently there aee 98 imidacloprid containing pesticides registered in canada, Organaochlorines: 0 chlorpyrifos, (historically 297) 0 chlordane (historically 11), 0 dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane DDT) ( historically 55), 0 endosulfan (historically 16), five organophosphates:0 ethyl p-nitrophenyl phenylphosphorothioate EPN (historically 0), 0 folidol (historically 0), methamidophos (historically 5), 0 mevinphos (historically 0), 0 profenofos (historically 0), three carbamates:3 carbaryl (historically 206), 0 carbofuran (historically 7), 4 methomyl (historically 13), 0 carbosulfan (historically 0) and imidacloprid (above).
herbicides:8 diuron (historically 23) and 0 paraquat (historically 16) and five fungicides: 0 benomyl (historically 13), 0 Bordeaux mixture (historically 0), 3 carbendazim (historically 7), 0 copper sulphate (historically 0, although there were historically 543 copper containing pesticides), 89 metalaxyl (historically 138).
filed under Health/Sleep Disorders
- 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
- Thursday, February 20, 2025
Saskatchewan Invasive Plant Species Identification Guide - 2nd Edition
Saskatchewan Invasive Plant Species Identification Guide - 2nd Edition
Designed for forage producers. Good identification guide with descriptions and photos.Also gives a visual with graphics of control methods. SNAP disagrees with what seems like exclusive chemical control methods. For instance, wormwood is easy to pull when small and may not spread much if not let go to seed.
filed under alternatives/weeds
- Thursday, February 13, 2025
Viability of Hemp as a PFAS Remediation Tool Moves Forward, as Contamination Spreads
Viability of Hemp as a PFAS Remediation Tool Moves Forward, as Contamination Spreads
(Beyond Pesticides, January 23, 2025) According to reporting by Bangor Daily News, “Starting in 2025, the Mi’kmaq Nation, Upland Grassroots, University of Virginia, the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and Central Aroostook Soil and Water Conservation District will use a four-year, $1.6 million EPA grant to continue hemp planting at the former Loring Air Force Base and testing potential ways to extract PFAS per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances from harvested hemp.”
PFAS, colloquially known as “forever chemicals,” persist in various petrochemical-based pesticides, chemicals, and other consumer products.
PFAs have widespread direct uses and are widespread contaminants in 'homes and gardens, food, water, and soil. PFAS compounds have been found to contaminate water and irrigation sources, and soils themselves — often through the use of fertilizers made from so-called “biosludge” (biosolids) from local waste treatment plants where PFAS active ingredients can end up. In addition, run-off from land treated with PFAS active ingredients, these treatment plants may discharge millions of gallons of wastewater into waterways, contaminating them; current waste and water treatment generally does not eliminate PFAS compounds from the treated effluent water.'
Of the 28 PFAS varieties identified in the soil, 10 were found in the harvested hemp plants, according to the group’s research. (T)he group now must contend with how to properly dispose of the contaminated plants without contributing to landfills or leading to eventual exposure in future generations.
filedunder remediation/removal and Polyfluorinated Pesticides and PFAs
- Thursday, February 13, 2025
Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals
Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (Endocrine Society web page) regularly updated
'Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are chemicals that mimic, block, or interfere with hormones in the body's endocrine system. EDCs have been associated with a diverse array of health issues. Watch an animated overview to learn more and explore the rest of the Society's education, resources, and advocacy campaigns on EDCs.
View our introduction to EDCs, what EDCs are, why you should care and what you can do about EDCs in the navigation bar to the right. Additionally, learn about where we stand on EDCs and our scientific statement defining EDCs.'
filed under Health/ Endocrine Disruption
- Thursday, February 13, 2025
Multitude of Studies Find Epigenetic Effects from PFAS and Other Endocrine Disrupting Pesticides
Multitude of Studies Find Epigenetic Effects from PFAS and Other Endocrine Disrupting Pesticides
(Beyond Pesticides, January 16, 2025) In Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, researchers highlight a multitude of studies on endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and endocrine disrupting pesticides (EDPs) showing epigenetic effects from exposure.
In causing epigenetic modifications, the authors describe that EDCs can create changes “at the nuclear and mitochondrial DNA (nDNA and mtDNA) or RNA levels, without changing the underlying DNA sequence. These alterations modify the structure or conformation of DNA, influencing gene expression and, consequently, cellular function.” They continue, “The mechanisms of epigenetics include changes in DNA methylation, chromatin modifications and the involvement of certain noncoding RNAs.”
The researchers further explain: “Due to the distinct structural features of EDPs, the mode of their toxic action varies with different dosages, influencing the molecular mechanisms of hormone secretion, targets, and even the toxic pathways that affect various hormones in various ways indeed at extremely low concentrations. Nonetheless, the biological mechanisms underlying their effects remain incompletely understood.'
SNAP Comment: In other words, the basis of the North American pesticide regulatory system, 'the dose makes the poison" is grossly inadequate in evaluation of pesticide health effects.
filed under health/Endocrine Disruption and Low dose Effects
- Thursday, February 13, 2025
Pesticides and the cut flower industry
Pesticides and the cut flower industry (Prevent Cancer Now, 13 February 2025) 'Countries are interconnected Over 80% of cut flowers sold in Canada are imported, mainly from Ecuador, Colombia, and Kenya. In addition to contributing to the carbon footprint of air transport in controlled temperatures, these countries pesticide regulations are lax.Studies show that conventional floriculture leaves remnants of insecticides such as chlorpyrifos and neonicotinoids, similar quantities of fungicides, and lesser quantities of herbicides including glyphosate. Various pesticides on flowers are linked to hormone disruption, neurological damage, and increased cancer risks.
Knowledge and health protections are uneven In 2017, 200 kilograms of pesticides were applied per hectare in Columbia—about 75 times the amount typically used in Canada. A Belgian study found that roses were the most contaminated cut flowers, with on average 14 substances detected per sample, including old, highly toxic pesticides such as acephate, methiocarb, and methomyl. Pesticide residues on leaves and stems can be inhaled or absorbed through the skin.
Pesticides used on cut flowers are often poorly regulated Flowers aren’t considered food crops, yet exposure still affects workers, the environment, and even those enjoying a bouquet at home.
- Thursday, February 13, 2025
Pesticides Harming Immune Cell Function Linked to Elevated Breast Cancer Rate in Young Women
Brazizlian study if occupationally exposed women
Pesticides Harming Immune Cell Function Linked to Elevated Breast Cancer Rate in Young Women (Beyond Pesticides, January 14, 2025)
'Women with occupational pesticide exposure have elevated rates of breast cancer, according to a study in Immunopharmacology and Immunotoxicology. Based on an analysis of clinicopathological data from 188 affected women, the study authors demonstrate “that occupational exposure to pesticides modifies the clinical presentation of disease in breast cancer patients, depending on their age at disease onset, affecting cytokine production, especially in those exhibiting early age at diagnosis.” '
filed under health/cancer/links2
- Monday, February 10, 2025
Global Glyphosate Study Reveals Glyphosate-Based Herbicides Cause Leukemia in Early Life
international study, pre-publication
Global Glyphosate Study Reveals Glyphosate-Based Herbicides Cause Leukemia in Early Life (The Ramazzini Institute / October 25, 2023)
In this long-term study, glyphosate alone and two commercial formulations, Roundup BioFlow (MON 52276) used in the EU and Ranger Pro (EPA 524-517) used in the U.S., were administered to rats via drinking water beginning in prenatal life, at doses of 0.5, 5, and 50 mg/kg body weight/day. These doses are currently considered safe by regulatory agencies and correspond to the EU Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) and the EU’s No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) for glyphosate.
About half of the leukemia deaths seen in the rats exposed to glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides occurred at less than one year of age. By contrast no cases of leukemia have been observed below one year of age in more than 1600 sprague-dawley rats studied over the past two decades by the U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP) and the Ramazzini Institute.”
Study Information, including FAQs:at the link
SNAP Comment: neither of the two formulations tested is registered in Canada, or might be under another name. Howver, it seems like glyphosate by itself was also linked to leukemia.
filed under pesticide fact sheets/glyphosate 2 and health/ cancer/links 2
- Friday, February 7, 2025
Map of pesticide lobby influence
CARTOGRAPHIER pour mieux lutter contre l emprise des lobbyistes
CARTOGRAPHIER pour mieux lutter contre l'emprise des lobbyistes
Map of pesticide lobby influence (Vigilance OGM, January 2025)filed under Industry Shenanigans p2
- Friday, February 7, 2025
Inside Quebec fight over bee-killing pesticides
neonicotinoids
Inside Quebec's fight over bee-killing pesticides (National Observer, By Marc Fawcett-Atkinson, January 31st 2025)
'Spooked by Labrie's warnings, the government started looking for neonics — and found them in 100 per cent of the Quebec waterways they tested.
(Labrie) told the crowd that her research showed neonic-treated seeds didn't boost yields, except in exceptional circumstances. Neonic-treated seeds also harm predatory insects like ground beetles that Michon relied on to kill pests naturally...
Initially, he (farmer) struggled to find untreated seeds. But everything changed by 2019, when Quebec introduced groundbreaking rules banning neonics, including treated seeds, unless prescribed by an agronomist. The rules were a North American first and marked a rare defeat for Canada's $2.5-billion pesticide industry which has lobbied fiercely to keep neonic use widespread nationwide.
After the ban, the pesticide companies launched another backdoor attack: they replaced their neonic seed coatings with diamides — a group of insecticides particularly deadly to ecologically important aquatic organisms. Within a year, diamides were showing up in provincial pesticide water monitoring data.
This month, to close that loophole, Quebec banned the use of all insecticide-coated seeds unless prescribed by an agronomist. The ban is a Canadian first. The restrictions will come into force this August to align with the 2026 seed-buying season, said Jacques Fadous, an agronomist with the province's environment ministry...
But the most intense resistance to her research came from her bosses at CÉROM, giving her a key role in the so-called "Louis Robert" scandal that rocked Quebec in 2018. Robert,a career agronomist with the province's agriculture ministry,was fired after leaking an internal briefing note to reporters. The note outlined how CÉROM's then-president Christian Overbeek and other executives tried to stop Labrie and her colleagues from talking about their neonic findings. The situation got so bad that Labrie and several colleagues resigned in 2017.
Public outrage over the case led Premier François Legault to apologize publicly and offer Robert his job back or compensation.
An investigation by Quebec's Auditor General slammed Overbeek for overstepping ethics rules and violating provincial conflict of interest provisions by trying to silence Labrie and her colleagues. Following the scandal, the Quebec government replaced the organization's executive board and restructured the organization.'
filed under Legislation/Regulatory/Canada p2, neonicotinoids p2 and Industry Shenanigans
- Monday, January 20, 2025
Glyphosate Product: Safe Food Matters and others in Court on Wednesday
Glyphosate Product: Safe Food Matters and others in Court on Wednesday
This fight is about the product “Mad Dog Plus”, and the fact that the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) routinely renews products, on a 5 year basis, without looking into new science on risks arising after major registration decisions.
SNAP Comment: In Canada, a pesticide is re-registered every 5 years and re-evaluated eveyr 15 years, in theory. Historically, the re-evaluation process has often been far behind. I think new research only has to be considered in re-evaluations. Even then, the issue is deeper than that: independent studies are consistently not given the same weight as inadequate industry mandated studies and considered irrelevant. Will this precedent European decision help us? PAN successfully challenges pesticide product authorisation - major implications (PAN Europe, January 20, 2025)
filed under LegalLitigation/ Canada p.2 and glyphosate 2
- Monday, January 20, 2025
PAN successfully challenges pesticide product authorisation - major implications
fungicide difenoconazole
PAN successfully challenges pesticide product authorisation - major implications (PAN Europe, January 20, 2025)
'Thereby, this assessment needs not only take into account certain types of scientific and technical knowledge or the time when such knowledge became available (para 77). The determination of whether an active substance has endocrine-disrupting properties must be made on the basis of all available, relevant and reliable scientific and technical knowledge.
...‘In its objection, PAN argued that several studies (among others) show that difenoconazole has endocrine-disrupting properties. The Ctgb did not initially assess this information in the examination of the application for authorisation, because it believed that endocrine-disrupting properties of an active substance should only be assessed at European level when approving that active substance. In the College's view, it is thus established that the contested decision was negligently prepared. The Ctgb's later position - in response to the ECJ's ruling - that the studies cited by PAN are insufficient to identify difenoconazole as endocrine disrupting, is in the opinion of the Board insufficient. If the Ctgb is of the opinion that the studies cited by PAN cannot be regarded as available, relevant and reliable scientific and technical knowledge, it should have given proper and insightful reasons for this.’
‘The conclusion is that the contested decision was insufficiently carefully prepared and unsoundly motivated.’ The Ctgb must issue a new decision within six months, in which ‘the authorisation decision (and the renewal decision) will have to be reconsidered in its entirety, taking into account all the facts and circumstances at the time of the reconsideration.’
SNAP Comment: The same issue we constantly have in Canada. Independent studies are consistently considered irrelevant. Will this prrecedent European decision help us? There are currently 31 difenoconazole containing pesticides registered in Canada.
filed under Legislation/Regulatory/Europe
- Friday, January 10, 2025
Review Cites Memory and Learning Impairments; Children, Workers, and Nontarget Organisms at Risk
Review Cites Memory and Learning Impairments; Children, Workers, and Nontarget Organisms at Risk
(Beyond Pesticides, December 12, 2024) 'A literature review of 161 articles in Discover Toxicology finds that pesticides with different mechanisms of action cause memory and learning impairments. These effects are noted in nontarget species including humans. Pesticide “exposure during development, as well as chronic environmental and occupational exposure, can contribute to decreased cognitive performance,” the researchers say. With a focus on organophosphate pesticides, synthetic pyrethroids, and neonicotinoid insecticides, the authors highlight neurological impacts. Both learning and memory are crucial for the survival of many species.'
The article proceeds to describe the effects found for the various classes of pesticides.
filed under health/nervous system effects
- Friday, January 10, 2025
Study Links Numerous Chemical Families of Pesticides to Endocrine Disrupting Effects, Including Obesity
phenoxy herbicides like 2,4-D, organophosphates, pyrethroids, neonicotinoids
Study Links Numerous Chemical Families of Pesticides to Endocrine Disrupting Effects, Including Obesity (Beyond Pesticides, December 17, 2024)
A systematic review of studies on pesticides as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on body weight, published in Biomedicines, evaluates 36 clinical and preclinical studies and links their agricultural use to obesity. The authors ... assess studies on a range of pesticides, including organophosphates, pyrethroids, neonicotinoids, and others. In addition to concluding that the EDCs promote obesity, they report that the chemicals cause “other anthropometric changes by altering lipid and glucose metabolism, modifying genes, or altering hormone levels such as leptin.”
“Participants with obesity were found to have higher urinary concentrations of 2,4-D and 2,5-D. Higher concentrations of these pesticides were associated with increased BMI and waist circumference,” the authors note. “As in children, the adult study showed a higher prevalence of obesity with higher urinary levels of 2,4-D and 2,5-D.” The additional studies find that carbendazim, thiophanate, benomyl, metalaxyl, propineb, and chlorpyrifos show a statistically significant association with obesity prevalence.
Seven in vitro studies evaluate the “effects of pesticides on the anatomy and physiology of hepatocytes and adipocytes” and the prevalence of obesity. Regarding hepatocytes, which are cells primarily in the liver that play a role in metabolism, cis-Bifenthrin is found to increase intracellular triglyceride levels in these cells after just 24 hours.
Adipocytes, fat cells found in adipose tissue, experience impacts from multiple pesticides:
filed under Diabetes/Obesity
- Friday, January 10, 2025
Early ‘forever chemicals’ exposure could impact economic success in adulthood – study
PFAs
Early ‘forever chemicals’ exposure could impact economic success in adulthood – study ( The Guardian, 10 January, 2025)
'Those (children) who lived in regions with firefighting training areas earned about 1.7% on average less later in life, and showed a graduation rate about 1% lower. Those born between 1981-1988 earned about $1bn less in today’s earnings, or about $1,000 a person on average, compared to those who did not live near the firefighting training sites.
The data also shows lower birth weights among the population – a factor linked to lower economic success later in life...
The chemicals have been used as the primary ingredient in firefighting foam because the formulas are effective at putting out jet fuel fires, or other difficult to manage fires. The Department of Defense is still trying to get a handle on the scope of its pollution around bases.
The study looked at children who were born during a period between 1969 and 1989. It found a stronger correlation in lower earnings among those born later in that period, probably because the chemicals can take several years to pollute groundwater, and the level of pollution likely grew.
The data also showed declines in birth weight starting in the late 1970s, with an average birth weight decrease of nearly eight grams by the 1980s.'
filed under Polyfluorinated pessticides and PFAs
- Friday, January 10, 2025
EPA s Registration of Herbicide under New Framework Puts Endangered Species at Elevated Risk, Advocates Say
EPA’s Registration of Herbicide under New Framework Puts Endangered Species at Elevated Risk, Advocates Say (Beyond Pesticides, December 13, 2024)
Advocates argue that EPA’s Framework has effectively substituted one problematic and insufficient process for another. Even once a mitigation requirement is identified after a new or renewed pesticide registration, compliance by a pesticide applicator, farmer, or worker operates under a “self-service, honor system,” relying on users to proactively seek information online and then simply consider mitigation steps from a still complex menu of possible choices. EPA notes: “The final strategy itself does not impose any requirements or restrictions on pesticide use. Rather, EPA will use the strategy to inform mitigations for new active ingredient registrations and registration review of conventional herbicides.” Therefore, with this Framework, EPA does not appear to establish clear and specific use and site restrictions communicated through a pesticide label, which has historically been established as a set of enforceable legal restrictions under federal pesticide law.
Critics observe that EPA does not possess the scientific expertise, nor the statutory authority, to accurately determine the potential for “population level” impacts to “listed species.” They are obligated to rely on the USFWS and NMFS through a consultation process to make such assessments of the potential effects on species that inhabit such complex ecological systems. Therefore, any pesticide that has not gone through a complete ESA (Endangered Seecies Act) consultation cannot have been properly evaluated. (The Center for Biological Diversity argued this in its June 2024 comments.)
SNAP Comment: I don't know if this is also the current Canadian approach, but our approach leaves alot to be desired as well.
filed under Legislation/Regulatory/ USA p2 and wildlife section/endangered species
- Friday, January 10, 2025
Investigative Report Finds Canada’s Reversal of Neonicotinoid Ban Influenced by Bayer/Monsanto
Investigative Report Finds Canada’s Reversal of Neonicotinoid Ban Influenced by Bayer/Monsanto(Beyond Pesticides, December 18, 2024)
A bombshell investigation conducted by Canada’s National Observer finds that Bayer, which acquired the Monsanto chemical company in 2018, colluded with environmental and public health regulators in Canada to obstruct a proposed neonicotinoid insecticide ban originally introduced in 2018.
To the dismay of Dr. Morrissey, federal officials at PMRA shared her unpublished data from 2014 with Bayer despite an understanding that the pesticide regulatory body would not share the data with industry unless “they signed an affidavit to use it as a part of the registration process.” “I... Bayer replicated her tests during the end of summer when fields were dry and neonics weren’t running into the water,” Canada’s National Observer reports. “Instead of visiting and taking water samples from the sites, they relied primarily on Google Earth and Street View to find the wetlands Morrissey sampled and evaluate if they were relevant to the PMRA’s pesticide risk assessment. Bayer’s team only visited ‘a few sites’ in person,” the report says. In reversing the proposed ban, PMRA adopted Bayer’s critique of “relevant” sites in Dr. Morrissey’s aquatic risk assessment in its final decision to allow the continued use of imidacloprid.
In a recent press release, the David Suzuki Foundation, alongside numerous medical, legal, and civil society organizations, is calling on Health Canada to engage in an independent review to correct for agency corruption and industry influence.
filed under Industry shenanigans/regulatory and legal p.2 and neonicotinoids 2
- Tuesday, January 7, 2025
EWG finds little-known toxic chemical in four out of five people tested
chlorrmequat herbicide, link to Canada
EWG finds little-known toxic chemical in four out of five people tested (By Anthony Lacey (EWG) and Alexis Temkin, Ph.D. (EWG), EWG, February 15, 2024)
- First-in-the-U.S. study looked for the presence of chlormequat in humans.
- Federal rules allow the chemical’s use on oats and other grains imported to the U.S.
- Animal studies link chlormequat to reproductive and developmental problems, creating questions about its impact on humans.
Environmental Protection Agency regulations allow the chemical to be used on ornamental plants only – not food crops – grown in the U.S. But its use is permitted on imported oats and other foods sold here. Many oats and oat products consumed in the U.S. come from Canada.
Chlormequat was not allowed on oats sold in the U.S. before 2018, when the Trump EPA gave first-time approval for some amount of the chemical on imported oats. The same administration in 2020 increased the allowable level. These regulatory changes might help explain why we’re seeing more frequent, higher detections of the chemical in Americans tested.
In April 2023, in response to a 2019 application submitted by chlormequat manufacturer Taminco, the Biden EPA proposed allowing the first-ever use of chlormequat on barley, oat, triticale and wheat grown in the U.S. EWG opposes the plan.
SNAP Comment: Chlormequat is a herbicide, and 'can also be used as an adjuvant for herbicides by retarding their oxidative disposal by plants' (Wikipedia). The CAS number for chlormequat chloride is 999-81-5 and 7003-89-6 999-81-5 for chlormequat chloride salt.. As formulants (or inerts) are secret in the US and Canada, who knows what pesticide formulations it has been added toas an adjuvant. Howeve, neither CAS number or the name chlormequat appears in the current formulant list from the PMRA. As of January 2025, there are 5 registered chlormequat pesticide poducts registered in Canada: 2 commercial formulations, and 3 technicals. In the United States, chlormequat is classified as a 'low risk plant growth regulator', likely because its LD50 (rat, oral) is approximately 670 mg/kg. The LD 50 is the level at which 1/2 the test animals die. It does not account for more subtle effects.
filed under pesticide fact sheets/chlormequat
- Tuesday, January 7, 2025
Widespread Prevalence of Banned Crop Chemical In US Food Supply Sparks Concerns
chlormequat
Widespread Prevalence of Banned Crop Chemical In US Food Supply Sparks Concerns
(ByJess Cockerill, Science Alert, 21 February 2024)
Many countries allow the use of chlormequat in agricultural crops, including Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the European Union.
But in the US, the chemical is banned from use on any food crops, and is only approved for use in growing ornamental plants. However, since a decision by the US Environmental Protection Agency in 2018, foods grown with chlormequat are allowed to be imported into the country.
Where it was detected, concentrations of the chemical were consistent between the 2017 and 2018-2022 groups, while the samples from 2023 had significantly higher concentrations. Chlormequat doesn't stay in the body long, so the authors say the high prevalence could indicate "likely continuous exposure".
SNAP Comment: As chlormequat is allowed on crops in Canada, similar testing should show similaar results.
filed under Chlormequat
- Thursday, January 2, 2025
Replacement crop treatment not safe for important pollinator, experts say
flupyradifurone, has been licenced globally for use on bee-visited crops
Replacement crop treatment not safe for important pollinator, experts say (University of Bristol Press release, 6 September 2024)
A novel pesticide thought to be a potential successor to banned neonicotinoids caused 100% mortality in mason bees in a recent test.
The novel pesticide, flupyradifurone, is thought to pose less risk to pollinators and consequently has been licenced globally for use on bee-visited crops.
...research by scientists at the University of Bristol and the University of Texas at Austin, discovered, contrary to their expectations, that the chemical was lethal in the bees Osmia lignaria exposed to pesticide-treated wildflowers.
They also found a number of sublethal effects. Seven days post-application, bees released into the pesticide-treated plants were less likely to start nesting, had lower survival rates, and were less efficient foragers, taking 12.78% longer on average to collect pollen and nectar than control bees.
“Our findings add to a growing body of evidence demonstrating that pesticide risk assessments do not sufficiently protect wild bees from the negative consequences of pesticide use.”
Paper: A novel pesticide has lethal consequences for an important pollinator’ by Harry Siviter et al (Science of the Total Environment, Volume 952, 20 November 2024, 175935)
SNAP Comment: 7 flupyradifurone pesticides are currently registered in Canada. The first 3 are registered since 2015.
filed under Sulfoxaflor and flupyradifurone and wildlife/insects p.2