14
Sep
(Beyond Pesticides, September 14, 2007) Data collected by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) between 2003 and 2006 has found atrazine to exist in Midwest drinking water supplies at high levels. The federal monitoring data, obtained by the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), shows increased atrazine levels in 94 of 136 water systems tested in Indiana, Ohio, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Nebraska. Atrazine, which has been linked to cancer in numerous studies, is a common agricultural herbicide that could see increased use as demand for corn rises due to ethanol production. In 2003, EPA called it “the most heavily used herbicide in the United States.” According to NRDC’s report, EPA’s study found that nearly all 40 monitored watersheds showed levels of atrazine at levels that harm aquatic animals and habitat. Atrazine’s effect on amphibians has been well documented, and similarly serious health effects have been found in larger mammals. Chronically contaminated drinking water puts humans at the risk of exposure to similar long-term health effects. In agricultural areas of the midwest, the risk is especially high. “Kentucky’s waterways are particularly vulnerable to contamination,” said a Western Kentucky University report. “Networks of sinkholes and underground streams allow water and contaminants to flow […]
Posted in Atrazine, Water | 1 Comment »
17
Aug
(Beyond Pesticides, August 17, 2007) The widespread presence of pesticides and other agricultural runoff has been confirmed in the world’s largest coral reef system. Degradation of the system threatens not only a natural treasure but also the region’s economy. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is the subject of a recent report by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Entitled the “Annual Marine Monitoring Report 2006,” the study confirms extensive contamination in eight of the ten major tributaries into the marine park, much of which is fertilizer and pesticide runoff from the area’s farmland. Local environmental groups are calling for government protection of the reef from these pollutants, and tourism interests worry that damage to the reef will reduce the number of visitors to Australia. According to World Wildlife Foundation-Australia program leader Nick Heath, “Reducing pollution load is possible and will help us save the Reef, as well as the 60,000 tourism jobs based around the Reef.” According to the report, “Water quality in the Great Barrier Reef is principally affected by land-based activities in its adjacent catchments, including vegetation modification, grazing, agriculture, urban development, industrial development and aquaculture. Nutrients, sediments and pesticides are the pollutants of most concern for the […]
Posted in Atrazine, Dieldrin, International, Water | No Comments »
02
Aug
(Beyond Pesticides, August 2, 2007) According to the Associated Press (AP), a new study finds frogs in Vermont living near farms are more than twice as likely as those living elsewhere to have deformities like missing legs. Yale University ecologist David Skelly, Ph.D., told the AP he decided to look at Vermont frogs because the state has been a hot spot during the last 10 years for deformed frogs. “We went to all these wetlands and cataloged where the deformities were found, and what kind of landscapes seemed to pose higher risks, if any,” Dr. Skelly said. “The answer was, frogs growing up in proximity to agriculture were more than two times as likely to have deformities. This doesn’t say it is chemical pesticides, but you can’t credibly consider this problem of the frogs without at least evaluating whether pesticides are involved.” Richard Levey, a biologist with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, said two common farm chemicals, atrazine and metolachlor, had been found in trace amounts in water from wetlands where deformed frogs had been found. But he told the AP that the concentrations were far below those thought to have any effect on aquatic life. Research by Tyrone […]
Posted in Atrazine, Vermont, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | 3 Comments »
03
Jul
(Beyond Pesticides, July 3, 2007) A scientist at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has filed a whistleblower lawsuit in federal court, arguing that he was first not allowed to share his research with a legislative panel, and then fired for it. Hydrologist Paul Wotzka, who worked for the state Agriculture Department for sixteen years before leaving to join MPCA in October, had been slated to testify about the rise in atrazine levels in Whitewater State Park, which have exceeded recommended levels for several area species. Atrazine, which has been linked to cancer, birth defects, neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption and a variety of other health and environmental effects and has been banned by the European Union, is a widely used agricultural herbicide.. Mr. Wotzka said in his lawsuit, as well as publicly, that this rise in atrazine in Minnesota waterways was due to increased row-crop agriculture in the region and the the Agriculture Department’s support of corn for ethanol. In his lawsuit, Mr. Wotzka is asking for $75,000 and to return to his position with MPCA. He claims that he was put on investigative leave, “related to missing data that is property of the State of Minnesota.” The investigative leave led […]
Posted in Atrazine, Litigation, Minnesota, Pesticide Regulation, Water | 4 Comments »
