(Beyond Pesticides, November 26, 2024) A study in Environment International finds that young children who exhibit higher levels of pesticide metabolites in their urine show more pronounced neurobehavioral problems at the age of ten. Researchers in China document how exposure during early childhood, especially during the sensitive window before the age of two, is linked to hyperactivity/inattention problems such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). While adding to the body of science connecting pesticide exposure to learning and developmental disorders, this study offers a “novel perspective on characterizing the fluctuation in repeated measurements of multiple environmental chemicals and identifying the potential critical windows,” the authors share. (See previous Daily News coverage here, here, and here.) The researchers analyze data from questionnaires and urine samples through the ongoing Sheyang Mini Birth Cohort Study (SMBCS), which is a long-term prospective cohort study that associates environmental chemical exposure during pregnancy and childhood to negative health effects. This data addresses combined pesticide exposures in young children with neurobehavior analyses at the age of ten to determine any correlation. Within the SMBCS, a total of 1303 pregnant women are enrolled. When the children reached ages one, two, three, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten years […]

(Beyond Pesticides, November 22, 2024) With numerous campaigns at the state and federal level to ban the weed killer paraquat and nearly 6,000 individual lawsuits alleging exposure to it causes Parkinson’s disease (PD), U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and six Senators on October 31 called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ban the chemical. Citing that “[f]armworkers and rural residents are disproportionately exposed to paraquat,” the Senators’ letter to EPA stating that, “Paraquat has been linked to Parkinson’s disease, thyroid cancer, and other health harms such as kidney, liver, and respiratory damage, and reproductive harm, including neurodevelopmental impact on developing fetuses [and] [i]n rural areas, exposure to paraquat and other pesticides during pregnancy can increase the risk of leukemia.” Most of the 6,000 cases against paraquat’s manufacturer, Syngenta, have been consolidated into Multi-District Litigation (MDL) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. In April, the MDL judge ousted the plaintiffs’ expert witness regarding causality, which resulted in the first five cases ready for trial being tossed out. The defendant sells paraquat globally and is doing everything it can, according to investigative news reports, to discredit any link between paraquat and Parkinson’s, including the use […]

(Beyond Pesticides, November 19, 2024) Researchers at Stanford University recently published a study in Cancer, an international interdisciplinary journal of the American Cancer Society (ACS), that reveals a correlation for numerous pesticides with increased prostate cancer occurrence and associated death. The study finds that exposure to 22 pesticides is positively associated with prostate cancer. The 22 pesticides include 2,4‐D, acephate, azoxystrobin, bifenthrin, carbaryl, chloropicrin, cloransulam‐methyl, cyhalothrin‐lambda, diflufenzopyr, diuron, glyphosate, hexazinone, linuron, methyl parathion, pendimethalin, propiconazole, sulfosate, thiamethoxam, thifensulfuron, tribenuron methyl, trifloxystrobin, and trifluralin. (See more on 2,4-D and cancer prevalence here and here.) As prostate cancer is a leading national health concern, the authors investigate agricultural pesticide exposure and compared it to prostate cancer incidence and mortality across counties in the contiguous U.S. “The geographic variation in prostate cancer incidence and mortality suggests that regional environmental factors, such as pesticide exposure, may contribute to the development of prostate cancer,” the researchers postulate. In comparing county‐level associations of 295 pesticides and prostate cancer reports, the authors were able to conduct an environment‐wide association study (EWAS) to determine any statistically significant links. “We acquired annual estimated total usage data (kg per county) for all pesticides reported and applied to agricultural crops grown […]

(Beyond Pesticides, November 18, 2024) With the reported appointment of former U.S. Representative Lee Zeldin (R-NY) to the position of Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Senate confirmation hearings will be an important process that is intended to shine a light on individual nominations, the policies of an administration, and the science (or lack thereof) behind them. There have been reports in the media that the Trump administration may attempt to circumvent the “advice and consent” rule of the U.S. Senate by making recess appointments. Alexander Hamilton wrote in the Federalist Papers: No. 76 that Senate confirmation hearings act as a safeguard against the appointment of “unfit” officials. Numerous interviews and critiques are painting a picture of what the future holds for environmental protection and all that means for addressing the serious catastrophic threats of ongoing and escalating health, biodiversity, and climate crises. “Mr. Trump, who has called climate change a “hoax,” has targeted “every one” of Mr. Biden’s policies designed to transition the United States away from fossil fuels,” according to The New York Times reporting on June 26, 2024. The Guardian reported on October 1 after Hurricane Helene, “As the hurricane continued to ravage the region over […]

(Beyond Pesticides, November 13, 2024) A study in Chemosphere, conducted by researchers from the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in Germany, reveals the varied lethal and sublethal effects of different glyphosate mixtures through tests on the South African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis (X. laevis). After exposing embryos to four glyphosate formulations, mortality, morphological defects, altered heartbeat rate, and impaired heart-specific gene expression are observed. Glyphosate, an herbicide and popular weed killer in many Roundup® products, is one of the most commonly detected pesticides in waterbodies worldwide, threatening aquatic organisms and overall biodiversity. This study investigates the effects of Glyphosat TF, Durano TF, Helosate 450 TF, and Kyleo, four formulations containing glyphosate, as compared to the effects of pure glyphosate on embryonic development in amphibians. The formulations consist of varying concentrations of the active ingredient glyphosate, as well as other active and inert ingredients. The authors share that, “Glyphosat TF contains 34% glyphosate and 10–20% d-glucopyranose, while Durano contains 39–44% glyphosate and 1–5% N–N-dimethyl-C12-C14-(even numbered)-alkyl-1-amines. In Helosate most of the ingredients are listed – 50–70% glyphosate, 1–10% isopropylamine, 1–3% lauryl dimethyl betaine, 0.25–1% dodecyl dimethylamine. Kyleo only lists the active ingredients glyphosate (27.9%) and 2,4-D (32%).” 2-cell stage embryos (early […]

(Beyond Pesticides, November 12, 2024) With revelations reported last month by Investigate Midwest and previously by The Guardian showing that Syngenta, the manufacturer and registrant of paraquat, kept secret scientific information on the weed killer’s adverse effects related to Parkinson’s disease, there is increasing concern that endocrine-disrupting properties have not been fully disclosed. Endocrine-disrupting synthetic chemicals, derived from fossil fuels, will be the focus of Session 2 of Beyond Pesticides 41st National Forum: Imperatives for a Sustainable Future on Thursday, November 14 from 1:00-3:00pm (EST). Keynote Speaker The keynote speaker, Tracey Woodruff, PhD, will address the scientific, health, and regulatory issues associated with societal reliance on these chemicals. Dr. Woodruff, a former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) senior scientist and policy advisor, is the director of the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, and professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences in the School of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco.  Roundtable Discussion Dr. Woodruff’s talk will be followed by a roundtable with panelists, including a former senior scientist focusing on ecosystem effects, a breast cancer activist, and a farmworker advocate who will share their experience and insight into both the regulation of hazardous materials […]

(Beyond Pesticides, November 8-11, 2024) On Veterans Day 2024 we honor those who have served the country and allies. In the 117th (2021-2022) U.S. Congress, legislators enacted The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022 (PACT Act). Since the law passed just over two years ago, there has been just under 1.3 million total approved claims marking a roughly 75% approval rate for PACT Act related claims, according to Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) accounting of progress between August 10, 2022, and October 12, 2024 through its dedicated bimonthly VA PACT Act Performance Dashboard. The legacy of toxic burn pits (open air areas where the military has burned toxic waste) and other avenues for toxic exposure in military bases oversees, as well as within the United States in Hawai’i (See coverage on asbestos exposure continuously impacting veterans, as reported on by Honolulu Civil Beat) and Puerto Rico (See peer-reviewed literature review here on toxic heavy metals in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health), among other areas, comes at a time when the country assesses the ongoing impacts of a history that has been characterized by critics as colonial or imperialist. […]

(Beyond Pesticides, November 5, 2024) Published in the journal Frontiers in Toxicology, a recent study uncovers serious flaws in the pesticide registration process at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with an in-depth evaluation of the agency’s failure to protect the public from the harmful effects of five neonicotinoid (neonic) insecticides—as mandated by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and amendments, including Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996. This coincides with EPA’s ongoing review to renew their approval for the next 15 years (set to be announced in 2025). The report is based on the first comprehensive assessment of unpublished rodent-based Developmental Neurotoxicity (DNT) studies, conducted between 2000-2003 and submitted by pesticide manufacturers as part of the registration process. All five neonicotinoids evaluated—acetamiprid, clothianidin, imidacloprid, thiacloprid, and thiamethoxam—are associated with significant shrinkage of brain tissue at the highest dosage, according to EPA data reports (see acetamiprid, clothianidin, imidacloprid, thiacloprid, and thiamethoxam). However, with little or no data regarding the chemicals’ impacts at low and mid-level dosages, EPA has either failed to find a “No Observed Adverse Effect Level” (NOAEL) or, seemingly at random, set the NOAEL at the mid-level dosage. The evaluation suggests that perinatal exposure to […]

(Beyond Pesticides, November 4, 2024) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week opened a public comment period on the regulation of endocrine-disrupting pesticides, a proposal that lays out a drawn-out 10-year process that is narrow in evaluating the underlying mechanism that causes endocrine disruption. The proposal, published in the Federal Register as a partial settlement agreement and consent decree, responds to a lawsuit filed by farmworker and health groups challenging the agency’s failure to test and regulate endocrine-disrupting pesticides. Earlier in the year, after over 25 years of delay following the 1996 Congressional mandate to determine whether pesticides disrupt the endocrine system of humans and other organisms, EPA issued a proposal for modifying its approach to the implementation of the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP).  The National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences explains endocrine disruptors this way: “Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are natural or human-made chemicals that may mimic, block, or interfere with the body’s hormones, which are part of the endocrine system. These chemicals are associated with a wide array of health issues. . . Endocrine glands, distributed throughout the body, produce the hormones that act as signaling molecules after release into the circulatory system. The human body is […]

(Beyond Pesticides, October 29, 2024) STARTS TOMORROW—NATIONAL FORUM: IMPERATIVES FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE. A legal victory in federal court is the latest in a series of attempts to force the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to fulfill the mandate given to it by Congress in 1996 to test all pesticides for their endocrine disrupting effects and regulate them accordingly. The case in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California was brought by the Center for Food Safety (CFS) and a collection of agricultural workers’ organizations, farmers’ groups, and pesticide activists. Beyond Pesticides wrote in 2019, EPA’s “Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP) began, then virtually stopped, its review and regulation of endocrine disrupting pesticides, despite [its 1996 Congressional mandate] to develop a screening program within two years and then begin regulating.” (See timeline, Figure 2, p11.) After the release of a  a damning 2021 Office of Inspector General (OIG) report (see Beyond Pesticides’ reporting) on the agency’s lack of progress in protecting the population from potentially damaging endocrine disruption impacts of exposures to synthetic chemical pesticides (and other chemicals of concern), CFS wrote: “The 2021 [OIG] report included the shocking revelation that some EPA staff were instructed to function as […]

(Beyond Pesticides, October 28, 2024) STARTS WEDNESDAY—NATIONAL FORUM: IMPERATIVES FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE. As scientific articles and regulatory reviews by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) focus on individual pesticides or families of pesticides and specific health outcomes associated with exposure, legislation introduced by U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), S. 5084, Safe School Meals Act (SSMA), proposes a holistic response to the protection of children by banning pesticides in school lunches. While focused on the elimination of certain individual pesticides and other chemicals of known concern, the bill unilaterally allows children to be served food from certified organic farms. The overwhelmingly large body of scientific findings on the adverse effects of pesticides in the food that children eat in schools and generally. For example, last week Beyond Pesticides commented on EPA’s Draft Human Health and/or Ecological Risk Assessments for Several Pesticides, citing scientific findings that, “Neonicotinoids . . .have been found to affect mammalian nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) [which] are of critical importance to human brain function, especially during development and for memory, cognition, and behavior.” (See more here.) This month, Jennifer Sass, PhD, et al., in Frontiers in Toxicology, published a review of  unpublished rodent developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) studies […]

Beyond Pesticides (October 17, 2024) On September 30, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) opened a public comment period about production of specific per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS, also known as ‘forever chemicals’)—including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA). EPA is collecting information on the fluorination process of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and other plastic containers to inform possible regulatory action under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The deadline for submitting comments is November 29, 2024. PFOA and twelve other PFAS compounds are created during the fluorination of HDPE plastic containers by Inhance Technologies, LLC, the only U.S. company manufacturing containers using this fluorination technique (see here). Studies by EPA, independent researchers, and the company itself demonstrate that PFAS leaches from container walls into contents, exposing millions to these toxic chemicals without their knowledge. EPA notes, “Long-chain PFAS like PFOA, PFNA, and PFDA build up in our bodies and the environment over time. Even small amounts can significantly contribute to people’s long-term exposure and health risk for cancers, impacts to the liver and heart, and immune and developmental damage to infants and children.” The adverse effects of PFAS exposure are linked to serious health issues, […]

(Beyond Pesticides, October 15, 2024) In Environmental Epidemiology, researchers from Columbia University and the University of Southern California, along with representatives from the nonprofit Comite Civico del Valle in Brawley, California, report the heightened risk of wheezing for five- to twelve-year-olds in the rural communities of California’s Imperial Valley. Through a school-based survey, the authors find associations between living near pesticide applications and more wheeze symptoms among the children. According to the authors, residents of the Imperial Valley, which is located near the border between the United States (U.S.) and Mexico, “are primarily Latino, 1 in 3 children live in poverty, and there is a 20% unemployment rate. The county faces poor air quality and excess particulate matter levels. Further, one in five children is diagnosed with asthma and the rate of asthma-related pediatric emergency room visits and hospitalizations is two times the CA state average.” This highlights the disproportionate risk for residents in this area regarding environmental exposure to harmful chemicals. Children are already more susceptible to health complications following pesticide exposure, as they take in greater amounts of toxic chemicals relative to their body weight and have still-developing organ systems. Young children in environments with higher levels of […]

(Beyond Pesticides, October 10, 2024) On September 16, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an order allowing Kaizen Technologies LLC to sell off its chlorpyrifos-based insecticide product—Bifenchlor, a known neurotoxicant. This reverses an existing stocks agreement that Kaizen voluntarily negotiated with EPA in August 2022 when the company withdrew Bifenchlor from use. The agency attributes this new order to a November 2023 Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals decision, which vacated EPA’s prior 2021 chlorpyrifos ban on food crops (see here). EPA’s practice of permitting the sale and use of existing stocks of canceled pesticides has been a longstanding concern for public health and environmental advocates, as it enables the continued use of petrochemical pesticides that the agency has found to be dangerous. Chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate with adverse health effects on children (see here and here), is now the latest example.  In reporting on the almost unprecedented decision on August 7, 2024, to use its emergency authority to ban Dacthal/DCPA, Beyond Pesticides argues that the “Dacthal Standard” is a positive precedent, a step forward in modern regulatory history; however, EPA’s continued approval of chlorpyrifos’s existing stock, complicated by the 2023 court decision, may suggest otherwise.   As demonstrated historically with […]

(Beyond Pesticides, October 8, 2024) A comprehensive literature review in Endocrines, published in September, amasses hundreds of studies on endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that showcase adverse effects on growth, development, reproduction, and metabolism. The authors, a team of scientists and academics from Brazil, shed light on the link between EDC use and thyroid dysfunction, leading to increasingly prevalent illnesses and deadly diseases.     EDCs are any synthetic or natural compounds that hinder endocrine system functions and create harmful effects on organisms. These chemicals can impact the thyroid gland, which is vital in producing hormones and plays a role in several body functions. As the researchers state, “Several EDCs have been classified as thyroid disruptors, impairing thyroid hormone [TH] production, synthesis, metabolism, transport, and/or actions. Notably, thyroid disorders are the second most prevalent endocrine disease worldwide, with incidence increasing significantly in recent years.” The authors continue, “[S]tudies have correlated this rise in thyroid dysfunctions and cancers with increased exposure to EDCs. Although many EDCs are linked to thyroid dysfunction, this review focuses on the deleterious effects of plasticizers, organochlorine pesticides, and per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances on thyroid function. These contaminants are commonly found in food, water, and everyday products.” This review helps […]

(Beyond Pesticides, October 3, 2024) The American Academy of Pediatrics published a technical report in September on antimicrobial resistance, which it calls a global public health threat, identifying the health implications of antibiotic use in animal agriculture. The lead authors, both medical doctors from the Department of Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, note the rise in antimicrobial-resistant infections that result in increased morbidity, mortality, and health care costs for not only adults, but infants and children as well. “[A]ll use of antimicrobial agents exerts selective pressure that increases the risk of development of resistance,” the authors state, highlighting the importance of limiting antimicrobial uses. “Antimicrobial resistance is an organism’s ability to survive exposure to an antimicrobial agent that was previously an effective treatment. Resistance traits can be acquired either through new mutations or through transfer of genetic material between organisms,” the authors report. Antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, such as bacteria and viruses, can be transmitted “through the food supply, direct contact with animals, environmental pathways, and contact with infected or colonized humans,” they continue. Use of antimicrobial agents, especially over extended periods of time or with repeated exposure, can cause resistance to not only that agent, but to multiple agents. As […]

(Beyond Pesticides, October 2, 2024) A comprehensive literature review in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety links a heightened risk of spontaneous abortion (SAB) with pesticide exposure. “The strengths of our study include being the first systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the association between exposure to pesticides and the risk of SAB,” the authors say. This novel approach includes analyzing 18 studies, totaling 439,097 pregnant participants, that allows the researchers to highlight an important public health issue and raise concerns for maternal contact with the harmful chemicals in pesticide products. SAB, also known as spontaneous miscarriage, is defined as the loss of pregnancy occurring prior to 20 weeks of gestation. “It has been observed that approximately 10–15% of pregnancies end up terminating spontaneously,” the researchers report. According to the authors, these negative birth outcomes can be attributed to many factors such as advanced maternal age, anatomical, immunological, and endocrinological disorders, infections, tobacco use, alcohol intake, abnormalities of the placenta, and exposure to heavy metals, radiation, and pesticides. To connect SAB specifically to pesticide exposure in mothers, a literature search was conducted for peer-reviewed studies that include pregnant study participants, ages 16 and above, who report “exposure to one or more pesticides […]

(Beyond Pesticides, September 26, 2024) DNA damage is significantly higher in Latinx children from rural, farmworker families than children in urban, non-farmworker families, according to a recent study published by French and American authors in the journal Exposure and Health. Not only do farmworker children test positive for organophosphate pesticides more frequently than non-farmworker children, but the study finds that farmworker children also experience an increased frequency of DNA damage associated with the presence of organophosphate exposure. These results highlight the disparities in exposures and outcomes for children from vulnerable immigrant communities. Advocates note that as long as pesticides remain in use, farmworkers and their families will continue to shoulder a disproportionate share of the toxic effects of these chemicals (see here, here, and here); another in a long line of reasons to shift away from toxic synthetic pesticide use to the adoption of proven organic, regenerative agricultural practices. (See here, here, and here). Methodology The study assesses pesticide exposure and DNA damage in 45 Latinx children ages 10 to 12 from rural, farmworker families (30) and urban, non-farmworker families (15). Participants were selected from a larger study, Preventing Agricultural Chemical Exposure (PACE5)—a community-based research project by the North Carolina […]

(Beyond Pesticides, September 25, 2024) In a semiannual report released in August 2024, EPA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) identifies a number of “unresolved” issues that strike the core of the agency’s failure to carry out its responsibilities to protect health and the environment. One of the issues identified is EPA’s failure to conduct an adequate and independent assessment of the cancer effects of the fumigant, 1,3-Dichloropropene (1,3-D or Telone). OIG’s original report, The EPA Needs to Improve the Transparency of Its Cancer-Assessment Process for Pesticides, was issued in 2022 and concluded that EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) engages in secret meetings with industry, elevates unqualified individuals to decision-making roles, uses an untested scientific approach, fails to conduct a simple literature review, and neglects public transparency. Other pesticide issues that OIG identified in its report include: The EPA Needs to Determine Whether Seresto Pet Collars Pose an Unreasonable Risk to Pet Health The EPA Has Not Verified that Its Laboratories Comply with Hazardous Waste Requirements EPA Needs an Agencywide Strategic Action Plan to Address Harmful Algal Blooms EPA’s Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program Has Made Limited Progress in Assessing Pesticides EPA Needs to Evaluate the Impact of the Revised Agricultural Worker […]

(Beyond Pesticides, September 24, 2024) Recent commentary in Frontiers in Toxicology by two researchers, Maricel Maffini, PhD and Laura Vandenberg, PhD, highlights the pitfalls in the current regulatory systems in the United States (U.S.) for chemicals that threaten human health. Despite many advancements in science over the past few decades, and the wealth of studies that tie chemical exposure to negative health effects, risk assessments, and subsequent risk management, remain “static” and “outdated,” according to the authors. “There is increasing concern amongst public health professionals, environmental health scientists, and medical organizations about exposures to synthetic chemicals,” the researchers say. “These organizations’ concerns are based on the overwhelming evidence showing associations between chemical exposures and adverse health outcomes in human populations.” Such concerns have sparked a debate on current regulatory methods for chemicals that are present in highly used products, such as pesticides, plastic containers, and food.    The authors continue, “There are now thousands of studies showing associations between these chemicals and adverse health effects in humans including neurological disorders and learning disabilities, metabolic outcomes, infertility, thyroid dysfunction, and cancers.” Additional health effects can be seen in the Pesticide-Induced Diseases Database. Of the many harmful chemicals, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances […]

(Beyond Pesticides, September 20, 2024) As the California State Assembly wrapped up the 2024 legislative session, what was once a proposed ban of the deadly weed killer paraquat (in both agricultural and nonagricultural contexts) was amended and passed as a requirement for California Department of Pesticide Regulation to complete an “expedited review” by January 1, 2029. Paraquat exposure has been linked to Parkinson’s disease. According to reporting by Los Angeles Times, Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Burbank) (the original sponsor of the bill) spoke candidly about the prospects for this legislation, “We never thought we’d get a full ban through the Legislature. But we had to push as hard as we could.” Assemblymember Friedman is chair of the bicameral Environmental Caucus and a self-described “steadfast advocate for the environment [and] sustainable communities.” Environmental advocates, public health professionals, and many who have been affected by Parkinson’s disease are calling for the emergency suspension of paraquat, applying the same standard used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ban the herbicide Dacthal/DCPA last month. (See Daily News here.) Context The original legislation responds to significant scientific documentation of the pesticide’s hazards, and an unresponsive regulatory process, as well as previous legislation efforts. In […]

(Beyond Pesticides, September 10, 2024) Results from a natural experiment, published in Science, shows ecosystem disruption of bat populations with cascading impacts on human health. Eyal Frank, PhD, an assistant professor of the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago, links increased insecticide use in croplands in the absence of bat species to a rise in infant mortality. As Dr. Frank says in an article in Science Daily, “[B]ats do add value to society in their role as natural pesticides, and this study shows that their decline can be harmful to humans.”  Many farmers rely on bats as alternatives to pesticides to protect their crops from insects, but White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) has greatly impacted bat populations since 2006. With the collapse of many bat populations in counties in North America, these farmers turn to toxic chemicals to replace the ecosystem services bats usually provide. These chemicals, however, lead to ripples through the ecosystem and endanger human health.  WNS is an invasive fungus (Pseudogymnoascus destructans) found in caves that affects bats during hibernation. As highlighted in an article in the New York Times, three species of bats in North America have been decimated by this syndrome, and bats […]

(Beyond Pesticides, September 6, 2024) A literature review in the Internal Journal of Molecular Sciences provides promising insights into biofungicides as a “sustainable and economically viable alternative” to synthetic fungicides in expanding organic agriculture. The authors note that organic “… is the most sustainable response to current crises of all kinds, as it can better anticipate and prepare for crises and create long-term equity and resilience in food systems.” The authors point out that fungal infections in crops are estimated to account for 20-40% of failures annually, and understanding how to control such agricultural diseases will be crucial to meeting the needs of a growing global population. Organic farmers and land managers note that biological tools can be integrated into practices that work with the ecosystem, rather than be utilized as “substitute” products or controls with practices that ignore soil health and beneficial organisms that enhance biodiversity and provide ecosystem services (see here and here). Conducted by researchers in Mexico, the review examines data on biosynthesis (how plants create their own fungicide, known as secondary metabolites or SMs); the mechanisms of action of secondary metabolites against phytopathogenic (plant-killing) fungi; extraction techniques and biofungicide formulations; the biological activity of plant extracts on phytopathogenic fungi; and […]