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Chlorpyrifos Linked to Developmental Delays in Children

Friday, March 26th, 2010

(Beyond Pesticides, March 26, 2010) A new study by researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health has linked exposure to the insecticide chlorpyrifos to early childhood developmental delays. Chlorpyrifos is a broad spectrum organophosphate insecticide that was banned for household use in 2001, but is still widely used in agriculture. The study, entitled “Chlorpyrifos Exposure and Urban Residential Environment Characteristics as Determinants of Early Childhood Neurodevelopment,” was published online and will be published in print in the may issue of the American Journal of Public Health. The study examined 266 children born between 1998 and 2002 living in low income neighborhoods of the South Bronx and Northern Manhattan in New York City. Before being banned chlorpyrifos was widely used in these areas. Of the children studied, 47% were male, 59% were Dominican and 41% were African American. Researchers compared motor and mental development to levels of exposure to the pesticide at birth. They found that high concentrations of chlorpyrifos in umbilical cord blood (>6.17 pg/g) corresponds to a 6.5 point decrease in the Psychomotor Development Index, and a 3.3 point decrease in the Mental development index in 3 year olds. Previous research published in 2006 on the same […]

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Earth Day Decides on Sponsorship Agreement with TruGreen

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

(Beyond Pesticides, March 18, 2010) The potential sell-out of Earth Day to the world’s largest professional lawn and landscape company – TruGreen – has created such a backlash in the environmental community that Earth Day Network, organizers of national Earth Day events are being pressed to reconsider their sponsorship agreement with the company. According to a March 10th press release, TruGreen announced its partnership with Earth Day Network, claiming to be the exclusive U.S. “organic and sustainable lawn and landscape care sponsor” of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. In response, activists created a Facebook page dedicated to stopping the sponsorship, which garnered over 250 fans in less than two days, with comments continually pouring in. The sponsorship has been taken down from Earth Day Networks website, and some internet activists have posted that Kathleen Rogers, President of Earth Day Network, has retracted the sponsorship. However, an email to Beyond Pesticides that had initially confirmed that TruGreen has no affiliation with Earth Day Network has been retracted. Communications Director Jennifer Resick said that the statement was premature and that the group at this time has no official comment regarding the sponsorship or affiliation to Earth Day Network. Important Update, March […]

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This National Poison Prevention Week Lose the Pesticides for the Kids

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

(Beyond Pesticides, March 17, 2009) “Children Act Fast…So Do Poisons” is the message that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is sending in conjunction with the Poison Prevention Week Council to keep poisonous substances out of the hands of children. In observance of the annual National Poison Prevention Week (March 14-20), EPA recommends locking up household cleaners, disinfectants, solvents and other materials as the best way to reduce accidental poisoning among children. However, Beyond Pesticides advises the public to throw out poisonous chemicals and utilize non-toxic methods of pest management. While it is wise to keep all potentially harmful household products out of the reach and hands of children, Beyond Pesticides recommends to the public to abandon poisonous chemicals and instead practice non-toxic methods of pest management and use least-toxic chemicals where possible. EPA continues to facilitate and apologize for the unnecessary use of highly toxic pesticides, disinfectants, solvents and other hazardous materials that it registers, and misses every year the important opportunity during National Poison Prevention Week to alert families with children about integrated pest management and organic methods that are effective, but not reliant on hazardous methods. Numerous scientific studies that show children carrying a body burden of […]

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Fields of Dreams Shattered with Baseball’s Endorsement of Chemical Lawn Care

Monday, March 15th, 2010

(Beyond Pesticides, March 15, 2010) A coalition of environmental groups is chastising in a letter to Major League Baseball its new alliance with Scotts Miracle-Gro because it says the chemical and seed company undermines sound environmental values by promoting turf management programs that are unnecessarily chemical-intensive. Scotts introduced newly branded products, which it will promote with the logo of Major League Baseball, alongside its chemical “weed and feed” and insecticide products. Weed and feed products contain herbicides and synthetic fertilizers that are tied to adverse health and environmental effects. In its letter to Major League Baseball, the coalition told officials that associating the organization with Scotts Miracle-Gro and allowing the company to use its name to promote a chemical-intensive philosophy to homeowners sends the wrong message —that toxic chemicals are necessary to have a beautiful green lawn. In fact, the coalition says homeowners are learning that turf can be managed effectively utilizing organic methods that are safer for children, families, and the environment. In this critical period of history when we are shifting to “green” practices around the home and in our communities, Major League Baseball can and should be an environmental leader, rather than advancing toxic products with well […]

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And the “Toxie” Goes to…

Friday, March 12th, 2010

(Beyond Pesticides, March 12, 2010) Over 40 million Americans watched Sandra Bullock and Jeff Bridges win the best actress and actor Oscars at the 82nd Academy Awards last Sunday. On Wednesday March 3rd, Californians for a Healthy and Green Economy (CHANGE) recognized the year’s bad actors, bad chemical actors that is, at the first ever “Toxies.” CHANGE is a coalition of environmental, policy, labor, interfaith and other organizations working to regulate toxic chemicals in the state of California. Held at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, the Red Carpet Event featured actors in character as various harmful chemicals. Toxies were awarded to the pesticides Triclosan and Methyl Iodide. The tongue-in-cheek award show was intended to bring awareness to the harmful effect that these chemicals have on human health and the environment. The timing coincides not only with the awards show season, but with the anticipated release of the final draft of regulations for California’s Green Chemistry Programs. The awards ceremony and accompanying report awarded Toxies to 16 bad chemical actors. The “winners” all affect human health and all have safer alternatives. The 2010 Toxie winners are: Worst Breakthrough Performance: Bisphenol A (BPA) Found in plastics BPA has been linked to breast […]

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Pyrethroids Found to Impair Bee Reproduction

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

(Beyond Pesticides, March 10, 2010) A study investigating the sublethal effects of pyrethroids, bifenthrin and deltamethrin on honeybees finds that the chemicals significantly impair the pollinators’ reproduction. The researchers also point out that the concentration of each pesticide that produced adverse effects in the experiments was at or below those that bees could encounter while pollinating treated crop fields. “Effects of sublethal concentrations of bifenthrin and deltamethrin on fecundity, growth, and development of the honeybee Apis mellifera ligustica” published in the March issue of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry, investigated the effects of the two pesticides at sublethal concentrations on fecundity, growth, and development of honeybees were examined with the feeding method for a three-year period (2006-2008). It was shown that both bifenthrin and deltamethrin significantly reduced bee fecundity, decreased the rate at which bees develop to adulthood, and increased their immature periods. Queens in the control group in 2006 laid a little more than 1,200 eggs each day, compared to not quite 900 a day in the bifenthrin group and roughly 600 per day in the deltamethrin group. In general, the hatch rate of pyrethroid-exposed eggs was also significantly depressed. The success rate of hatchlings, that is the share that […]

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National Pesticide Forum to Feature Green Entrepreneurs and More

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

(Beyond Pesticides, March 9, 2010) The 28th National Pesticide Forum, Greening the Community: Green economy, organic environments and healthy people, will feature “green entrepreneurs,” who are making a living while making a difference in the community. This panel is the latest addition to the exciting speaker line-up at Beyond Pesticides’ annual conference, which will be held April 9-10 at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Take advantage of the reduced advance registration rate and sign-up online today. The panel will feature founders of Good Nature Organic Lawn Care (organic lawn care), Mustard Seed Market and CafĂ© (organic grocery store and cafĂ©), A Piece of Cleveland (deconstruction company which ”˜recycles’ unwanted materials into furniture and other products), D’Bug Lady Pest Management (least-toxic pest control), Green Clean Inc. (environmentally-friendly cleaning), and Expedite Renewable Energy (helps companies reduce their carbon footprint). The Forum will also feature session on organic gardening and community spaces, lawn pesticide bans, health impacts of pesticides, the health benefits of organic food, green local government efforts and much more. It officially kicks off Friday afternoon with a tour of the Cleveland Botanical Garden and its affiliated community gardens, with sessions officially starting Friday at 5:30pm, and will conclude […]

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European Union Approves Genetically Engineered Potato for Animal Feed and Industrial Uses

Friday, March 5th, 2010

(Beyond Pesticides, March 5, 2010) The European Commission (EC) has approved the cultivation of the genetically modified (GM) Amflora Potato for feed and industrial (paper and glue) uses. Three varieties of GM corn developed by Monsanto were also approved by the EC for sale but not cultivation within the European Union (EU). Opponents fear that this decision could open the door to approval for other genetically modified (GM) crops such as Glyphosate resistant (Roundup Ready) varieties. Critics say that while not approved for human consumption, Amflora and other GM crops could still end up in the food supply, and the technology used to create these crops could lead to increased antibiotic resistance. The opposition to GM crops or “Frankenstein Foods,” as many call it, is very strong in several EU countries. Martin Haeusling, an EU Parliament and Green Party member, says that 70% of the EU population opposes genetically modified foods. This is the first time the EU has approved a GM crop since 1998 when Monsanto’s MON 810, a variety of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn was approved for human consumption. When Austria and Hungary banned the crop, the EC unsuccessfully tried to force the two nations to allow Bt […]

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New Study Finds Nanosilver Products Toxic to Fish

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

(Beyond Pesticides, March 4, 2010) Scientists at Purdue University have found that nanosilver that is sonicated or suspended in solution is toxic and even lethal to fathead minnows, an organism that is often used to measure toxicity on aquatic life. The study is the latest research to demonstrate the need for federal regulatory agencies to regulate emerging nanotechnologies as a unique pesticide. The study, “The effects of silver nanoparticles on fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) embryos,” led by Maria SepĂşlveda, PhD and published in Ecotoxicology, describes the toxicity of two commercial silver nanoparticle products: NanoAmor and Sigma. Fathead minnows at several stages of their development were exposed to varying concentrations of either suspended or stirred nanoparticle solutions for 96 hours. When the nanosilver was allowed to settle, the solution became several times less toxic, but still caused malformations in the minnows. With or without sonication, nanosilver caused irregularities, including head hemorrhages and edema, and was ultimately lethal. “Silver nitrate is a lot more toxic than nanosilver, but when nanosilver was sonicated, or suspended, its toxicity increased tenfold,” said Dr. SepĂşlveda. “There is reason to be concerned.” Using Transmission Electron Microscopy, Dr. SepĂşlveda was able to detect nanosilver particles measuring 30 nanometers […]

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More Research Links Atrazine to Sexual Abnormalities in Amphibians

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

(Beyond Pesticides, March 3, 2010) A recently published study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that male frogs exposed to the herbicide atrazine can become so completely female that they can mate and lay viable eggs. This latest study adds to the growing scientific evidence which shows that atrazine, one of the most common herbicides used in the U.S., disrupts the development and behavior of aquatic animals, and negatively effects their immune, hormone, and reproductive systems. The study, “Atrazine induces complete feminization and chemical castration in male African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis),” led by Tyrone Hayes, PhD, at the University of California, Berkeley, demonstrates the reproductive consequences of atrazine exposure in adult amphibians. Dr. Hayes and other researchers examined a group of 40 African clawed frogs, all of which carried male chromosomes. As tadpoles, the frogs were put in water with 2.5 parts per billion (ppb) of atrazine — a concentration within federal drinking water standards. Atrazine-exposed males were both demasculinized (chemically castrated) and completely feminized as adults. Exposed genetic males developed into functional females that copulated with unexposed males and produced viable eggs. The eggs produced were all male offspring since both parents contributed male […]

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Groups Sue to Block GE Crops from Wildlife Refuge

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

(Beyond Pesticides, March 2, 2010) A lawsuit filed March 1, 2010 in federal court against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeks to compel the Service to uproot genetically engineered (GE) crops from its Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware. As many as 80 other national wildlife refuges across the country now growing GE crops are vulnerable to similar suits. Filed in the U.S. District Court for Delaware by the Widener Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic on behalf of Delaware Audubon Society, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) and the Center for Food Safety, the federal suit charges that the Fish & Wildlife Service had illegally entered into Cooperative Farming Agreements with private parties, allowing hundreds of acres to be plowed over without the environmental review required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). In March 2009, the same groups won a similar lawsuit against GE plantings on Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. Ironically, Prime Hook has now been administratively incorporated into Bombay Hook, meaning that the same refuge management that is overseeing execution of the Prime Hook verdict is violating its tenets on Bombay Hook. In August 2009, several environmental groups led by the Center for Food […]

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Report Shows GM Crops Fail to Tackle Climate Change

Monday, March 1st, 2010

(Beyond Pesticides, March 1, 2010) Claims by the biotech industry that genetically modified (GM) crops combat climate change are exaggerated and premature, according to a new report from Friends of the Earth International. The report, “Who Benefits from GM Crops?,” examines industry claims and finds that GM crops actually increase carbon emissions while failing to feed the world. There is still not a single commercial GM crop with increased yield, drought-tolerance, salt-tolerance, enhanced nutrition or other beneficial traits long promised by biotech companies. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) thinks the public does not care about GM crops and is accepting comments through this Wednesday, March 3, 2010 on allowing GM alfalfa in the U.S. The Friends of the Earth International report exposes the fact that globally GM crops remain confined to less than 3% of agricultural land and more than 99% are grown for animal feed and agrofuels, rather than food. GM crops are responsible for huge increases in the use of pesticides in the US and South America, intensifying fossil fuel use. The cultivation of GM soy to feed factory farmed animals is also contributing to widespread deforestation in South America, causing massive climate emissions. Ongoing concerns […]

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Greening the Community Conference Update, New $25 Registration Rate

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

(Beyond Pesticides, February 25, 2010) To include more grassroots activists and community members in Greening the Community: Green economy, organic environments and healthy people, Beyond Pesticides announced a new $25 “recession rate.” The conference, Beyond Pesticides’ 28th National Pesticide Forum, will be held April 9-10 at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. To take advantage of the reduced registration, register online today. We are also pleased to announce exciting additions to our speaker list including: journalist, author, democracy and environmental activist Harvey Wasserman; ecologist, ecological engineer and 2004 Stockholm Water Prize laureate William Mitsch, PhD; and several others. These speakers join Jeff Moyer, organic farming and gardening expert with the Rodale Institute; Melinda Hemmelgarn, award-winning “Food Sleuth” journalist who encourages people “think beyond their plates”; David Hackenberg, beekeeper who first discovered colony collapse disorder; Canadian organizers who played a key role in the effort that banned cosmetic pesticide use in Ontario in 2009; and, cutting-edge scientists focusing on endocrine disruption, cancer, learning disabilities, and the link between birth defects and season of conception. Harvey Wasserman is a journalist, author, democracy activist and environmental advocate. He is author of a dozen books, including Solartopia! Our Green Powered Earth. Harvey helped […]

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Take Action: Tell FDA That Triclosan Is Too Hazardous to the Environment

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

(Beyond Pesticides, February 24, 2010) On February 22, 2010 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a federal notice requesting data and information regarding the potential environmental impact of triclosan’s use in acne and antiplaque/antigingivitis products. The agency, in order to comply with the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA), must complete environmental assessments (EA) for active ingredients before they are included in the agency’s over-the-counter (OTC) drug regulation system. Triclosan, a controversial antibacterial agent found in hundreds of consumer products, from hand sanitizers to toys, is one of 13 chemicals being assessed by FDA for environmental impacts according to their proposed uses. According to FDA regulations, the agency must conduct EAs before chemicals are approved for use in OTC drug products. In this case, triclosan is being considered for use in acne and antiplaque/antigingivitis products. Even though this action is being taken, FDA has never been able to finalize and approve the use of triclosan in any OTC products, despite the proliferation of these products in the consumer marketplace. It appears that EAs for the vast majority of triclosan uses have been completed. Other FDA regulations on triclosan have not been updated since 1994 and much of the data […]

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Critics Charge Sara Lee with Greenwashing To Lure Consumers

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

(Beyond Pesticides, February 23, 2010) Latest in the trend of consumer “greenwashing,” Sara Lee Corporation has launched a new marketing strategy for its EarthGrains ® bread, replacing a small proportion of its ingredients with their line of “Eco-Grainâ„¢” wheat. According to their press release, the company describes EarthGrains as “sustainable” because it uses a combination of “satellite imagery to help determine fertilizer requirements in any given area of the field,” reducing chemical fertilizer use by merely 15%. In contrast, as mandated by federal law, organic farmers are required by law to reduce their synthetic fertilizer use by 100%, and also prohibit organic farmers from using toxic pesticides that are commonly applied to conventional wheat fields, including those growing “Eco-Grain.” Sara Lee, which launched the bread marketing campaign February 2, 2010 said Eco-Grain wheat was developed with help from agricultural conglomerate Cargill. According to Sara Lee’s website, 20% of the flour in EarthGrains 100% Natural 24 oz. bread is made from Eco-Grainâ„¢ wheat, therefore, the total reduction in chemical fertilizer use in a loaf of EarthGrains bread is only 3%. Sara Lee even claims in online marketing materials that farming methods used to produce its “100% Natural” bread “have some advantages […]

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New Study Links Pesticide Use to Thyroid Disease in Women

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

(Beyond Pesticides, February 22, 2010) Wives of agricultural pesticide applicators have a significantly increased risk of developing thyroid disease, according to the new study, “Pesticide Use and Thyroid Disease Among Women in the Agricultural Health Study,” published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Using data collected from more than 16,500 female spouses from Iowa and North Carolina enrolled in the Agricultural Health Study from 1993 to 1997, the researchers show that 12.5 percent of the women have thyroid disease, 6.9 percent have hypothyroidism and 2.1 percent have hyperthyroidism; whereas, the national average is 5 percent and 1 percent, respectively. Thyroid disease is more common in women than men and is the second most common hormone disorder affecting women of childbearing age. According to the study results, ever use of a fungicide shows a slight increased risk (odds ratio (OR) 1.4) and ever use of an organochlorine insecticide shows a 1.2 OR for hypothyroidism. Ever use of the fungicide benomyl shows a more than tripling of risk to hypothyroidism, whereas the fungicides maneb and mancozeb show a more than doubling and the herbicide paraquat shows a nearly doubling of risk. Maneb and mancozeb also show a more than doubling of risk […]

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Tell EPA to Minimize the Impact of Pesticide Drift, Comment by March 5

Friday, February 19th, 2010

(Beyond Pesticides, February 19, 2010) To protect humans and the environment from the drift of pesticide spray and dust the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed new labeling guidelines last November and is seeking public comments. The Draft Guidance for Pesticide Registrants on Pesticide Drift Labeling is intended to provide clearer, more consistent and enforceable directions. EPA’s current pesticide label requirement, which instructs the user to avoid drift, is widely considered unenforceable and inadequate. Pesticides drift is a major threat to those living near agricultural areas, as wind and rain can carry these chemicals miles from the application site. A National Cancer Institute study shows that pregnant women living within 9 miles of farms where pesticides are used have an increased risk of losing an unborn baby to birth defects. Another study finds that children living near agricultural areas have twice the risk of developing acute lymphoblastic leukemia. When pest management strategies rely on spray and dust pesticide application, drift is inevitable. Aerial pesticide application is of greatest concern, where an estimated 40% of pesticides used are lost to drift. Despite this inefficiency the aerial application of pesticides. especially fungicides, is actually increasing. EPA’s labeling guidelines were introduced a month […]

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Study Finds Residential and Agricultural Pesticides in Household Dust

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

(Beyond Pesticides, February 17, 2010) In the largest study of its kind, researchers searched hundreds of Salinas Valley, California homes for pesticide compounds sticking to dust layers and discovered widespread residues of 22 residential and agricultural-use products. The study, “Pesticides in Dust from Homes in an Agricultural Area,” was conducted by an investigator from the California Department of Public Health and researchers with the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS) with the University of California, Berkeley. CHAMACOS began recruiting pregnant women in the Salinas Valley for a long-term study of prenatal and infant chemical and allergen exposure in 1999. The center sampled study homes in 1999 and 2000 with a modified vacuum cleaner. The most common pesticides found were permethrin (467ppb) -a popular insecticide against home insect, and chlorpyrifos (74ppb). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned chlorpyrifos for home-use in 2000, but it is still used in agriculture. Other pesticides frequently detected include the herbicide dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate (DCPA), methomyl, diazinon and a fungicide, iprodione. Household dust concentrations are significantly associated with nearby use of these chemicals on agricultural fields in the month or season prior to sample collection. The study reported that in […]

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Pyrethroid Pesticides in Streams Found Toxic to Indicator Species

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

(Beyond Pesticides, February 16, 2010) Pyrethroids, among the most widely-used home pesticides, are winding up in California rivers at levels toxic to some stream-dwellers, possibly endangering the food supply of fish and other aquatic animals, according to a study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and Southern Illinois University (SIU). The study, “Urban and Agricultural Sources of Pyrethroid Insecticides to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta of California,” in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, is the first published work to document toxic levels in the water column as well as in the sediments at the bottom of streams. Pyrethroid insecticides, commonly used to kill ants and other insects around the home, have been found in street runoff and in the outflow from sewage treatment plants in the Sacramento, California area. The insecticide ended up in two urban creeks, the San Joaquin River and a 20-mile stretch of the American River, traditionally considered to be one of the cleanest rivers in the region. Although the pyrethroid levels were low, around 10-20 parts per trillion, they were high enough to kill a test organism similar to a small shrimp that is used to assess water safety. “These indicator organisms are ‘lab […]

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Inadequately Restricted Pesticide Implicated in Children’s Deaths

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

(Beyond Pesticides, February 11, 2010) Investigators are tying the deaths of 4-year and 15-month old sisters in Layton, Utah to a pesticide that was used to kill voles, small burrowing rodents, in their family’s front yard. The 4-year-old, Rebecca Toone, died Saturday and her sister Rachel died on Tuesday after the family was hospitalized with flu-like symptoms then discharged. The girls went back to the hospital when they fell ill again after returning home. The cause of the deaths has not yet been determined, according to the Utah Medical Examiner’s Office, and toxicology tests are expected to take up to eight weeks to complete. However, investigators say that the chemical may have wafted into the family’s home after an exterminator dropped Fumitoxin, aluminum phosphide, pellets in burrow holes in the lawn on Friday. Upon exposure to moisture in the air, the pellets immediately decompose to phosphine gas. The death of these children and the poisoning of the family raise serious issues about the adequacy of the pesticide’s label restrictions, approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and their enforceability. In the case of aluminum phosphide, EPA has allowed the use that led to these avoidable deaths after proposing to […]

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Herbicide Atrazine Linked to Rare Birth Defect

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

(Beyond Pesticides, February 10, 2009) Living near farms that use the weed killer atrazine increases the risk of a rare birth defect, according to a study presented February 5, 2010 at the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine in Chicago. Gastroschisis, a rare birth defect in which an infant’s intestines stick out of the body through a defect on one side of the umbilical cord, affects 1 in 5000 babies born in the U.S. each year. Babies with this condition have problems with movement and absorption in the gut, because the unprotected intestine is exposed to irritating amniotic fluid. Surgery is required to repair this defect. The rate of gastroschisis has risen 2- to 4-fold over the last three decades, especially in areas where agriculture is the primary industry, according to Sarah Waller, PhD, of the University of Washington, Seattle, and colleagues. Dr. Waller’s team studied the potential link between atrazine and the birth defect because, as they note in their conference abstract, “During the last 10 years, the highest percentage per population of gastroschisis was in Yakima County, in the eastern part of the state, where agriculture is the primary industry.” Overall, Washington state has about double […]

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Biomonitoring Data Links Brain Effects to Neurotoxic Chemical Exposure

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

(Beyond Pesticides, February 9, 2010) In an innovative development that could transform the way Americans view the origins of learning and developmental disabilities, the national Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative (LDDI) released the first-ever biomonitoring report identifying toxic chemical pollution in people from the learning and developmental disability community. Mind, Disrupted: How Toxic Chemicals May Affect How We Think and Who We Are examines 61 toxic chemicals present in project participants in the context of rising rates of autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and other learning and developmental disabilities.   In the U. S., 5-15% of children under age 18 are affected by learning and developmental disabilities. Reported cases of autism spectrum disorders have increased tenfold since the early 1990s. Based on current research, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that 1 in 110 eight-year-old children have autism in the United States. Mind, Disrupted measured levels of a set of neurotoxic and endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the participants’ bodies. A growing body of peer-reviewed scientific research, including animal and human studies, shows that these chemicals can disrupt the development and functioning of the brain and nervous system. Eleven of the twelve study participants had detectable levels of triclosan in […]

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Greening the Community, 28th National Pesticide Forum: New Speakers, Garden Tour

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

(Beyond Pesticides, February 3, 2010) Beyond Pesticides has confirmed exciting additions to Greening the Community, the 28th National Pesticide Forum, scheduled for April 9-10 at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. The Forum is an important opportunity to discuss the latest information on pesticides and alternatives, meet scientists and community leaders, and network with other activists working to change policies at the local, state and national levels. David Hackenberg, the beekeeper who first discovered a mysterious disappearance of honeybees now known as colony collapse disorder (CCD), is the most recent addition to the program. Mr. Hackenberg believes that pesticides contribute to CCD and that honeybees are a barometer of the environment. Featured in several films and news investigations, he has been front and center in this important fight to protect our pollinators. Read about Mr. Hackenberg and the other Forum speakers in the highlights below. The Forum will begin Friday afternoon with a tour of the Cleveland Botanical Garden. Founded in 1930, Cleveland Botanical Garden, which is now made up of 20 specialty gardens and exotic indoor biomes, has evolved into a community treasure. The Garden’s community involvement extends beyond its 10 acres into city neighborhoods through its Green […]

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