20
Aug
(Beyond Pesticides, August 20, 2024) A study published online in the journal Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology raises continuing concern about residual exposure to organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and the disruption that they and their metabolites and isomers cause to biological systems. For the most part, OCPs, including dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), are no longer used worldwide, but the legacy of their poisoning and contamination persists. A 2022 article in Environmental Science & Technology cites California condors and marine mammals along California’s coast contaminated with several dozen different halogenated organic compounds (hazardous, often-chlorinated chemicals) related to DDT, chlordane, and other now-banned legacy chemicals. Other research finds DDT in deep ocean sediment and biota. And, more research finds multigeneration effects from DDT exposure with grandmothers’ exposure to DDT increasing granddaughters’ breast cancer and cardiometabolic disorder risk. This study may be the first compilation of research regarding the modes of action for distinct types of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs). The findings raise the significant danger of legacy chemicals that persist for generations and call for a precautionary regulatory standard that is focused on preventing harm and advancing alternative nontoxic practices and products. In tracking the ongoing scientific literature on a broad spectrum of adverse effects daily, Beyond Pesticides […]
Posted in Breakdown Chemicals, Chemicals, Chlordecone, DDT, Disease/Health Effects, Endocrine Disruption, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), Metabolites, Motor Development Effects, multi-generational effects, National Organic Standards Board/National Organic Program, Nervous System Effects, organochlorines, Oxidative Stress, Pesticide Regulation, Thyroid Disease, Uncategorized | No Comments »
21
Jun
(Beyond Pesticides, June 21, 2024) A recent review of the scientific literature, published in Science of The Total Environment, analyzes multiple species of bees on a molecular level to better understand the poisoning mechanisms that could, as the authors see it, inform chemical risk assessments with more precision. The mechanisms “implicated in the tolerance of bees to specific pesticides, and thus as determinants of insecticide sensitivity, … include metabolic detoxification, insecticide target proteins, the insect cuticle and bee gut microbiota,” the authors write. This review references more than 90 studies performed over the last 30+ years, with most being published in the last 5-10 years, as the understanding and importance of molecular determinants of bee sensitivity has emerged. Pollinators, such as bees, provide crucial ecosystem services by pollinating both wild plants and essential crops. The exposure these insects are subjected to threatens their existence, which occurs through pesticide contamination that can lead to impacts on growth and development or even colony collapse.   “While bees have only been exposed to human-made pesticides over the recent past (last 80 years) they have co-evolved with plants and fungi which produce a range of xenobiotics, including plant allelochemicals and mycotoxins,” the authors state. […]
Posted in acetamiprid, chemical sensitivity, Ecosystem Services, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), fluvalinate, Imidacloprid, Pollinators, thiacloprid | No Comments »
