In particular, the report draws attention to the use of neonicotinoid seed coatings, up to 95 percent of which ends up in the environment, not the crop. Neonicotinoids are a class of insecticides known to cause death and serious harm to honey bees and other pollinator species. These toxic chemicals are considered a major factor in overall bee population declines and poor pollinator health, yet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—which is responsible for regulating pesticides—has failed to protect bees and the broader environment from these dangerous chemicals.
It’s well past time for EPA to suspend neonicotinoid pesticide registrations due to the harm they pose to pollinators, aquatic ecosystems, and the larger environment.
This report shines light for the first time on the full scope of this unrecognized threat to our waters, with toxic effects that will harm entire food chains and ecosystems. It is clear that the problems with widespread use of neonicotinoids extend well beyond the impacts to pollinators. The extensive water contamination and numerous high-level findings in this report raise the alarm that we are approaching an ecological crisis – a second Silent Spring.
Right now, EPA is failing to do its job. EPA won’t even finish reviewing the use of many of these chemicals for several more years!
Neonicotinoid products are applied on more than 150 million acres of crop land annually, with seed coatings being the most common form of application. The runoff from these products flows, both above and below ground, far beyond the agricultural fields, gardens, trees, lawns, and other areas where they are first applied. This leads to unintended effects on wildlife across a vast array of wetlands and water bodies. Neonicotinoids are slow to break down, causing them to build up in the environment, particularly water bodies, and endanger a wide range of beneficial species.
Water Hazard: Aquatic Contamination by Neonicotinoid Insecticides in the United States,” showing widespread water contamination from neonicotinoid insecticides which is threatening a range of wildlife including crabs, insects and migratory birds.
