NEONICS: YOUR HEALTH, BIRDS and BEES, and NEONICOTINOID PESTICIDES

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With all the talk about bees and colony collapse disorder (CCD), posting the Letter to the Editor, below, from the Cleveland  Plain Dealer seemed appropriate. 

One of the many factors affecting our bees and other pollinators is also related to our own human drinking water sources. This includes the Great Lakes, which are the largest area of surface freshwater on the planet, and a main source of water for eight states and two Canadian provinces.

This blog post starts with Laurel Hopwood's LTE, then continues with excerpts from a deposition I wrote, at Laurel’s request, in July 2016.

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Plain Dealer - Letter to the Editor:

By Laurel Hopwood, Ohio Sierra Club Agriculture Chair, Cleveland

Neonicotinoid is in the Great Lakes and fish and birds are at risk

Updated Jan 29, 10:14 AM; Posted Jan 29, 10:14 AM

http://www.cleveland.com/letters/index.ssf/2018/01/neonicotinoid_is_in_the_great_1.html

Fish, birds and entire ecosystems of the Great Lakes may be at risk. A new critical study revealed the presence of neonicotinoid (neonic) pesticides pervasive the Great Lakes and its tributaries.

The study comes as draft legislation is circulating in Congress that would remove requirements that the U.S. EPA consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department and the National Marine Service over pesticides' impact on threatened and endangered species. 

Neonics are the most heavily used insecticides on the planet. Exposure to these nerve poisons is linked with bee die-offs and bird population decline. Losing these pollinators can have a tremendous impact on our food supply. 

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Adding some background to Laurel’s LTE, above, the following are excerpts from my deposition.

From your blogger, Linda Sekura:

“I am aware that neonicotinoid pesticides formulated with clothianidin and thiamethoxam are part of a non-sustainable agricultural system that impacts pollinators, whether honeybees or native pollinators.  I am concerned about the impact to honeybees, but my main concern as a sustainability specialist and an ecologist is the impact of neonicotinoids on native pollinators and other native insects/organisms.

“I am concerned about the impacts of pesticides, in general, on any native organisms (including humans); and I am aware that neonicotinoid pesticides formulated with clothianidin and thiamethoxam have the potential to move up the food chain and impact birds, including threatened and endangered species, but also many of our common bird (and other) species, which have been in decline, and that are just as important to our ecosystems and sustainable food production. We can never know the complex role of every organism in these systems all life depends on for survival.

“The EPA’s fact sheet issued in May 20, 2003, for the conditional registration of clothianidin states that “… assessments show that exposure to treated seeds through ingestion may result in chronic toxic risk to non-endangered and endangered small birds (e.g., songbirds) and acute/chronic toxicity risk to non-endangered and endangered mammals. Clothianidin has the potential for toxic chronic exposure to honeybees, as well as other nontarget pollinators, through the translocation of clothianidin residues in nectar and pollen.”

“From an ecological point of view, there are a number of stressors that negatively impact threatened and endangered (and common) species, including birds, bees, and other wildlife, such as habitat loss and climate change.  Neonicotinoid pesticides formulated with clothianidin and thiamethoxam are an additional stressor to threatened, endangered and common species.  Additionally, it is not clear that those pesticides are beneficial, either as to whether the intended results are achieved, or, if achieved, with enough intended benefit to justify the unintended impacts.  There can be a timing issue as to when pesticides are applied versus when the target species of insects arrive.  In certain situations, neonicotinoid pesticides are applied to plants and seeds, but the target species may never come into contact with these plants and seeds.  And, since neonicotinoid pesticides are persistent, many nontarget species, including diverse pollinators, but also a multitude of above- and below-ground organisms will likely come into contact with plants and seeds, and the soil and water the pesticides will leach into, and these other nontarget organisms will be affected. 

“It does not matter whether neonicotinoids are the driving cause of massive bee deaths or other impacts to threatened, endangered, and common species; what is important is that the massive use of neonicotinoids formulated with clothianidin and thiamethoxam are affecting honeybees, native bees and other pollinators, and other wildlife, including birds, and when that is combined with the cumulative impacts of other stressors, it may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for some of these species.

“… An Ohio farming website indicated that neonicotinoids generally are the most popular insecticides being used; neonicotinoids are applied to 135 million acres treated annually, of which 56 percent is on cotton, soy, corn, and wheat, which are crops grown on farms in Ohio.

“…Neonicotinoids formulated with clothianidin and thiamethoxam have been approved by the EPA for use on corn and soy, as well as lawns, golf courses, and landscaped areas.  I am concerned that massive amounts of neonicotinoids formulated with those ingredients may be, or already being, applied in areas where I live, and this may impact threatened and endangered (and common) species that I care about.  I live in Northeast Ohio, but I frequently go to Northwest Ohio because of the international migratory bird flyway.  Many of the farms in Northwest Ohio grow corn and soy.  Agriculture is already causing algae blooms in waterways, and I am concerned that neonicotinoid pesticides formulated with clothianidin and thiamethoxam are being applied to the corn and soy and are then leaching into the water, which may negatively impact migratory and locally-nesting birds. 

“Neonicotinoid pesticides formulated with clothianidin and thiamethoxam are highly water soluble, which may impact birds feeding on invertebrates, or diminish the amount of these food sources available.  The above-mentioned EPA fact sheet states that “[b]ased on laboratory and field studies, the available data on clothianidin show that the compound is persistent and mobile, stable to hydrolysis, and has potential to leach to ground water and be transported via runoff to surface water bodies.”

“I also live near many parks, playgrounds, lawns, golf courses and landscaped areas where I am told that neonicotinoid pesticides formulated with clothianidin and thiamethoxam may be applied.  In Northeast Ohio, most of the population lives within walking or biking distance of a park or golf course, where these pesticides could be applied.  In Northwest Ohio most live within walking or biking distance of a farm. There are at least six golf courses within a 30 minute drive from my home.”

“…It has been explained to me that the EPA was required to consult the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) prior to approving and registering neonicotinoid pesticides formulated with clothianidin and thiamethoxam, since most pesticides, and in particular neonicotinoids, are shown to cause harm to the environment and wildlife.  To argue that neonicotinoids are not a driving cause of this harm does not justify their approval without meticulous review.  When more than one or two stressors already exist, the likely danger of adding to the cumulative impact neonicotinoid pesticides formulated with clothianidin and thiamethoxam should be apparent.  A smoking gun should not be the threshold for determining whether consultation is required.

“…In sum, I am concerned about the threats to endangered, threatened, and common species, and the natural processes and ecosystems they (and we) depend on for survival - and professional, recreational, and personal interests for myself, my family, and fellow coworkers and citizens, as a result of  the EPA’s decision to register and maintain neonicotinoid pesticides formulated with clothianidin and thiamethoxam, especially considering that the EPA did not consult the FWS prior to approving the pesticides, and that there does not appear to be an adequate risk assessment and public review process in place.”