PLANET IN PERIL

Yale Environment 360 Recent court cases have focused on the possible effects of glyphosate, found in Monsanto’s Roundup, on humans. But researchers are now investigating whether this commonly used herbicide could also be having adverse effects on the health and behaviour of honeybees. Story here. RELATED:  Scientists cast doubt on claims by the chemical giant, Bayer, that its newest pesticide is safe for bees.  -  by Larry Powell

PHYS ORG Bumblebees forage on chives. A PinP photo. Flight behaviour is crucial for determining how bees  forage, so reduced flight performance  from pesticide exposure could lead to colonies going hungry and pollination services being impacted.  More here. RELATED: Scientists cast doubt on claims by the chemical giant, Bayer, that its newest pesticide is safe for bees. By Larry Powell.

Dear Editor, A chlorothalonil molecule. Image by Jynto. A month ago, the European Union announced it would ban the widely-used fungicide,  chlorothalonil.    Why?  B ecause experts in its own Food Safety Agency  suspected it was carcinogenic - or cancer-causing.  It just so happens, that very same product is also used right here in Canada, and apparently in no small amounts, either! Yet our own Canadian "regulator," the PMRA, re-assessed the chemical less than a year ago.  While it imposed some restrictions, it will still allow its main use as a treatment for mold, mildew and blight in food crops, to continue. Fast forward to today. The New York Times is now reporting that a new and deadly  fungal infection , Candida aurus,   is moving across the globe, with "numerous cases" reported in many countries, including Canada. The fungus is claiming many lives and proving to be well-nigh indestructible.  Why?  According to experts in the field of anti

by Larry Powell The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), a branch of the European Union,  has declared that  chlorothalonil  "may cause cancer in humans." Several of the agency's findings were based on tests with lab rats. But it obviously believes their metabolisms are sufficiently similar to ours to place  chlorothalonil   in  "carcinogenicity category  1B - may cause cancer in humans."                                                     Chlorothalonil  is the active ingredient in  several agricultural fungicides used  to treat mildew, blight and mold in many  crops.  According to  the newspaper, The Guardian,  it is the most widely-used  pesticide  in all of the UK and the the most popular  fungicide in  the U.S. It's been used, worldwide, since the '60s. A project based at Simon Fraser University,   CAREX,   reports that 581  tonnes  of  chlorothalonil  were sold in BC alone in 2010 and 1,121 ton

The Guardian Producer Monsanto is facing thousands of lawsuits from customers who now have cancer. But not all experts are convinced of a link… Story here. --> But not all suspicions about Roundup are confined to its effects on humans.  What about food crops and livestock?  Watch my video, below and decide for yourself! RELATED:  " Field of Nightmares: Ottawa promotes the use of Roundup by Canadian Farmers, Letting Corporate Seduction Trump Scientific Evidence. "

truthout A Wikimedia photo. “Environmental exposures that occur during important periods of breast development can play a role in later-life breast cancer risk,” states one cancer specialist. Story here. RELATED:  Research Suggests Our Past, Prolific Use of the Insecticide DDT May Still Be Contributing To A Scourge Of Modern-Day Diseases Related To Obesity.

Decades of  research  - recently published - has found a significant link between a chronic loss of smell (olfactory impairment or "OI") among American farmers, and their high exposure to certain chemicals they applied to their fields. Far from being a minor ailment, "OI" has long been identified as one of the earliest and most important symptoms of several neurological diseases,  including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. by Larry Powell The human "olfactory" system governs  our sense of smell. Image - public domain. Beginning in the '90s, a team of US scientists surveyed more than 11 thousand farmers from Iowa and North Carolina. They were asked about their experiences with farm chemicals during their lifetimes. In 2015, there was a follow-up survey. Almost 12 hundred (10.6%) reported they had either lost, or significantly lost, their sense of smell. And those who reported incidents of unusually high exposure to pesticides during

Science Today -  University of Maine Mt. Jarvis, Alaska. Photo by R. McGimsey, U.S. Geological Survey Children in Alaska whose diet includes a lot of fish from rivers fed by the Eastern Alaska Mountain Range may have a long-term elevated risk for cancer because of insecticides -- including DDT -- in the meltwater. Story here. RELATED: " Research Suggests Our Past, Prolific Use Of The Insecticide DDT May Still Be Contributing To A Scourge Of Modern-Day Diseases Related To Obesity.  -  Is a world-wide ban now the only ethical thing to do?"

More here. Science X A honeybee colony in Manitoba.  A PinP photo.

PHYS  ORG Bumblebees forage on organic chives. Another PinP photo. Bumblebees acquire a taste for pesticide-laced food as they become more exposed to it, a behaviour showing possible symptoms of addiction. More here.

EcoWatch Glyphosate , the main ingredient in Monsanto 's Roundup herbicide, is recognized as the world's most widely used weed killer. What is not so well known is that farmers also use glyphosate on crops such as wheat, oats, edible beans and other crops right before harvest, raising concerns that the herbicide could get into food products. Story here.

The Guardian A "crop-duster" sprays a pesticide on a canola crop in Manitoba.  A PinP photo. A federal court said the US agency must prohibit the use of chlorpyrifos after seven states and DC backed the case against it. Story here. In 2,006, I told the story of  a farmer in the Swan Valley of Manitoba. He said he and his family were sickened when the same chemical, chlorpyrifos (brand name, Lorsban) drifted onto his property from a field across the road. Read the terrifying tale of the Burqharts  here.  And listen to my report on CBC Radio (with images), below.

THE WESTERN  PRODUCER Costco is saying no to neonics.  More here. A corn-harvester in Manitoba.  Planting of neonicotinoid-coated corn raises honey bee mortality and sets back colony development -  Nat'l. Institutes of Health.

Science News. A pair of wild turkeys in Manitoba. A PinP photo. Researchers at the University of Guelph, Ontario have found residues of the insecticides in the livers of wild turkeys, providing evidence that this common agrochemical is being ingested by free-ranging animals. More here.

BirdLife INTERNATIONAL A White-crowned sparrow. Photo by  Wolfgang Wander The 2018 State of the World’s Birds report, which provides a comprehensive look at the health of bird populations globally, has found that the extinction crisis has spread so far that even some well-known species are now in danger. More here.

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. A "crop-duster" in Manitoba. PinP photo. The Government of Quebec has imposed a ban on five pesticides that are commonly used in the agricultural sector – three neonicotinoid pesticides (neonics), atrazine and chlorpyrifos. More here.

AgroNews Asian rust in soybeans. USDA. Brazil has become the world’s largest market for fungicides. Story here.

the guardian EU votes to reauthorise the pesticide, ending a bitterly fought battle that saw 1.3 million people sign a petition calling for a ban. STORY HERE. A Wikimedia Commons photo. RELATED:  Field of Nightmares  -  Ottawa continues to embrace the widespread use of Roundup on Canadian farms by letting corporate seduction trump scientific evidence.

npr In a normal year, Kevin Bradley, a professor of weed science at the University of Missouri, would have spent his summer testing new ways to control a troublesome little plant called water hemp.  This has not been a normal year. Details here. Photo by Martina Nolte  

EcoWatch Glyphosate —the  most widely applied  herbicide worldwide and the  controversial  main ingredient in  Monsanto 's star product  Roundup —is not just found on corn and soy fields. This pervasive chemical can be detected in everyday foods such as cookies, crackers,  ice cream  and even  our own urine . Story here. Image by Brian Robert Marshall