Organic News and Health Issues -Pesticides are persistent, but so is The Pesticide Action Network. (PAN)As PAN’s ranks grow, policy makers in many parts of the world are being compelled to take a hard look at how a few mega-corporations are controlling how our food is produced. In two months this fall PAN helped mobilize 90,000 people to say “NO” to---- 
As we turn the calendar to a new decade, PAN North America is pleased to report that our work is building momentum faster than ever. Astonishingly, we've come through this turbulent year to find that our outreach capacity has nearly doubled even as we faced the same budget constraints as everyone else. It seems our issues have gained new urgency and traction. When we reflect on the important victories many of you helped us win in 2009, we are humbled and motivated by your commitment to create a healthier world.
As PAN's ranks grow, policy makers are compelled by public protest to take a hard look at how a handful of mega-corporations control our food production and corrupt science. One significant example: in two months this fall PAN helped mobilize 90,000 people to say "NO" to the controversial appointment of Islam Siddiqui, former lobbyist for CropLife. (CropLife is the pesticide industry's lobbying front group.) Siddiqui has been stalled in the Senate, and may or may not be confirmed - but the revolving door between industry and government just got a lot squeakier. It takes persistence and passion to build a food system that delivers democracy, security, nourishing food and sustainability. But with your help, we can override the chemical agenda pushed by the six multinational corporations who control 75% of the global agrichemical market: Monsanto, Syngenta, Bayer, BASF, Dow and DuPont. They buy lobbying and marketing to convince policy makers that toxic pesticides keep the world from starving. They are wrong, and we are calling them on it for pennies on their dollars.Whatever you have done, or are able to do in support of PAN's work, we thank you!
But with your help,
we can override the chemical agenda pushed by the six multinational corporations who control 75% of the global agrichemical market: Monsanto, Syngenta, Bayer, BASF, Dow and DuPont. They buy lobbying and marketing to convince policy makers that toxic pesticides keep the world from starving. They are wrong, and we are calling them on it for pennies on their dollars.Whatever you have done, or are able to do in support of PAN's work, we thank you!
Germany to Deal with Toxic Pesticide Containers Stockpiled in NepalDealing with the disposal of obsolete stockpiles of contaminated and toxic pesticide containers is a huge problem in many parts of the world. PAN regional centers have been involved with the work of cleaning up the mess. Recently the German government expressed a readiness to---- Stockpiles of old pesticides that have degraded and become unusable are a common problem in many parts of the world - especially, but not exclusively, in developing countries. Since these stockpiles are often stored without sufficient precautions they can have devastating health and environmental impacts on surrounding communities. In the case of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), the persistence and long-range transport of old pesticides over air and water currents means that stockpiled pesticides can also pose serious health hazards for people living far away. Old pesticide containers, which are themselves contaminated and toxic, are reused for water and food storage by people unaware of the dangers such containers pose to their health. Dealing with the disposal of obsolete stockpiles in least-toxic ways is tricky and
in UK, Asia and Africa have been long involved in this issue. Along with international organizations like the
Food and Agriculture Organization,
some donor country governments have begun to take the issue seriously. Recently the German government expressed readiness to take back and safely dispose 74.23 tons of chemicals from Nepal that had been imported for agriculture proposes from Germany 25 years ago, reports the
Republica.
The stockpiled pesticides, scattered over 25 sites in Nepal, include pesticides like DDT and methyl bromide. The pesticides will be disposed of at temperatures of 1,200 - 1,500 degrees Celsius at an incinerator plant in Germany equipped with air pollution control devices -- a facility not available in Nepal. PAN North America's international campaign coordinator, Dr. Medha Chandra notes, "While there is much debate about the safest methods of disposal of obsolete pesticide stocks, and incineration is far from ideal, it is at least a welcome move that these hazardous stockpiles will no longer be polluting Nepalese environs and communities."
Atrazine is Linked to a Host of Problems for Freshwater Fish and Other WildlifeAccording to new analysis of existing research, a host of problems for freshwater fish and amphibians have been linked to the pesticide atrazine. Low doses of this chemical have been linked to significant developmental abnormalities in wildlife. Exposure to atrazine reduced immune function, sex organ development and function and the production of steroid hormones in the two groups of---- A host of health problems for freshwater fish and amphibians are linked to the pesticide atrazine, according to a new analysis of existing research. The
meta-analysis
(PDF) found disturbing links between low doses of atrazine and significant developmental abnormalities in wildlife. According to a
summary by Heather Hamlin,
"Exposure to atrazine levels found in the environment reduced immune function, sex organ development and function, and the production of steroid hormones in both groups of animals. The oft times slight changes to these important body systems can affect the timing of metamorphosis in amphibians and behavior in amphibians and fish - changes that could affect an animal's survival. The study also found...that lower doses could in fact be more harmful than higher doses. For example, ...the exposures increased hyperactivity at the lower concentrations reported but not at higher levels." Syngenta, the largest pesticide corporation in the world, is the primary manufacturer and promoter of atrazine, one of the most widely used herbicides in the U.S., despite being banned in Syngenta's home country, Switzerland, due to its persistence in water. An August 2009 analysis of U.S. government data conducted by the
Natural Resources Defense Council
(PDF) found widespread atrazine contamination of surface water in Midwestern and Southern states, along with disturbing levels of atrazine in drinking water systems in the regions. Syngenta is charged with suppressing independent science and unduly influencing the 2003 atrazine review process in order to keep its pesticide on the market.
U.S. EPA Assistant Administrator Steve Owens reopened the review of atrazine in October 2009
, promising, "Under this Administration, EPA is committed to ensuring the health and safety of all Americans. Administrator Jackson has made it a priority to examine how we manage and assess the risk of chemicals, including pesticides, and the Obama EPA will take a hard look at atrazine and other substances. This thorough review will rely on transparency and sound science, including independent scientific peer review. We will continue to closely track new scientific developments and will determine whether a change in our regulatory position is appropriate."
New Reports are Released on Pesticide Use, and Harmful Residues in FoodEarlier this month, California's Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) released the latest in its ongoing series of reports summarizing annual pesticide use.The Pesticide Use Report shows that the state's use decreased slightly from 2007 to 2008, to 161.5 million pounds. DPR attributed the decrease mostly to drier conditions, which translate to less pressure on crops from plant diseases and weeds, and thus fewer applications of fungicides and herbicides. Sulfur , a fungicide used by both conventional and organic growers, continued to be the most applied pesticide in California, and it's use decreased 12%, accounting for most of the overall decline in pesticide use."While it's great to see pesticide use declining, the drop is entirely circumstantial, representing variations in weather, pest pressure, and cropping patterns, rather than a real shift among growers to more sustainable methods," said Pesticide Action Network staff scientist Karl Tupper. "For the most part, it's business as usual." fumigation -one of the most unsustainable farming practices-continues unabated, with the same amount of fumigants applied to the same number of acres in 2008 as 2007. Methyle Bromide use is going down, as one would expect for a chemical being phased out under the Montreal Protocol because it depletes the ozone layer. But other fumigants are being used in its place. And biopesticides, which are generally less toxic than traditional pesticides, are still under-utilized, accounting for less than half a percent of total pesticide use. On the other hand, there does appear to be a gradual but real downward trend in the use of organophosphates and carbamates, and that's good news for farmworkers who face exposure to these neurotoxins in the fields and for consumers who are exposed to residues of these insecticides in their food.Speaking of pesticide residues on food, on January 11, USDA released the
results
(PDF) of tests conducted in 2008 as part of the
Pesticide Data Program
(PDP). The PDP is among the most important sources of information about pesticides on foods, and is used by EPA and other agencies to inform pesticide policy. Last summer, PAN launched
WhatsOnMyFood?
- a website compiling PDP results and presenting them in a user-friendly format.Highlights from the latest (2008) PDP data include:Atrazine was found in 5.2% of water samples from private wells, down from 9.2% the previous year. In contrast, the frequency of
atrazine
detection in samples from municipal water supplies rose from 70.7% in 2007 to 93.9% in 2008.Catfish was tested for the first time. DDE, a breakdown product of
DDT
, was found in 84.6% samples.Nearly 500 "presumptive tolerance violations" were detected. These are samples containing residues of one or more pesticides in excess of the legal limit set by EPA, and samples contaminated with pesticides for which EPA has not set a legal limit.PAN's PesticideInfo.org and WhatsOnMyFood.org remain unique in their aggregation and publically accessible presentation of these and other goverment sources of pesticide data.
Are Syngenta's Pesticides Setting the Terms of Research into Disappearing Honeybees?Syngenta’s pesticide thiamethoxam, a neonicotinoid, scientists theorize affects the development of bee larvae and the queen bees production of eggs. This might go some way in solving the mystery of a phenomena known as colony collapse disorder and explain why over one third of honeybees in many countries have vanished---- 
Over one third of U.S. honeybees have vanished recently in a phenomena called colony collapse disorder (CCD). While the causal factors appear to be complex and interactive, exposure to one class of common pesticides,
neonicotinoids, is associated with the die-offs.
Honeybees are vital to agriculture for the pollination services they provide, so scientists and government agencies are mobilizing significant funding streams to look into CCD's causes. Meanwhile, Syngenta's pesticide thiamethoxam, a neonicotinoid, which scientists theorize affects the development of the bee larvae and the queen's production of eggs, is among the bee-toxic pesticides on scientists' radar. Bayer's imidicloprid and clothianidin (also neonicotinoids) are also implicated as among the causal factors behind CCD.
A recent
Guardian article
sheds light on how chemical companies funding science have a way of dictating research agendas. Warwick University is researching the "complex of interacting factors" - a study commissioned by the government's Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) "in partnership with Syngenta," who is funding 10% of the project. The university says it intends to investigate "parasitic diseases caused by the varroa mite" and the "link between these diseases and the quality of pollen and nectar that the bees are feeding on," but fails to mention pesticides in its press release. Leading Warwick researcher Dr. David Chandler confirmed that there is "no pesticide component in it at all." According to the Guardian, the BBSRC doesn't reveal who its committee members are and how they allocate public money, but in 2003 this information was publicly available on their website and listed executives from Syngenta, GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Pfizer, Genetix plc, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Celltech and Unilever.
Check a recent article about the vanishing bees.
The Oceans are Releasing Harmful DDT From Many Years AgoWe already know that DDT trapped in glaciers is being released by global warming, and that melting glaciers are exposing Adelie Penguins in Antarctica to DDT. New research published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters shows that despite widespread restrictions on DDT's use since the 1970s, substantial quantities of the pesticide are still being released by the world's oceans DDT is continually re-entering the atmosphere from the oceans, before being dissolved again in a recurring cycle, according to scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, Germany. The scientists created a computer model to simulate the circulation of DDT between ocean and atmosphere between 1950 and 2002. They found that DDT steadily moves towards northern latitudes, and while some is ultimately destroyed in the atmosphere by sunlight, some settles into the deep ocean where a portion is buried in sediments. The cycle can be a very slow process.While the DDT emissions from the oceans might not pose an immediate threat to humans, the released DDT is absorbed in the bodies of marine animals and concentrates by factors of millions as it moves up the food chain. The levels of DDT in the bodies of marine mammals higher on the food chain can be very high and potentially toxic for the animals. This is of high concern to people who depend on these marine mammals for their diet. The Indigenous peoples of the circumpolar Arctic rely on traditional diets that include marine mammals such as seals to obtain many nutrients otherwise unavailable to them. In many cases, there is no alternative to the subsistence way of life for Indigenous peoples in the Arctic due to lack of a cash economy. High concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) like DDT in food can cause serious health problems for these populations. Among the many health effects known to be linked to exposure to persistent chemicals, researchers are now adding insulin resistence. A group of European scientists report in a recent Environmental Health Perspectives (PDF) that rats fed fish oil containing POPs had higher levels of cholesterol, fatty acids in their liver, and developed belly fat. None of the rats fed fish oil without the POPs chemicals developed these symptoms. Conditions related to insulin resistance are common in the U.S., affecting more than 25% of U.S. adults. Symptoms can include obesity, fatigue, and problems regulating levels of fat and sugar in the blood.Scientists Confirm that Pollutants from Human Sources Threaten Arctic Polar BearsA new scientific review from Denmark confirms that pollution from human sources reaching the Arctic is endangering the long term survival of polar bears. While chemicals have been found in the tissues of bears for many years, the overall health impact of the pollutants has been difficult to study. Seeing this need, veterinary scientist and polar bear expert Dr. Christian Sonne of the Department of Arctic Environment at Denmark's Aarhus University conducted the first comprehensive review of studies on the health effects of persistent pesticides, heavy metals and industrial chemicals on polar bears. Such chemicals persist in the environment and accumulate in the fat of animals, and are found at particularly high levels in predator species. The researcher found that the combined impact of the contaminants on the bears' bones, organs and reproductive and immune systems can have a dramatic and potentially fatal impact. "After being very sceptical, I now feel that the impact on bears may be true," says Dr. Sonne in an article in the UK's Earth News.Dr. Sonne reviewed more than a decade's research of the impacts of pollution on bears and found a range of health effects linked to chemical contamination, including smaller and deformed sexual organs, overactive organs (organochlorines such as DDT increase activity of liver enzymes), damage to the nervous system and decreases in bone mass density. The researchers note that effects of individual pollutants may have subtle, non-clinical effects, but when combined the contaminants can reduce a bear's ability to hunt, reproduce and resist disease. "It is really important to understand that all organ systems are tied together," says Dr Sonne. Since direct impacts on polar bear populations are correlations rather than controlled experiments, Dr. Sonne and his team also conducted a two-year study involving Arctic foxes and Greenland sled dogs, in which they fed the animals clean or contaminated whale blubber. Observed health effects in the animals eating contaminated food included liver damage, decreased bone density, renal lesions, and changes in the amount of vitamins circulating in the blood. Similar effects would be expected in polar bears. The study, published in the journal
Environment International
, also notes that climate change effects will speed the health impacts of chemical pollutants. Not only are pollutants released in melting sea ice, increasing the overall chemical load in the environment, but as polar bears fast longer with decreased sea ice hunting grounds, they burn fat to compensate. This releases toxins stored in fatty tissue into the polar bears' blood, where it can more readily effect organs and damage the immune system.
PAN's PesticideInfo.org and WhatsOnMyFood.org remain unique in their aggregation and publically accessible presentation of these and other government sources of pesticide data. Both sites will be updated with these and other new data sources in the next few months.
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