By Dr. Mercola
Research has shown that many pesticides are neurotoxic and
can cause disruptions to your neurological system and your
brain. The reason why neurotoxins still enjoy widespread use on
our food supply is really more about the bottom line for farming
operations than it is about the science of human health.
Research has clearly and consistently linked pesticide
exposure to Parkinson’s disease. The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) also considers 30 percent of insecticides to be
carcinogenic.
All of these toxic chemicals are permitted on farms growing
conventional and genetically engineered crops, and a large
number of them can end up on your plate when you purchase
conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables and/or processed
foods.
But pesticides also have a dramatic impact on the health of
our ecosystem. Neonicotinoids, such as Imidacloprid and
Clothianidin, kill insects by attacking their nervous systems.
These are known to get into pollen and nectar, and can damage
beneficial insects such as bees.
These toxic chemicals have been implicated as one of the
primary culprits in the mass die-offs of bees, and have
subsequently been banned in some countries. The United States,
however, is not among these countries...
But the effects of neonicotinoids do not end there. According
to recent research by the American Bird Conservancy (ABC), the
use of neonicotinoids in seed treatments is also responsible for
the death of birds, terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates and
other wildlife.
Ecosystem Threatened by ‘Gross Underestimate’ of Toxicity of
Neonicotinoids
Nicotine-related compounds called nicotinoids were initially
introduced as a new form of pesticide in the 1990s, as
widespread pest resistance rendered many older pesticides
useless. Many seeds are now “pre-treated” with neonicotinoids,
which are water-soluble and break down slowly in the
environment.
Today, they are the most widely-used pesticides in the world.
In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find a pesticide that does not
contain at least one neonicotinoid insecticide. In California
alone, there are nearly 300 registered neonicotinoid products
available.
The American Bird Conservancy (ABC), one of the leading bird
conservation organizations in the US, is now calling for a ban
on the use of neonicotinoids as seed treatments, and wants all
pending applications for neonicotinoid products to be suspended
pending an independent review of the products’ effects on birds,
terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates, and other wildlife.
As reported by the American Bird Conservancy1:
“It is clear that these chemicals have the potential
to affect entire food chains. The environmental persistence
of the neonicotinoids, their propensity for runoff and for
groundwater infiltration, and their cumulative and largely
irreversible mode of action in invertebrates raise
significant environmental concerns...”
ABC commissioned the world renowned environmental
toxicologist Dr. Pierre Mineau to conduct the research, which
resulted in a 100-page report2
titled The Impact of the Nation’s Most Widely Used
Insecticides on Birds. Mineau’s report reviews 200 studies
on neonicotinoids, including industry research obtained through
the US Freedom of Information Act.
The report concludes that neonicotinoids “are lethal to birds
and to the aquatic systems on which they depend.” Even more
disturbing, contamination levels in both surface and ground
water around the world are already beyond the threshold found to
kill many aquatic invertebrates. According to this shocking
toxicology assessment:
- A single kernel of corn treated with this type of
pesticide can kill a songbird
- A single grain of wheat or canola treated with the
neonicotinoids Imidacloprid can be fatal to a bird
- As little as 1/10th of a neonicotinoid-coated corn seed
per day during egg-laying season can affect a bird’s
reproductive capability
EPA Accused of Failing to Adequately Assess Environmental Risks
Disturbingly, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
has not adequately assessed the toxicity of neonicotinoids. Part
of the problem, according to the featured report, is that the
EPA is “using scientifically unsound, outdated methodology that
has more to do with a game of chance than with a rigorous
scientific process.” This has led the agency to grossly
underestimate the toxicity of these chemicals. Furthermore3:
“The report also charges that there is no readily
available biomarker for neonicotinoids as there is for
cholinesterase inhibitors such as the organophosphorous
pesticides. ‘It is astonishing that EPA would allow a
pesticide to be used in hundreds of products without ever
requiring the registrant to develop the tools needed to
diagnose poisoned wildlife. It would be relatively simple to
create a binding assay for the neural receptor which is
affected by this class of insecticides,’ said Dr. Mineau.”
Dr. Mineau urges the EPA to require pesticide registrants to
also provide the diagnostic tools necessary to diagnose cases of
wildlife poisonings. So far, neonicotinoids have garnered the
most attention and criticism for their role in
bee die-offs—a worldwide phenomenon that took off once these
newer pesticides became widely used. As stated by ABC4:
“The serious risk to bees should not be understated,
as one-third of the US diet depends on these insect
pollinators. The ABC assessment makes clear, however, that
the potential environmental impacts of neonicotinoids go
well beyond bees.”
Link Between Neonicotinoids and Bee Die-Off is ‘Crystal Clear,’
Lawsuit Maintains
A general consensus among beekeepers is that the bee die-offs
are most definitely related to toxic chemicals, and
neonicotinoids in particular. The disappearance of bee colonies
began accelerating in the United States shortly after
the EPA allowed these new insecticides on the market in the
mid-2000s. In May, beekeepers and environmental groups filed a
lawsuit against the agency over its failure to protect bees
from these toxic pesticides.
Meanwhile, France has banned Imidacloprid for use on corn and
sunflowers after reporting large losses of bees after exposure
to it. They also rejected Bayer´s application for Clothianidin,
and other countries, such as Italy, have banned certain
neonicotinoids as well.
Neonicotinoids are used on most of American crops, especially
corn. As mentioned earlier, these chemicals are typically
applied to seeds before planting, allowing the pesticide to be
taken up through the plant’s vascular system as it grows. As a
result, the chemical is expressed in the pollen and nectar of
the plant, and hence the danger to bees and other pollinating
insects... Needless to say, since the chemical is taken up
systemically through the plant, it could also pose potential
health risks to anyone eating the plant since it cannot be
rinsed off.
Neonicotinoids affect insects' central nervous systems in
ways that are cumulative and irreversible. Even minute amounts
can have profound effects over time. One of the observed effects
of these insecticides is weakening of the bee's immune system.
Forager bees bring pesticide-laden pollen back to the hive,
where it's consumed by all of the bees. Six months later, their
immune systems fail, and they fall prey to secondary, seemingly
"natural" bee infections, such as parasites, mites, viruses,
fungi and bacteria.
The EPA5
acknowledges that “pesticide poisoning” may be one factor
leading to colony collapse disorder, yet they have been slow to
act to protect bees from this threat. The current lawsuit may
help spur them toward more urgent action, which is desperately
needed as the food supply hangs in the balance.
In March, the EPA sent Jim Jones, overseer of the Office of
Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, to talk to
California almond growers and beekeepers, as mass die-offs
of bees were seriously threatening this year’s almond crop. But
although beekeepers said Jones got the message that bees are in
serious trouble, they were dismayed by the fact that he seemed
more interested in finding new places for bees to forage rather
than addressing the issue of toxic pesticides...
As usual, at the core of the problem is big industry, which
is blinded by greed and enabled by a corrupt governmental system
that permits the profit-driven sacrifice of our environment.
Unfortunately, this motivation reflects an extreme
shortsightedness about the long-term survival of the human race,
as well as of our planet. Clearly, if the goal of pesticides
is to increase food yield to more easily feed 7 billion human
beings, this goal falls flat on its face if it leads to the
collapse of our food chain.
Pesticides Again Tied to Parkinson's Disease
A recent meta-analysis published in the journal Neurology6,
examined data from 104 studies published between 1975 and 2011,
in search for a potential link between pesticides and
Parkinson's disease. As many previous studies, it found one...
Parkinson’s disease is a neurological disorder in which
neurons in a region within your brain responsible for normal
movement begin to die, causing the telltale shaking and rigidity
associated with the disease. There’s currently no known cure,
which makes
preventing the disease all the more important. Mounting
evidence suggests avoiding pesticides is an important part of
prevention. As reported by Reuters7:
“In 2011, a study of US farm workers from National
Institutes of Health found some pesticides that are known to
interfere with cell function were linked to the development
of Parkinson's disease. Another study that was published in
2012 also reported that people with Parkinson's disease were
more likely to report exposure to pesticides, compared to
people without the condition.”
In this latest analysis, exposure to pesticides was linked to
a 58 percent increased risk of developing Parkinson’s. Some
pesticides were clearly worse than others. Paraquat (a
non-selective plant killer) and two fungicides, maneb and
mancozeb, were found to double your risk. One of the study’s
authors told Reuters that8:
“[T]he study's results suggest that people should
avoid contact with pesticides or - at least - wear proper
protection when handling the chemicals. The use of
protective equipment and compliance with suggested, or even
recommended, preventive practices should be emphasized in
high-risk working categories (such as farming)."
How Modern Farming Methods Have Led to Toxic Food Supplies
Chlorinated hydrocarbons, or organochlorines like DDT were
developed after World War II and remained widely used in
agriculture for pest and weed control until Rachel Carson's book
Silent Spring was published in 1962. That book is
credited with beginning the modern environmental movement, and
through the involvement of scientists and ordinary concerned
citizens many of the organochlorines were later phased out of
use, according to the conditions of the Stockholm Convention of
19819.
Since then, these chemicals have been replaced by a slew of new
herbicides, pesticides and fungicides designed to kill the
things that threaten a farmer's bottom line.
These include not just neonicotinoids, but also
glyphosate—the active ingredient in Monsanto’s herbicide
Roundup.
Roundup was designed to be used in conjunction with
Monsanto's genetically engineered “Roundup Ready” seeds, which
in turn have been genetically altered to withstand otherwise
lethal doses of the chemical. This way, only the non-modified
weeds die while the crop survives the indiscriminate sprayings.
In theory, genetically engineered seeds were supposed to reduce
the use of agricultural chemicals. It didn’t work out that way.
Today, resistant “superweeds”
are taking over large swaths of farm land, and in an effort to
stay on top of increasing weed resistance, farmers using
Monsanto’s genetically engineered (GE) seeds have progressively
started using more and more Roundup.
The increased pesticide residue remains in the foods that
wind up on your dinner table, as glyphosate is taken up
systemically throughout the plant and cannot be washed off.
About 90 percent of the corn produced in the US is
genetically engineered, and GE soybeans account for almost 95
percent of US production. In other words, if you're eating
non-organic corn or soybeans in the United States, you're eating
a genetically engineered crop that's been repeatedly and
thoroughly drenched in glyphosate. The same applies to eating
meats from animals raised in confined animal feeding operations
(CAFOs), as they’re typically fed GE grains.
The danger to you and your children is very real, according
to the
latest research. While Monsanto insists that Roundup is safe
and “minimally toxic” to humans, a recent report published in
the journal Entropy10
argues that glyphosate residues, found in most commonly consumed
foods in the Western diet courtesy of GE sugar, corn, and soy,
“enhance the damaging effects of other food-borne chemical
residues and toxins in the environment to disrupt normal body
functions and induce disease.” According to the authors:
"Negative impact on the body is insidious and
manifests slowly over time as inflammation damages cellular
systems throughout the body.”
The main finding of the report is that glyphosate inhibits
cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, a large and diverse group of
enzymes that catalyze the oxidation of organic
substances. This, the authors state, is “an overlooked component
of its toxicity to mammals.” One of the functions of CYP enzymes
is to detoxify xenobiotics—chemical compounds found in a living
organism that are not normally produced or consumed by the
organism in question. By limiting the ability of these enzymes
to detoxify foreign chemical compounds, glyphosate enhances
the damaging effects of those chemicals and environmental toxins
you may be exposed to—including other pesticides.
How You Can Avoid Toxic Pesticide Exposure
First and foremost, to limit your exposure to the most common
agricultural chemicals, such as neonicotinoids and glyphosate,
you want to buy as much fresh organic produce as possible, as
synthetic chemicals are not allowed on organic crops. For a good
guide to which conventionally grown produce carry the lowest
pesticide residues, and which you’re best off buying organic due
to their heavy pesticide load, see my recent article,
How to Find the Healthiest Fare in Meat and Produce Aisles.
Since years' worth of these toxins now pollute our soils and
waterways, including the sources of most if not all human
drinking water, I also recommend investing in a good water
filtration system for your home or apartment to ensure you are
drinking the purest water possible. Also consider a shower
filter, as they may actually cause more damage to your body
through your skin than from drinking unfiltered water.
Additional recommendations to limit your exposure to toxic
pesticides and herbicides include:
- Grow your own food. While this may be a
challenge for many, nearly everyone, even those with a
studio apartment or a dorm room can easily
grow sprouts that can serve as a large percentage of the
organic vegetables that you eat.
- Detoxify your lawn. If you have a lawn
care service, make sure they are not using the
organophosphate pesticide trichlorfon. Also, avoid using
Roundup to control weeds around your home.
- Clean out your shed. The pesticide
diazinon (sold under the brand names Diazinon or
Spectracide) has been banned from residential, but there
might be some left in your old garden shed.
- Use natural cures for a lice infection.
Malathion is used for treatment of head lice. Don’t put a
neurotoxin on your child's head.
- Check your school's pest control policy.
If they have not already done so, encourage your school
district to move to Integrated Pest Management, which uses
less toxic alternatives.
© Copyright 1997-2013 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.