(Except Pesticides, July 8, 2024) Please submit comments by Wednesday, July 31, 2024. Acephate is a pesticide that belongs to the highly toxic organophosphate (OP) family and is so toxic that the Environmental Protection Agency has suggested prohibit it except for systemic administration to trees. The comment period is now open, and EPA will accept comments until Wednesday, July 31, following the extension of the July deadline. In this remaining use case, the EPA remains unaware that systemic neonicotinoid pesticides can cause serious environmental harm to ecosystems by indiscriminately poisoning organisms.
>> Post comments about acephate and tell the EPA that pesticides should not be used if crops can be produced organically.
EPA is proposing to discontinue all uses of acephate, except tree injections, to eliminate all risks it has identified that exceed its level of concern for food/drinking water, residential and occupational hazards, and non-target biological hazards. risks. Beyond Pesticides noted that while the tree injection method does not pose excessive dietary or general health risks, nor does it pose any occupational or human health risks following use, the agency ignores significant environmental risks. The agency does not assess the environmental risks of using tree injections, but instead assumes that this use does not pose a significant risk to non-target organisms. In contrast, the use of tree injections does pose serious risks to pollinators and some bird species that cannot be mitigated and should therefore be included in the acephate withdrawal.
When injected into trees, pesticides are injected directly into the trunk, quickly absorbed and distributed throughout the vascular system. Because acephate and its breakdown product methamidophos are highly soluble systemic pesticides, this chemical is delivered to all parts of the tree, including pollen, sap, resin, leaves and more. Bees and some birds such as hummingbirds, woodpeckers, sapsuckers, vines, nuthatches, chickadees, etc. may be exposed to debris from trees that have been injected with acephate. Bees are exposed not only when collecting contaminated pollen, but also when collecting the sap and resin used to produce the hive’s vital propolis. Likewise, birds may be exposed to toxic acephate/metamidophos residues when they feed on contaminated tree sap, wood-boring insects/larvae, and leaf-munching insects/larvae.
Although data is limited, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has determined that the use of acephate may pose a risk to bees. However, a complete set of pollinator studies on acephate or methamidophos have not been reported, so there is no data on acute oral, chronic adult, or larval toxicity to honey bees; These data gaps present significant uncertainty in assessing the effects of acephate on pollinators, as susceptibility may vary by life stage and duration of exposure (adults versus larvae and acute versus chronic, respectively). Adverse events with probable and probable cause and effect, including bee mortality, have been associated with bee exposure to acephate and/or methamidophos. It is reasonable to assume that injecting acephate into trees does not reduce the risk to bees compared to foliar treatments, but may actually increase exposure given the higher doses injected into the tree, thereby increasing the risk of toxicity. The agency offered a pollinator hazard statement for tree injections that said, “This product is highly toxic to bees. This label statement is completely inadequate to protect bees and other organisms or to convey the severity of the risk.”
The risks of using acetate and tree injection methods have not been fully assessed for endangered species. Before completing its review of acephate’s registration, EPA must complete an assessment of the listed species and any necessary consultations with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service, with particular attention to listed bird and insect species and these species birds and insects. use injected trees for foraging, foraging and nesting purposes.
In 2015, the agency completed a comprehensive review of the endocrine disruptor acephates and concluded that no additional data were required to evaluate potential effects on the estrogen, androgen, or thyroid pathways in humans or wildlife. However, recent information suggests that the endocrine disrupting potential of acephate and its degradation of methamidophos through non-receptor-mediated pathways may be of concern, and therefore the EPA should update its assessment of the endocrine disrupting risk of acephate.
Additionally, in its evaluation of effectiveness, the Environmental Protection Agency concluded that the benefit of acetate injections in controlling tree pests is generally small because few effective alternatives exist for most pests. Thus, the high risk to bees and birds associated with treating trees with acephate is not justified from a risk-benefit perspective.
> Post a comment on acephate and tell the EPA that if crops can be grown organically, pesticides should not be used.
Despite prioritizing the review of organophosphate pesticides, the EPA has failed to take action to protect those most vulnerable to their neurotoxic effects—farmers and children. In 2021, Earthjustice and other organizations asked the Environmental Protection Agency to deregister these highly neurotoxic pesticides. This spring, Consumer Reports (CR) conducted the most comprehensive study yet of pesticides in produce, finding that exposure to two major chemical groups—organophosphates and carbamates—is the most dangerous, and is also associated with an increased risk of cancer, diabetes and heart disease. disease. Based on these findings, CR asked the Environmental Protection Agency to “ban the use of these pesticides on fruits and vegetables.”
In addition to the above issues, the EPA did not address endocrine disruption. EPA also does not consider vulnerable populations, exposure to mixtures, and synergistic interactions when setting acceptable food residue levels. In addition, pesticides pollute our water and air, harm biodiversity, harm farm workers, and kill bees, birds, fish, and other wildlife.
It’s important to note that USDA-certified organic food does not use toxic pesticides in its production. Pesticide residues found in organic produce, with few exceptions, are the result of untargeted chemically intensive agricultural pollution due to pesticide drift, water contamination, or background soil residues. Not only is organic food production better for human health and the environment than chemical-intensive production, the latest science is also revealing what organic proponents have long been saying: organic food is better, in addition to being do not contain toxic residues from conventional food products. It is nutritious and does not poison people or pollute the communities where food is grown. “
Research published by The Organic Center shows that organic foods score higher in certain key areas, such as total antioxidant capacity, total polyphenols, and two key flavonoids, quercetin and kaempferol, all of which have nutritional benefits. The Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry specifically examined the total phenolic content of blueberries, strawberries, and corn and found that organically grown foods contained higher total phenolic content. Phenolic compounds are important for plant health (protection against insects and disease) and human health because they have “potent antioxidant activity and a wide range of pharmacological properties, including anticancer, antioxidant, and platelet aggregation inhibitory activity.”
Given the benefits of organic production, EPA should use organic production as a criterion when weighing the risks and benefits of pesticides. If crops can be grown organically, pesticides should not be used. “
>> Post a comment on acephate and tell the EPA that if the crop can be grown organically, pesticides should not be used.
This entry was posted on Monday, July 8, 2024 at 12:01 pm and is filed under Acephate, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Take Action, Uncategorized. You can follow responses to this entry via the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a reply. Ping is not allowed at this time.
Post time: Jul-15-2024