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Pesticides of Concern

Pesticides are a key driver of the insect apocalypse

A growing body of science reveals that pesticides harm pollinators, people and the planet. The good news is, we have the solution.

Research shows that agricultural pesticides – a term that encompasses insecticides, herbicides and fungicides – are one of the main drivers of insect declines worldwide, along with habitat loss and climate change. Forty percent of insect species face extinction in coming decades, leading scientists to warn of “catastrophic ecosystem collapse” if we don’t change the way we farm.

Many pesticides commonly used to grow food in the U.S. kill bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects. These same pesticides also harm human health. Among those of highest concern are neonicotinoids, chlorpyrifos and glyphosate.

But we can’t just focus on a few problematic pesticides at a time. Without a holistic shift to organic and regenerative farming, farmers will likely replace one harmful pesticide with another, a process known as regrettable substitution.  These lists provide a more extensive picture of pesticides of concern:

While other governments have followed the science and banned key pollinator-toxic pesticides, the U.S. government has been expanding use of pesticides that we know kill bees and harm people. The five largest pesticide manufacturers — Bayer-Monsanto, Dow-Dupont (Corteva), FMC , BASF and Syngenta — reaped $13.4 billion in profit in 2018. One third, or $4.8 billion, came from pesticides known to be highly toxic to bees and people.

The good news is we have the solution. Decades of research shows that we need a rapid shift to ecological agriculture in order to feed all people now and into the future while protecting the pollinators and other natural resources that our food system depends on.

Neonicotinoids

Use

  • Neonicotinoids are used on more than 140 crops from apples and almonds to rice and soybeans on at least 150 million acres across the US.
  • The vast majority of use is as seed coatings on commodity crops like corn and soy. Neonic seed coatings provide virtually no benefits to farmers. In some cases, common neonic treatments can decrease yields by killing pollinators and crop pest predators.

Pollinators & Environment

  • Neonics are among the most acutely toxic pesticides to bees and are a leading cause of pollinator and insect declines. Low levels of exposure can impair bees’ foraging and navigation abilities and disrupt learning, communication, and memory; reduce fecundity and queen production; and suppress immune systems, which make them more susceptible to pathogens and parasites.
  • U.S. agriculture has become 48 times more toxic to pollinators and other insects since use of neonicotinoids began 25 years ago.[1] Scientists warn of a “second silent spring” due to massive declines in insect and bird populations linked to neonicotinoids.[2],[3]
  • Pollinators are not the only species affected. Neonics harm many species essential for natural pest control and sustainable food production, including birds, bats, butterflies, ladybugs, earthworms, small mammals, amphibians, and more.
  • Neonics are deadly to insects and aquatic organisms at tiny concentrations, including many endangered species.[4]
  • Neonics persist in the environment creating long-term toxicity in ecosystems. [5] They are water soluble and are carried into waterways by rain or irrigation, contaminating the nation’s water, often at levels that harm critical aquatic insects and other wildlife.

Human Health

  • Neonics are associated with harm to human health, and emerging research suggests that exposure in the womb or early life could be linked with developmental defects, autism, heart deformations, muscle tremors, memory loss, and endocrine disruption.
  • Neonic residues cannot be washed off foods because the pesticides penetrate the tissue of plants.[6]
  • At least half of Americans are exposed to neonics regularly, including in our tap water and food, including baby food.
  • Pesticide residue testing from Friends of the Earth found organophosphates in house brand produce purchased from major U.S. food retailers (Walmart, Costco, Kroger, Albertsons) as well in Target’s house brand baby food.
  • Organic diets reduce exposure to neonicotinoids. Levels of the neonicotinoid clothianidin dropped up to 83% after six days on an organic diet in peer-reviewed research co-authored by Friends of the Earth.
  • For more on health concerns of pesticide exposure, see www.OrganicForAll.org

Chemicals of Concern

  • Thiacloprid has been identified as a chemical of high concern by the Chemical Footprint Project.
  • The following neonicotinoids have been identified on the Pesticide Action Network list of Highly Hazardous Pesticides: imidacloprid, clothianidin, thiamethoxam, thiacloprid, dinotefuran.

Policy

  • Imidacloprid, clothianidin, thiamethoxam, and thiacloprid are banned for outdoor use in the European Union and are restricted in Canada. [7],[8],[9]
  • In the United States, consumer use is banned or restricted in Maryland, Minnesota, Vermont, and Connecticut.[10] ,[11]  Bills that passed in New York and Vermont will eliminate use of neonics as seed coatings once enacted. Neonics are also restricted by more than 115 U.S. cities and universities.[12] See how Friends of the Earth has been fighting for policy change aquí.
  • Friends of the Earth secured commitments from the largest home & garden retailers to commit to pull neonic products from their shelves and plant nurseries.
  • Federal policy makers have advanced bills to eliminate use of neonics, the Saving America’s Pollinators Act y Save Our Refuges Act.

Organophosphates

Use

  • Organophosphates are used extensively in fruit and vegetable production, and residues are also found in wheat flour and corn grain, implicating packaged products as well.

Pollinators & Environment

  • Organophosphates are acutely toxic to wildlife, including pollinators, birds, and aquatic organisms.[13]
  • Chlorpyrifos and malathion jeopardize the existence of ~1,200 endangered species.[14]

Human Health

  • Organophosphates were developed during World War II as toxic nerve agent weapons.[15]
  • Even at extremely low levels of exposure, organophosphates are so harmful to developing brains that scientists have called for a complete ban.[16] Exposure to organophosphate pesticides has been associated with reduced IQ, attention disorders, delayed motor development, increased risk of learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, hormone disruption, and cancer.[17]According to the EPA, children ages 1 to 2 are exposed to chlorpyrifos in food and water at levels 140 times those deemed to be safe.[18]
  • Pesticide residue testing from Friends of the Earth found organophosphates in house brand produce purchased from major U.S. food retailers (Walmart, Costco, Kroger, Albertsons) as well in Target’s house brand baby food. This aligns with USDA data reported here.
  • Organic diets reduce exposure to organophosphates. Levels of organophosphates dropped up to 95% after six days on an organic diet in peer-reviewed research co-authored by Friends of the Earth.
  • For more on health concerns of pesticide exposure, see www.OrganicForAll.org.

Chemicals of Concern

  • The following organophosphates have been identified as chemicals of high concern by the Chemical Footprint Project: parathion, malathion, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, dichlorvos, and tetrachlorvinphos.
  • In addition to those above, the following organophosphates have been identified on the Pesticide Action Network list of Highly Hazardous Pesticides: dimethoate, disulfoton, methidathion, naled, phorate, phosmet, temephos, trichlorfon.

Policy

  • Some organophosphates, such as chlorpyrifos, malathion, and diazinon are banned for agricultural use in the European Union but are still widely used in the United States.[19]
  • Chlorpyrifos was banned in Thailand effective December 1, 2019.[20]
  • Due to overwhelming science on health harms to children, chlorpyrifos was banned for home and garden use in the U.S. in 2000. Currently, it is banned for agricultural use in Hawaii, New York, Maryland, and California.[21],[22] See how Friends of the Earth has been fighting for policy change aquí.
  • Parathion was banned for agricultural use in the U.S.[23]
  • The 1996 Food Quality Protection Act has led to reduced use of organophosphates in U.S. agriculture.[24]

Glyphosate

Use

  • Glyphosate is the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup, the most extensively used herbicide in the world.
  • The majority of GMO crops are engineered to be used with glyphosate. 98.1% of all genetically engineered crops grown in the United States are designed to withstand application of herbicides.[xxv] 90% of U.S. soybeans and 70% of U.S. corn crops are Roundup Ready. Therefore, packaged food supply chains and meat/dairy supply chains that depend heavily on corn and soy for feed are highly implicated in pollinator declines.
  • Glyphosate is also used in orchards, which leads to its residue in products like orange juice.

Pollinators & Environment

  • Glyphosate is decimating Monarch butterfly populations. Use of the herbicide has virtually destroyed the milkweed plants that young Monarch butterflies young depend on.[xxvi] The pesticide is also harmful to pollinators, with research demonstrating that it can disrupt honeybee gut microbiomes, linking the herbicide to population decline.[xxvii]
  • Overuse has led to resistant “superweeds” on more than 100 million acres of U.S. farmland with a resulting increase in toxic herbicides 2,4-D and dicamba.[xxviii][xxix]

Human Health

  • The World Health Organization lists glyphosate is as a probable carcinogen and the California Office of Human Health Hazard Assessment lists it as a known carcinogen.[xxx],[xxxi]
  • It is linked to high rates of non-Hodgkins lymphoma in farmers and groundskeepers, leading to more than 100,000 court cases against Monsanto (now owned by Bayer).[xxxii]
  • Glyphosate exposure has also been linked to high rates of kidney disease in farming communities and to shortened pregnancy in a cohort of women in the Midwest. Animal studies and bioassays link glyphosate and its formulations to endocrine disruption, DNA damage, decreased sperm function, disruption of the gut microbiome, and fatty liver disease.[xxxiii],[xxxiv]
  • Certain packaged foods, such as bread, dried beans, crackers and oat-based cereals and snack bars, have particularly high levels of glyphosate residues because the pesticide is used as a pre-harvest desiccant.[xxxv]
  • Pesticide residue testing from Friends of the Earth found glyphosate in house brand oat cereals and dried beans purchased from major U.S. food retailers (Walmart, Costco, Kroger, Albertsons).

Chemicals of Concern

Policy

  • Glyphosate is banned in Mexico, Germany, France, Austria, Thailand, Vietnam, Malawi, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Bermuda, St Vincent and the Grenadines.[xxxvi]
  • It is restricted in: Belgium, France, Denmark, Italy, The Netherlands, Czech Republic, Brazil, Sri Lanka, and hundreds of other locations worldwide.[xxxvii]
  • Several U.S. brands have petitioned the government to ban pre-harvest use.

Other pesticides of concern for pollinators

Additional pesticides of concern to pollinators can be found on the:

All of these pesticides should be considered “regrettable substitutions,” meaning that replacement of neonicotinoids, organophosphates, or glyphosate with these pesticides will not significantly reduce risk to pollinators. Farmers must be supported to shift to least toxic alternatives by transitioning to organic agriculture, implementing robust Integrated Pest Management, employing truly regenerative agriculture techniques, or otherwise decreasing the overall need for pesticides. 

[1] DiBartolomeis, M., Kegley, S., Mineau, P., Radford, R. and Klein, K., 2019. An assessment of acute insecticide toxicity loading (AITL) of chemical pesticides used on agricultural land in the United States. PloS one, 14(8), p.e0220029.

[2] Bittel, Jason. 2014. Second Silent Spring? Bird Declines Linked to Popular Pesticides. National Geographic. July 9.

[3] New York Times Editorial Board. 2017.  Insect Armageddon. New York Times. October 29.

[4] Bijleveld van Lexmond, Maarten et al. 2015. Worldwide Integrated Assessment of the Impact of Systemic Pesticides on Biodiversity and Ecosystems. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2(1).

[5] Bijleveld van Lexmond, Maarten et al. 2015. Worldwide Integrated Assessment of the Impact of Systemic Pesticides on Biodiversity and Ecosystems. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2(1).

[6] Chen, M., et al., 2014. Quantitative Analysis of Neonicotinoid Insecticide Residues in Foods: Implication for Dietary Exposures. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.  62(26): p. 6082-6090.

[7] European Commission. (2018). Neonicotinoids. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/food/plant/pesticides/approval_active_substances/approval_renewal/neonicotinoids_en

[8] Reuters. 2019. EU to ban Bayer’s pesticide linked to harming bees. October 22. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-bayer-pesticide/eu-to-ban-bayers-pesticide-linked-to-harming-bees-idUSKBN1X11T5

[9] Health Canada. (2018, August 15). Health Canada to consult with on plan to phase out most uses of the neonicotinoids clothianidin and thiamethoxam. [Press release].  Retrieved from https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/health-canada-to-consult-on-plan-to-phase-out-most-uses-of-the-neonicotinoids-clothianidin-and-thiamethoxam-690932951.html

[10] Lundy Springuel, K. (2016, May 31). Maryland is First State to Ban Neonicotinoids. Bloomberg BNA. Retrieved from https://www.bna.com/maryland-first-state-n57982073298/

[11] Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. (2018, October 31). State of Connecticut. Retrieved from https://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2710&q=324266&deepNav_GID=1712

[12] Beyond Pesticides. (2016, December 7). Local Pesticide Policy Reform Mapping Tool Launched; Sign Petition and Join the Campaign. [Press release]. Retrieved from https://beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/2016/12/beyond-pesticides-organic-consumers-launch-pesticide-policy-reform-mapping-tool/

[13] Mineau, P. (ed.) 1991. Cholinesterase-inhibiting Insecticides: Their Impact on Wildlife and the

Environment. New York, Elsevier

[14] Lipton, Eric. 2019. Interior Nominee Intervened to Block Report on Endangered Species. New York Times. March 26. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/26/us/politics/endangered-species-david-bernhardt.html

[15] Soltaninejad, K. and Shadnia, S., 2014. History of the use and epidemiology of organophosphorus poisoning. In Basic and Clinical Toxicology of Organophosphorus Compounds (pp. 25-43). Springer, London.

[16] Hertz-Picciotto, I., Sass, J.B., Engel, S., Bennett, D.H., Bradman, A., Eskenazi, B., Lanphear, B. and Whyatt, R., 2018. Organophosphate exposures during pregnancy and child neurodevelopment: Recommendations for essential policy reforms. PLoS medicine. 15(10), p.e1002671.

[17] Ibid.

[18] EPA. 2017. Revised Human Health Risk Assessment on Chlorpyrifos. Online. https://www.epa.gov/ingredients-used-pesticide-products/revised-human-health-risk-assessment-chlorpyrifos.

[19] Pesticide Action Network UK.(2008, April). Which Pesticides are Banned in Europe? Retrieved fromhttps://www.pan-europe.info/old/Resources/Links/Banned_in_the_EU.pdf

[20] France24. 2019. Thailand to ban glyphosate and other high-profile pesticides. October 22. https://www.france24.com/en/20191022-thailand-to-ban-glyphosate-and-other-high-profile-pesticides

[21] Mosbergen, D. (2018, June 14). Hawaii Becomes First State to Ban Widely Used Pesticide Found to Be Harmful to Kids. Huffington Post. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/chlorpyrifos-ban-hawaii-pesticide_us_5b21fd3ee4b09d7a3d7a2fd9

[22] EPA. (2018, September 24). Chlorpyrifos. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/ingredients-used-pesticide-products/chlorpyrifos

[23] EPA. (2000, September). Factsheet for Ethyl Parathion. Retrieved from https://www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/reg_actions/reregistration/fs_PC-057501_1-Sep-00.pdf

[24] EPA. (2017, October 10). Summary of the Food Quality Protection Act. Retrieved fromhttps://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-food-quality-protection-act

[xxv] Malkan, Stacy, Anna Lappe and Kendra Klein. 2022. Merchants of Poison. https://foe.org/resources/merchants-of-poison/

[xxvi] Perls, Dana and Tiffany Finck-Haynes. 2014. What the Monarchs are Telling Us. Medium. Online. https://medium.com/foe-us-newsmagazine/what-the-monarchs-are-telling-us-8b20d8b8d467

[xxvii] Dai, P., Yan, Z., Ma, S., Yang, Y., Wang, Q., Hou, C., Wu, Y., Liu, Y. and Diao, Q., 2018. The herbicide glyphosate negatively affects midgut bacterial communities and survival of honey bee during larvae reared in vitro. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry. 66(29), pp.7786-7793.

[xxviii] Mortensen, D. A., Egan, J. F., Maxwell, B. D., Ryan, M. R., & Smith, R. G. 2012. Navigating a critical juncture for sustainable weed management. BioScience. 62(1), 75-84.

[xxix] Friends of the Earth U.S. 2024. Comments Submitted to the USMCA Genetically Engineered Corn Dispute Resolution Tribunal. https://foe.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Friends-of-the-Earth-USMCA-Mexico-Corn-comments.pdf

[xxx] World Health Organization. International Agency for Research on Cancer. Monograph 112-10: Glyphosate. Online. https://monographs.iarc.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/mono112-10.pdf

[xxxi] California Office of Health Hazard Assessment. Chemicals Listed Under Proposition 65: Glyphosate. Online. https://oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65/chemicals/glyphosate

[xxxii] Feeley, Jef, Rosenblatt, Joel and Tim Loh. 2019. ‘Bayer Proposes Paying $8 Billion to Settle Roundup Cancer Claims. August 9. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-09/bayer-is-said-to-seek-8-billion-roundup-cancer-claim-settlement

[xxxiii] Gasnier, C., Dumont, C., Benachour, N., Clair, E., Chagnon, M.C. and Séralini, G.E., 2009. Glyphosate-based herbicides are toxic and endocrine disruptors in human cell lines. Toxicology. 262(3), pp.184-191.

[xxxiv] Parvez, S., Gerona, R.R., Proctor, C., Friesen, M., Ashby, J.L., Reiter, J.L., Lui, Z. and Winchester, P.D., 2018. Glyphosate exposure in pregnancy and shortened gestational length: A prospective Indiana birth cohort study. Environmental Health. 17(1), p.23.

[xxxv] Sustainable Pulse. 2018. U.S. Food Brands Petition to Bay Pre-Harvest Glyphosate Spraying. Sep 28. https://sustainablepulse.com/2018/09/28/us-food-brands-petition-epa-to-ban-pre-harvest-glyphosate-spraying/#.XZOy4lVKjX6

[xxxvi] Baum, Hedlund, Aristei, and Goldman. (2018, November). Where is Glyphosate Banned? Retrieved fromhttps://www.baumhedlundlaw.com/toxic-tort-law/monsanto-roundup-lawsuit/where-is-glyphosate-banned/

[xxxvii] Baum, Hedlund, Aristei, and Goldman. (2018, November). Where is Glyphosate Banned? Retrieved fromhttps://www.baumhedlundlaw.com/toxic-tort-law/monsanto-roundup-lawsuit/where-is-glyphosate-banned/