New Study: Neonic Contamination in Minnesota Waterways
It’s difficult to keep up with the news on neonic contamination because the contamination is so widespread. Yet, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture refuses to regulate the culprit, pesticide-coated seed. This new study by Dr. Pierre Mineau, finds that neonicotinoid pesticides (“neonics”) are widespread in Minnesota surface waters at levels expected to harm aquatic life—and that pesticide-coated or “treated” seeds are largely to blame. The report draws from federal, state, and independent water testing data and highlights shortcomings in regulatory decision-making that likely place our aquatic ecosystems at risk.
Neonics are the most commonly used pesticides nationwide, and studies link even tiny concentrations of neonics in water with declines in bird populations and the collapse of fisheries.
Read Natural Resources Defense Council’s (NRDC) summary on the report here.
