[Pply] 1,5 siementä?

[Ari-Pekka Auvinen]

Moi

Tulipa vastaan hämmentävän kuuloinen juttu, jonka suhteen en kyllä ole mikään asiantuntija. Alle kopioimassani EU-komission uutiskirjeessä (Science for Environment Policy, Issue 402) viitataan review-tutkimukseen, jonka mukaan varpusen hengenlähtöön riittäisi puolitoista neonikotinoideihin kuuluvalla imidaclopridilla käsiteltyä punajuurensiementä?!

A-P



Neonicotinoid and fipronil insecticides harm birds and
fish and reduce their food supply 






Neonicotinoid
and fipronil insecticides have a range of impacts on birds, mammals and fish, a
new review of scientific literature has found. A house sparrow would need to
eat just one and a half beet seeds treated with a common neonicotinoid to
receive a lethal dose, for instance. The insecticides may also have equally
important effects on vertebrate wildlife, such as reducing insect prey and
hence food supply. 





Neonicotinoids
and fipronil are important insecticides, designed to affect a broad range of
insect pests by disrupting the functioning of the central nervous system. Both
are systemic chemicals, absorbed by plants, commonly after seed treatment or
soil application. 





However, laboratory
research has found that they can also have direct toxic effects on non-target
species, such as birds and mammals, resulting in reduced growth and
reproduction, or even death. They can also have indirect effects on these
animals in the wild, for example, by reducing the amount of insect prey
available, which in turn may affect their growth, breeding success and
survival. 





The
researchers reviewed 150 studies on the direct and indirect effects of fipronil
and the neonicotinoids imidacloprid and clothianidin, on vertebrate species,
i.e. mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles. 





The
researchers classified the effects of the insecticides on different vertebrates
using the US
Environmental Protection Agency's ecotoxicity classification system. All
three insecticides were directly toxic to vertebrates, the results showed.
Imidacloprid, for example, was moderately to highly toxic to many birds.
Clothianidin was moderately to practically non-toxic to rats, mice and birds
and practically non-toxic to fish. Fipronil was highly toxic to game birds and
fish.

 


Furthermore,
all three insecticides had sub-lethal effects, impairing growth, development
and reproduction of mammals, birds, fish and amphibians. Other sub-lethal
impacts found included damage to genetic material and cells and abnormal
behaviour. 





Some
species of bird may be particularly at risk from eating seeds treated with
imidacloprid or clothianidin. One study revealed that grey partridges (Perdix perdix) would
only need to eat six beet seeds coated with 0.9 mg of imidacloprid to die.
House sparrows (Passer
domesticus) would only have to eat one and a half seeds. Moreover,
house sparrows would experience sub-lethal effects after eating only a quarter
of a treated seed. 


Levels of
imidacloprid and clothianidin likely to be found in freshwater are not high
enough to kill fish and amphibians, the researchers found. However, sub-lethal
effects could still occur, including damage to DNA and the immune system. 





A small
number of studies reviewed also show the indirect effects of imidacloprid or
fipronil on mammals, birds, fish and reptiles. For example, in one study, fipronil
and imidacloprid affected the growth and development of the fish medaka (Oryzias latipes) in rice
fields, most likely by reducing populations of insects that the fish feed on. 





In another
study, fipronil used to kill locusts in Madagascar also killed harvester
termites, a non-target species. This significantly reduced prey for lizards and
led to their population decline. The authors of this study call for there to be
greater consideration of systemic insecticides' effects on birds, mammals and
fish. 



Source: Gibbons, D., Morrissey, C. & Mineau, P. (2014). A review
of the direct and indirect effects of neonicotinoids and fipronil on vertebrate
wildlife. Environmental
Science and Pollution Research. DOI: 10.1007/s11356-014-3180-5.
This study is free to view at: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11356-014-3180-5


Contact:
david.gibbons at rspb.org.uk


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more about: Agriculture,
Biodiversity,
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