Organic Processing Vo1.7 #2 - March/April 2010

atrazine that must be weighed against
any of its benefits and the costs and
benefits of alternatives to atrazine use.”
Research has also shown that
atrazine leads to breast and prostate
cancer, retards mammary develop-
ment, and induces abortion in labora-
tory rodents, according to Dr. Tyrone
Hayes, a lead amphibian endocrinolo-
gist and professor at U.C. Berkley who
has published more than 40 papers
and over 150 abstracts on this issue. He
adds, “Studies in human populations
and cell and tissue studies suggest that
atrazine poses similar threats to hu-
mans.” He explains that the atrazine-
tainted water in which frogs develop
acts like the amniotic fluid that hu-
mans develop in. This is scary consid-
ering that many studies have actually
found atrazine in the amniotic fluid of
pregnant women.

Ironically, back in 1997, Hayes actually conducted research for Syngenta (then Novartis), the company that makes atrazine, but after having the company essentially ban him from presenting his findings, he resigned and published his work with independent funding.

In a posting on the Facebook page for “Global Citizens Against Atrazine,” Hayes encourages members to sign a petition asking the EPA to ban the pesticide, saying, “It is incumbent upon us to become involved in the regulatory process regarding atrazine. We (the public) must play an active role in this regulatory decision.” So far the use of atrazine has been discontinued in the EU, including Switzerland, the home base for Syngenta. However, due to the company’s lobbying efforts in D.C., atrazine is still allowed by the EPA and over 77 million pounds are applied to crops in the U.S. every year.

A Real Buzz-Kill. In 2006, for unknown reasons, honey bee colonies suddenly began to die across the U.S. In recent years, this phenomenon— called colony collapse disorder (CCD)—has been linked more and

more to pesticide exposure, in particular the nicotinyl insecticides, imidacloprid, clothianidin, thiamethoxam and acetamiprid. In terms of bees, nicotinyls are the most acutely toxic pesticides ever registered. They are known to cause chronic and sublethal

The animal biodiversity
on São Francisco’s 79

square kilometers of integrated, organically managed land is six times higher than on conventional farms in

effects in bees at doses in the low low parts-per-billion, or even parts-per-tril-lion range. Virtually all conventional corn seed, most soybeans, and the seeds of dozens of other crops are now treated with a nicotinyl insecticide. Neurobehavioral problems in bees have been reported from exposures to imidacloprid and other nicotinyls. The finding of neurobehavioral disruption is significant given that a hallmark of CCD is that adult foraging bees fly away from the hive but cannot find, or make their way back.

Recently the Organic Center reported an important breakthrough. In Europe, researchers have discovered a new exposure pathway through which bees are ingesting nicotinyl insecticides in virtually all intensively farmed regions—the honey bee’s drinking water. In this study, published in October 2009, it was found that bees drink water in the form of guttation drops, which are emitted from plants in the morning throughout the growing season. Guttation drops come from inside plant cells, and can carry with them

the same area.

natural or man-made chemicals that are present in plant cells, such as residues of systemic pesticides. The latest results from European research found 20 parts per billion of nicotinyl insecticides in guttation droplets, almost certainly enough to deliver a dangerous dose to nearby bees. In many cases this exposure will prove deadly.

Organic: The Answer to Restoring
Balance and Biodiversity In Nature

While conventional, chemical-based agriculture eliminates biodiversity, destroys habitats and endangers wildlife, regenerative organic farming depends on biodiversity and seeks to create a harmonious coexistance between nature and agriculture.