PESTICIDES AND POLLUTION Henk Tennekes - ETS Nederland

Properties of Insecticides Most Used in Germany in 2005 Sales (tonnes) Soil degradation Leaching potential Dimethoat 100 - 250 non-persistent low Methiocarb Imidacloprid 25 - 100 persistent high Methamidophos transition state lambda-Cyhalothrin Pirimicarb 10 - 25 moderately persistent Alpha-Cypermethrin Beta-Cyfluthrin

Imidacloprid is Persistent in Soil and Prone to Leaching Imidacloprid has the potential to leach to ground water. In addition, high solubility and mobility are concerns for transport to surface water by dissolved runoff. Imidacloprid’s ability to move in soil has been demonstrated by a variety of studies Persistence of imidacloprid: The shortest half-life (the amount of time required for half of an applied pesticide to break down or move away from the test site) was 107 days in turf-covered soil in Georgia. The longest half-life was in Minnesota where the imidacloprid concentration in cornfield soil did not decline for one year after treatment.

Imidacloprid is Highly Toxic to Arthropods

The Toxicity of Neonicotinoid Insecticides to Arthropods is Cumulative and There is No Safe Level of Exposure

Surface Water Pollution with Imidacloprid in Holland MTR = maximum tolerable risk limit

Massive Surface Water Pollution with Imidacloprid in Western Parts of the Netherlands with Intensive Agriculture

Effect of Imidacloprid Pollution of Dutch Surface Water on Non-Target Diptera (Flies and Midges) Abundance

Day Butterflies are Rapidly Declining in the Netherlands

The Decline to Extinction of Insect-Dependent Bird Species: Corn Bunting (blue) and Ortolan Bunting (green)

The Neonicotinoid Insecticides: A Disaster in the Making The Toxicity of Neonicotinoid Insecticides to Arthropods is Cumulative There is No Safe Level of Exposure. Bees, the number one insect pollinator on the planet, are dying at an alarming rate. Neonicotinoids are prone to leach from soils and contaminate ground and surface water. The imidacloprid pollution of surface water in Western Dutch provinces with intensive agriculture has already been associated with insect decline and a dramatic decline of common grassland birds. Ground and surface water contamination with persistent insecticides that cause irreversible damage to non-target insects is an environmental disaster in the making.