Pesticide News Briefs
compiled by Kate Pattison

Pet Shampoo-Autism Link
Scientists at the University of California-Davis studying Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) report that mothers of children with ASD were twice as likely to have used pet shampoo containing the insecticide pyrethrin during pregnancy. The study indicates that the highest risk exposures took place in the second trimester.
While researchers believe that ASD is caused by both genetic and environmental factors, previous studies have suggested that pyrethrins could damage the blood-brain barrier during early life, and cause neuronal damage. 
Source: New Scientist

"What’s in my shampoo?” Fetal exposure to pet shampoos containing pyrethrin has been linked to increased risk of autism. Photo: Billie Karel

California Halts Aerial Spraying
An aerial spray program to eradicate the crop-eating Australian light brown apple moth has been suspended in California amid public outcry.  Almost 500 people reported illnesses ranging from itchy eyes to difficulty breathing after spraying took place in Monterey and Santa Cruz last fall. Environmental groups suing the state claim that A.G. Kawamura, CA Secretary of Food and Agriculture, illegally authorized the aerial applications without environmental review.
San Francisco was the next city on the list to be sprayed, but will instead receive treatments using sterile light brown apple moths, which mate with the existing population and produce non-viable eggs. 
Source: Boston.com

Honey Bees Still Disappearing
Honey Bee colonies are still disappearing at an alarming rate in the U.S.—as much as 27% this past winter in Indiana alone—leaving commercial beekeepers and produce growers worried about the future. Even major corporations have contributed funds to research the so-called Colony Collapse Disorder. CCD has been blamed on the varroa mite, which suck bees’ blood and transmit diseases, and the tracheal mite, which suffocate the bees by attaching to their tracheae.
However, some beekeepers believe a new class of pesticides called neonicotinoids, which cause termites to forget where their nest is located, might be responsible for CCD. Penn State honey bee specialist Maryann Frazier agrees, saying she and fellow researchers are “fairly convinced pesticides are playing a role” in CCD. 
Source: Valley News Dispatch

Toxic Free News is a publication of
Toxic Free NC
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, http://www.toxicfreenc.org

Mission: Toxic Free NC advocates for alternatives to toxic pesticides in North Carolina by empowering people to make sound decisions about their health and environment.

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Emeritus Board Members: Billie Rogers, Jane Sharp MacRae, Erick Umstead.

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