US Stockpiles Banned Pesticide
The internationally banned pesticide Methyl Bromide, which is the most powerful ozone-depleting substance currently used in large scale, is still being produced in the US despite massive stockpiles. Over the past two years, millions of pounds have been produced, and when added to stockpiled amounts, total almost twice as much as US farmers actually use each year. Under a loophole in the international treaty, Methyl Bromide is permitted for so-called “critical uses” - such as strawberry and tomato production - by the EPA.
Source: LA Times

Pollinator Population Plummets
A study released by the National Research Council show that populations of important pollinators, such as birds, bees and bats, are on the decline in the US and around the world. This could mean severe damage and depletion of crops. American honeybee populations have dropped 30% in the past 20 years. According to Gene Robinson, an entomologist at the University of Illinois, US farmers had to import honeybees last year for the first time since 1922. The pollinators are disappearing due to a combination of factors including parasites, pesticides and loss of habitat from development.
Source: Washington Post

WHO Endorses DDT Use
Though outdoor spraying of DDT was banned in the early 1970s, the World Health Organization is endorsing indoor spraying to combat the spread of malaria in some developing African countries. Researchers at a recent American Chemical Society meeting presented data that showed exposure to DDT can contribute to the onset of Parkinson's Disease, and may slow or stunt development of infants exposed in the womb. Some former anti-DDT activists, such as Environmental Defense, support the WHO decision. However, Washington D.C.-based Beyond Pesticides warns, "it will poison future generations."
Source: Chemical & Engineering News

Daycare Centers Test Positive for Pesticides
As more and more daycare centers across the country are notifying parents and reducing pesticide use, scientists have released the first nationwide study of residual insecticides in such centers, published in the October 2006 issue of Environmental Science & Technology. Organophosphate and pyrethroid pesticides were found in low levels throughout all of the 168 US daycare centers tested, with the highest levels found in centers in the South. The EPA National Exposure Research Laboratory took samples swiped from floors and tables, and also took soil samples from outdoor play areas.
The health impacts from the study are unclear. But Lynn Goldman, professor of applied health at Johns Hopkins University and former head of the EPA's Pesticide Program, stated simply "These chemicals should be avoided around children."
Source: Environmental Science & Technology