ENDANGERED SPECIES FROM PESTICIDES

NEGATIVE EFFECTS

• Pesticide exposure can be linked to cancer, endocrine disruption, reproductive effects, neurotoxicity, kidney and liver damage, birth defects, and developmental changes in a wide range of species
• The impacts of these chemicals include hermaphroditic deformities in frogs, pseudo-hermaphrodite polar bears, and intersex fish in rivers throughout the U.S.

NEGATIVE EFFECTS

• Many deformations have been found after exposure to hormone-mimicking pesticides classified as endocrine disruptors.

NEGATIVE EFFECTS

• Frogs exposed to atrazine have exhibited multiple ovaries and testes or even frogs with both sets of gendered sex organs

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

• Some signs and symptoms include a notorious decrease of insects in your surroundings.

STATISTICS

• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that an estimated 67 million birds die from pesticide poisoning each year and more than 600 million are exposed.

STATISTICS

• The total number of wild birds killed by pesticides is estimated at 67 million and the value of the bird loss to pesticides is $2.1 billion annually.

STATISTICS

• A conservative estimate of fish (6-14 million) killed per year by pesticides ranges from $24 to $56 million.

ACTION PLAN

• Minimize potential harm to birds, insects, and fish by using pesticides only when necessary.
• Use landscaping techniques that help increase native habitat and reduce the need for pesticides.
• Most insecticides are toxic to bees. When using them outdoors, apply at night when bees are not actively foraging.

ACTION PLAN: LOCAL

• There is not an action plan in Adams County so I would implement a private applicator certification to purchase and apply pesticides.

ACTION PLAN: STATE

• Technicians with the private applicator certificate is required to attend training programs regularly throughout the year.

VOCABULARY

• Pesticide Drift: Unintentional diffusion of pesticides and the potential negative effects of pesticide application, including off-target contamination.
• Secondary poisoning: Poisoning that results when one organism comes into contact with or ingests another organism that has poison in its system.

VOCABULARY

• Groundwater contamination: Occurs when man-made products such as gasoline, oil, road salts and chemicals get into the groundwater and cause it to become unsafe and unfit for human use.
• Runoff into local water bodies: Runoff occurs when there is more water than land can absorb.
• Direct application: Pesticides also may be applied directly to the soil to control insects, weeds, fungi and nematodes.

SOURCES

• www.beyondpesticides.org/programs/wildlife
• https://www.epa.gov/safepestcontrol/tips-reducing-pesticide-impacts-wildlif...
• https://www.agriculture.pa.gov/Plants_Land_Water/PlantIndustry/health-safet...