Most of what we hear about is what's in our drinking water. I'm also concerned about what we're doing to wildife. I found this in my computer files -- I don't know how old it is, but less than 2 years. This article is from American Bird Conservancy. The Diazinon mentioned is what Earl May promotes for grub control. Jane Clark at [log in to unmask] LATEST ISSUES: CHLORFENAPYR - KEY DOCUMENTS * Chlorfenapyr profile * Campaign Timeline PESTICIDES AND BIRDS CAMPAIGN The Problem: Pesticides are Killing Birds According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service documentation, at least 50 different pesticides have caused bird die-offs in the United States. A field study, cited by the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, showed that 77% of bird carcasses were removed from a corn field by predators within 24 hours, and those that remained were difficult to locate, leading scientists to liken the number of pesticide kills detected to the tiny tip of an enormous iceberg. In the thirty-three years between 1962, when Rachel Carson's book 'Silent Spring' was published, and 1995, pesticide use in the U.S. doubled to an all-time high of 1.2 billion pounds per year. Pesticide use soared to record levels again in 1996 and 1997. And in a recent report, Professor David Pimental of Cornell University conservatively estimates annual bird mortality in the U.S. from pesticides at 67 million birds. A deadly path: carbofuran •Eighty-two bird species, including Bald and Golden Eagles and the declining Dickcissel, are recorded by USFWS as having been killed by the widely used pesticide carbofuran. •On 9 April 1990, more than 2,000 songbirds were killed in Essex County, Virginia. Investigators determined that the responsible agent, carbofuran, had been applied according to the instructions and found no evidence of misuse. •According to a 1996 USFWS statement "there are no known circumstances under which carbofuran can be used without killing birds." •Carbofuran is still being manufactured, sold, and used in the United States. •In 1997, 2,469 tons of the substance were applied to fields across the U.S. •In just three states, Kansas, Nebraska, and California, 6,855 square kilometers were treated last year. Carbofuran has caused Bald Eagle deaths in at least twelve states. Other examples In April 1993, 20 dead and dying Swainson's Hawks were found by a hunter in Young County, Texas. Laboratory tests showed the hawks had ingested grasshoppers that had been sprayed with disulfoton. No evidence of misuse was found. In March 1989 several sick and dying Bald Eagles collected along the Missouri River were found to have been poisoned by phorate that had been legally applied to nearby crops the previous fall. More than 50 incidents of fatal diazinon poisoning involving more than 1,000 individual birds have been recorded across the country. Diazinon has been linked to human cancers was once been widely applied to golf courses, and was found in 31% of EPA surface water analyses. In July 1990, the registration of diazinon for golf courses and sod farms was canceled, but the substance is still permitted for use on lawns and agricultural crops. It is widely used by homeowners who can unwittingly cause a serious hazard to birds and wildlife, even when following the label directions correctly. Diazinon can be purchased at local hardware or garden shops by anyone. [Note from Jane Clark -- this is what is suggested for grub control -- a significant hazard to birds in the lawn.] EPA's legal standard for the registration of a pesticide is that: "when used in accordance with widespread and commonly recognized practice, it will not generally cause unreasonable adverse effects on the environment." Although the agency itself has concluded that the pesticide azinphos-methyl (AZM) "will pose a high risk of acute effects (mortality) to aquatic and terrestrial organisms when applied at label rates," it remains on the market. As well as being toxic to birds, AZM was responsible for killing more than one million fish in Louisiana in several 1991 and 1992 incidents. AZM is one of 31 pesticides which are the subject of an ongoing, eight and a half year inquiry under the Endangered Species Act. The USFWS Biological Opinion on AZM concluded that it indicates jeopardy for 118 endangered species including 10 birds, 40 bivalves, and 44 fish. There is no comprehensive data base for identifying problem pesticides for birds and other wildlife. Such information is needed in the U.S. and globally to promote pest control practices that protect avian species. The Solution: A Comprehensive Campaign to protect Birds from Pesticides. American Bird Conservancy has launched a Pesticides and Birds Campaign. After successfully brokering an international accord to protect Swainson's Hawks from the deadly insecticide monocrotophos in Argentina, ABC has turned its attention to the broader problem of pesticides killing birds in routine, legal use. The Campaign will build on current ABC initiatives and will employ a broad-based partnership. The campaign will include: •An advisory panel of experts on avian toxicology and pesticides issues. •Disseminating information on pesticides acutely toxic to birds to NGO's and government agencies in the U.S. and abroad. •Focusing other national conservation and pesticide groups' attention to pesticides killing and sub-lethally affecting birds. •Working with the EPA to strengthen wildlife protection in pesticide management. •Conducting a campaign against pesticides routinely killing birds in the U.S. •Building a cooperative relationship with pesticide manufacturers and their trade associations. •Establishing an international avian pesticide incident reporting system. •Employing a strong partnership-building effort to attain consensus on pesticide and bird issues. For more information on the ABC Pesticides and Birds Campaign contact: Kelley R. Tucker Director, Pesticides and Birds Campaign American Bird Conservancy 1250 24th Street, NW, Suite 400 Washington, DC 20037 E-mail: [log in to unmask] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For SC email list T-and-C, send: GET TERMS-AND-CONDITIONS.CURRENT to [log in to unmask]