Land Use and Wildlife Resources (1970) / Chapter Skim
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6 Pesticides and Wildlife
6 Pesticides and Wildlife
Pages 181-207
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From page 181... ...
* As used here, the term "pesticides" includes chemicals employed to kill living organisms that are considered pests.
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From page 182... ...
It is evident that modern agriculture, rather than having built-in biological regulators to hold it in equilibrium, is extremely artificial and is dependent upon intensive pest-control programs. Chemical pesticides have been very effective as tools in the struggle.
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From page 183... ...
Despite the promise of alternative methods of pest control, they are not likely to account for major reductions in the use of chemical pesticides in the immediate future. Public Health The value of DDT in disease control through the reduction of insect vectors was dramatically demonstrated during World War II.
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From page 184... ...
Pesticides have proven their worth as elements in modern technology, and sound economics dictates that they be used, for example, in weed control, or insect control as a substitute for more costly hand operations. Similarly, the economic pressure favors using the least expensive pesticide.
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From page 185... ...
Reservations about effectiveness and concern for hazard to nontarget organisms were expressed early in the development of chemical pest control. An editorial in the first number of the Practical Entomologist, October 30, 1 865 (Entomological Society of Philadelphia, 1 865 )
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From page 186... ...
research on safer and more specific methods of pest control; d. amendments to strengthen public laws governing the use of pesticides; and e.
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From page 187... ...
Finally, the need for considering all pollution as a single problem was stressed; the responsibility for leadership in pollution abatement should be assumed by the federal government. The study by the PSAC Environmental Pollution Panel was attuned to the needs of the times and the report provides a broad blueprint for
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From page 188... ...
The symposium provided an opportunity for review of the progress made on the recommendations of the PSAC Panel almost 3 years earlier. It was a unique experiment in seeking to bridge the communication gap between persons developing specialized knowledge and persons responsible for translating that knowledge into broad policy and future environmental quality goals.
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From page 189... ...
toxic residues that may pose a hazard to the consumer; and (3) environmental pollution arising from introduction of pesticides in the ecosystem.
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From page 190... ...
They provide that tolerance levels be established for pesticide residues in raw agricultural commodities upon which pesticides are used. Any raw agricultural commodity may be condemned as adulterated if it contains a residue of any pesticide that has not been formally exempted or that is present in excess of the tolerances.
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From page 191... ...
Federal legislation applies only in interstate commerce, and there are many instances where sale either of the pesticide or of the agricultural commodity is transacted completely within a single state; and (2) neither of the two federal laws (FIFRA and Miller)
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From page 192... ...
The National Clearing House of Poison Control Centers, reporting on 83,704 poisoning cases among all ages, stated that in 1967, 5 1.5 percent of accidental ingestions involved medicines; cleaning and polishing agents ranked second with 14.3 percent; cosmetics third with 6.1 percent; and pesticides fourth with 6.0 percent (U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, 1 9681.
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From page 193... ...
As this situation has become clear, public interest has focused on more stringent legislation designed to halt the accumulation of pesticides known to be serious environmental contaminants. A number of bills have been introduced or suggested to ban DDT and other persistent chlorinated hydrocarbons.
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From page 194... ...
Thus, in terms of total production of persistent insecticides, there was no dramatic change between 1957 and 1967. Insecticide exports of 1967 comprised 59 percent of the total value of pesticide exports; DDT accounted for 8 percent of the total and related chlorinated hydrocarbons added another 14 percent.
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From page 195... ...
In both foreign and domestic use patterns, a few insects account for a high proportion of insecticide application; alternative methods of control of these pests could result in marked reductions in insecticide consumption. Another major domestic use of insecticides is for control programs conducted by the Plant Pest Control Division, U.S.
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From page 196... ...
While the lists of alternative methods of pest control are impressive and promising, research on their refinement is a time-consuming effort that cannot be programmed with certainty, and their effective employment requires precise supporting information if sound judgments are to be made. PESTI Cl D ES AS PO LLUTANTS While not all factors in the benefit-risk equation of pesticide use will be known to our satisfaction, a few facts are highly pertinent.
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From page 197... ...
While focusing chiefly on insecticides of the chlorinated hydrocarbon class, because they represent our major concern at this time, we should recognize that substitute pesticides will likely involve some adverse side-effects. The chief replacements for chlorinated hydrocarbons are presently organophosphorus and carbamate compounds and, although these are less stable, they are, in general, also toxic to a broad spectrum of organisms.
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From page 198... ...
Since lipids occur in all living organisms, they act as built-in solvents for chlorinated hydrocarbons, thus imparting to this class of pesticides an affinity for living organisms. Mobil ity Pesticides such as DDT have become widely distributed throughout the biosphere.
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From page 199... ...
The end result of practices that might interfere with some basic organism in the food chain such as algae in marine food chains is, therefore, viewed with concern. Another form of biological magnification involves transfer of a pesticide directly from the environment rather than indirectly through the food chain.
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From page 200... ...
This monitoring program is described in the first issue of the journal (Federal Committee on Pest Control, 19671. Phases of the NPMP designed to measure pesticides in humans follow the levels in selected communities.
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From page 201... ...
Obviously, it will not be possible to regulate pesticides effectively unless the significance of pesticide levels in living organisms is better understood. Levels of pesticide residues in animals are influenced by many variables, such as contamination of the food supply and the abilities of different species to absorb, metabolize, and excrete the toxicant.
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From page 202... ...
Very low doses resulted in increased sensitivity to low temperatures, causing a shift in temperature selection (Ogilvie and Anderson, 19654. Behavioral changes have also been cited in gulls on Lake Michigan where high DDT levels were associated with aggressive behavior and high egg breakage (Ludwig and Tomoff, 19661.
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From page 203... ...
Central to this point are the questions, "What level of environmental quality does society want? " and "What level is it prepared to pay for?
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From page 204... ...
Beyond this general need is the special need to provide training for a cadre of scientists and technicians who can conduct research on the myriad problems associated with environmental pollution. Challenging opportunities are available for young people interested in careers in improving environmental quality (President's Science Advisory Committee, 1965: 39-569.
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From page 205... ...
The current public interest in pesticide pollution offers promise for significant advances in our knowledge through research. REFERENCES Abbott, D
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From page 206... ...
Federal Committee on Pest Control.
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From page 207... ...
Report of Environmental Pollution Panel.
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