Newfoundland To Risk Lives
In New Pesticide Spray Program
Bob Diamond
April 3, 2001
The Department of Forest Resources and Agrifoods has made application to the
Department of Environment and Labour for approval of a forest pesticide
spray program for 2001. The Forestry Department is proposing the use of four
insecticides, Mimic, Neemix, Btk and a virus NeabNpy. Although such
pesticide spray programs puts the health of people and the environment at
risk, these spray programs have never been subject to full environmental
assessment as per the Provincial Environmental Assessment Act. Following the
proponents (the paper companies and the Forest Service) registering proposed
forest spray programs with the Department of the Environment, the provincial
environment minister has always used his discretionary power to approve
forest pesticide spraying without further environmental assessment.
| "Three federal government reports, (NRTEE-March 2001, Standing Committee on
Environment -May 2000 and the Commissioner of
The Environment-Office of the Auditor General
of Canada -May 1999), have all raised serious concerns about the
government's ability to ensure the safety of public health when dealing with
the regulation and management of chemical pesticides and toxic substances" |
The provincial Forest Service has always shirked their responsibility of
protecting the environment and human health by arguing that these pesticides
have been registered and approved by the federal government’s pesticide
regulatory agency. However, people who are informed regarding the regulatory
process recognize that the federal registration process is flawed, and that
just because a pesticide is registered it does not mean that it poses no
risk to human health and the environment.
Three federal government reports, the National Round Table on the
Environment and the Economy (March 2001), the Standing Committee on
Environment and Sustainable Development (May 2000) and the Commissioner of
The Environment and Sustainable Development, Office of the Auditor General
of Canada (May 1999), have all raised serious concerns about the
government's ability to ensure the safety of public health when dealing with
the regulation and management of chemical pesticides and toxic substances.
Also a Senate Subcommittee on the Boreal Forest, which traveled across
Canada and acquired considerable data from industry, government and private
sources, in their June 1999 Report, recommended that all herbicide and
chemical pesticide use in the boreal forest be phased out as soon as
possible.
Mimic and Btk are scheduled for use against the hemlock looper in the Ten
Mile Pond, Castors River and Main Brook areas of the Northern Peninsula.
Neemix is to be used against the balsam fir and yellow-headed sawflies in
the Grand Lake, Millertown- Head of Bay d’Espoir and Gander River areas.
The Forestry Department is proposing the aerial spraying of 10,000 hectares
with Mimic and 20, 000 hectares with Neemix. Although the Forestry
Department in the registration documents has not stated the number of
hectares to be sprayed with Btk, it appears that they intend to spray much
larger areas with this pesticide.
| "There are real, less costly alternatives to poisoning our forest with
pesticides. One is allowing natural diseases, predators and parasites to
take their course in controlling insect population" |
The following information regarding the toxicity and registration of these
pesticides is from Provincial Government, Department of Environment,
Department of Forest Resources and Agrifoods, and the Federal Government,
Health Canada Pest Management Regulatory Agency documents.
Mimic is a relatively new chemical pesticide formulation with the active
ingredient Tebufenozide that initiates an unsuccessful (lethal) molt of
insect larvae. A health Canada document indicates that this pesticide
accumulates in the bottom sediments of forest ponds and persists up to 393
days and is shown to have residue carry over into the next season in
forest soils, forest litter and conifer needles. This pesticide is toxic to
some aquatic invertebrates, which like insects, are food for fish. Required
labeling for Mimic pesticide containers must state that it is an eye
irritant and must be kept out of reach of children; cartridge respirators
must be used during application, and protective clothing should be washed
before reuse, and contaminated clothing is not to be taken home for
laundering.
Neemix 4.5, is also a chemical pesticide containing the active ingredient,
Azadirachtin, which is an extract from the seed of the Neem tree. The
manufacturer misleadingly advertises this pesticide formulation as being a
naturally occurring botanical insecticide. However, the pesticide
formulation is not naturally occurring, as the chemical company mixes the
active ingredient with other chemical formulants to create the pesticide
application mixture.
Precise and accurate information on the other ingredients and impurities in
the Neemix formulation has not been provided to the public by the
manufacturer or by the Health Canada Pest Management Regulatory Agency. As
with other chemical pesticides there is none or little independent testing
of the health and environmental effects of Neemix. Health Canada has given
only a temporary registration for Neemix until the manufacturer, the
Thermortrilogy Corporation, has carried out additional chemistry,
toxicological, and efficiency studies as a condition of this temporary
registration.
| "the new Forestry Minister, Rick Woodford, using a blatant
contradiction of terms, refers to this years spray program as a sound
forest protection strategy" |
Health Canada indicates that there is a lack of studies and data regarding
the impact of Neemix on human and animal health, particularly the absence
of chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity studies. Based on two data packages
submitted by the pesticide manufacturer, which Health Canada found
deficient, the federal regulatory agency still determined that there were no
observed adverse effects levels pertaining to this pesticide. However, the
data submitted did indicate low acute toxicity , irritation to eyes and skin
and effects on the liver, kidney, heart, adrenal gland, and ovaries of rats.
The limited data on this pesticide available to Health Canada officials did
indicate that there were immunotoxicity effects and potential adverse
effects on the endocrine system, and adverse reproductive effects
(spermicidal activity). In a study of Neem concentrate via oral gavage there
was 30% decrease in body weight in mice and confirmation that the Neem
concentrate can negatively affect the immune system.
Neemix was also determined to be highly volatile and also transports
readily through soils. Azadirachtin, the active ingredient of Neemix is very
highly toxic to fish such as trout and highly toxic to Daphna magna, an
aquatic crustacean species whose health within an ecosystem indicates the
over-all ecological health of that ecosystem.
The Forestry Department in a March 9, 2001 news release, stated that the
biological insecticide Btk is exempt from the environmental assessment
process and will also be used to combat the hemlock looper. They did
register their plans to use Btk last year and it should not be exempt from
the assessment process this year. Btk is a manufactured live microbial
organism and like other pesticide spray formulations contains unknown
chemicals, which can also be toxic to people and the environment. Btk, like
the other pesticides they are proposing to use this year, will kill not only
the targeted insects but also moths, butterflies and other beneficial
non-target insects, which are integral to the forest ecosystem..
French Government scientists have called for a ban on Bt after finding that
inhaled spores cause lung inflammation, internal bleeding and death in
laboratory mice. The team of French scientists, led by Francois Ramisse,
isolated a strain of Bt that had destroyed tissue in the wounds of a French
soldier in Bosnia. Ramisse pointed out that strains are sprayed on forest
insects at concentrations of 100 billion spores per square meter, and
therefore might pose a threat to people in the immediate vicinity.
| " Mr. Woodward should stop trying to gloss over the... poisoning of people and the environment with rhetoric
that he is protecting our valuable forest resource, in an effective and
environmentally responsible manner" |
As last year, the Forestry Department is proposing to use the natural fir
sawfly virus, NeabNpy on an experimental basis. Both Btk and this sawfly
virus have the potential to mutate and change into more toxic forms. The
manufactured virus spray formulation is not naturally found in the forest
environment ecosystem. Unfortunately, again, without their consent, the
people of this province and their environment are being used as guinea
pigs, the subjects of these risky experiments.
There are real, less costly alternatives to poisoning our forest with
pesticides. One is allowing natural diseases, predators and parasites to
take their course in controlling insect populations. According to a Forestry
Canada entomologist, the last major hemlock looper outbreak in this province
collapsed due to a natural fungal disease and cold and wet spring weather
conditions. There is already a natural virus at work impacting upon the
sawfly populations.. Bird and insect predators also reduce populations of
looper and sawfly. Other alternatives include diverting funds from the
chemical corporations and costly aerial spraying programs to employing
people in the province to use physical traps and other manual insect
controls. Displaced loggers and other people could also be employed in a
forest management program that supports regeneration of a more insect
resilient mixed species forest rather than insect susceptible, monoculture,
fiber plantations.
Millions of taxpayers’ dollars have been spent in unnecessary pesticide
spray programs and in transforming much of our natural forest ecosystems
into forest fiber farms for the pulp and paper industry. It’s time for the
provincial government to cut their puppet strings from the paper companies
and to start representing the interest of the people of this province and
their environment. Mr. Woodward should stop trying to gloss over the
pesticide spray poisoning of people and the environment with rhetoric
that he is protecting our valuable forest resource, in an effective and
environmentally responsible manner. In opposition to the Humber
Environment Action Group, this was the same line used two years ago in
support of spraying the chemical pesticide Dylox against the sawfly.
However, Dylox, is now considered unacceptable by government and the paper
companies for forest spraying due to high toxicity and the need for expanded
buffer zones
| "Dumping thousands of gallons of toxic, poisonous
pesticides ... over thousands of hectares of the forest is,
according to the Forestry Minister and his advisors, supposed to be
protecting the forest" |
In this province we seem to be stuck with the same old song and dance
routine of an archaic forestry bureaucracy.. Just like his predecessor,
Kevin Alyward, the new Forestry Minister, Rick Woodford, using a blatant
contradiction of terms, refers to this years spray program as a sound
forest protection strategy. This pesticide program is totally opposite to
his department’s 20- year Forestry Plan objective of protecting the
natural forest ecosystem in its full diversity. This spray program is more
about monopolizing the forest and maximizing fiber supply for the mills. It
is not about protecting biodiversity and managing the forest for fish,
wildlife, the ecology and other values. There is much talk in district
forest planning meetings and many words in government forestry plans and
documents, about managing the forest for a diversity of values and not just
the industrial fiber value. Unfortunately, the talk and words have not been
translated into action. Dumping thousands of gallons of toxic, poisonous
pesticides from aircraft over thousands of hectares of the forest is,
according to the Forestry Minister and his advisors, supposed to be
protecting the forest. How gullible do they think we are?
The Humber Environment Action Group Forest Committee has written Ralph
Wiseman, the Provincial environment Minister requesting that there be a
complete, thorough environmental assessment of all pesticides proposed for
use on our forest this year. In the letter to the Minister they also refer
to the Mimic Registration Document and indications that forest blocks
sprayed with Mimic may also receive a follow up application of Btk. HEAG is
requesting that the environmental assessment of the pesticide spray program
should also examine the synergetic and accumulative effects of various
pesticides on the forest environment and human health.
In accordance with the provincial Environmental Assessment Act, the public
has until Aril 13th to submit their comments on the proposed forest
pesticide spray program to the Minister
For further information please contact Bob Diamond, phone 709-634-360
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