Neonicotinoids can stay in US market

Abstract

The US Environmental Protection Agency wants to allow five neonicotinoid pesticides to remain in the US marketplace, despite their neurotoxic risks to people and wildlife, including bees and other pollinators. In a proposed interim decision released on Jan. 30, the agency says that it will implement new measures to reduce risks to pollinators and protect public health. The five pesticides are acetamiprid, clothianidin, dinotefuran, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam. The EPA proposes to require the use of additional personal protective equipment for farmworkers who handle the pesticides. The agency also suggests restrictions on applying the pesticides to blooming crops to protect bees and other pollinators. The EPA advises homeowners not to use neonicotinoids and proposes to ban the use of imidacloprid on residential lawns and turf. In 2018, the European Commission banned the outdoor use of three of the pesticides—clothianidin, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam—because of their potential to harm bees. Growers ca...