Science Media Centre

Two large-scale field experiments have shown mixed effects of certain insecticides on honey bees and wild bees. Neonicotinoids are insecticides broadly applied to many major crops but have been implicated in the decline of bees globally. Two studies, published today in Science, found mixed results. Insecticide residue in bees nests was associated with lower reproductive […]

Genetically engineered crops are safe, but new regulations are needed as the definition of GE organisms becomes blurred, say US academies. An extensive study by the US-based National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has analysed the costs and benefits of genetically modified crops, drawing on almost 30 years of research. The key findings of the […]

The use of glyphosate weedkiller on Auckland parks and footpaths is in the spotlight amidst claims local councils’ spraying programmes are putting the public at risk. This week, the Green Party issued a media release calling for the Environmental Protection Authority to review the use of glyphosate. “Our survey of councils shows thousands of litres of […]

Radio New Zealand’s Morning Report examines the issue of neonicotinoid pesticides and their impact on New Zealand’s beehives. Lois Williams spoke to Harvard Professor Alex Lu, whose research has shown previously that New Zealand pollens contain more neonicotinoids than samples obtained in the US. You can listen the report below.

Women whose bodies have high levels of hormone mimicking chemicals found in plastics, personal-care products, common household items and the environment appear to experience menopause earlier than women with lower levels of these chemicals, according to a new US study. Researchers analysed the blood and urine of almost 1,500 menopausal women and identified 15 chemicals […]

The European Commission has voted in favour of a two-year moratorium on the use of a pesticide known to harm bees. Neonicotinoid chemicals in pesticides have been blamed for falling bee numbers and the European Commission says they should be restricted to crops not attractive to bees and other pollinators. The Commission’s action is a […]

US research suggests children who were exposed to organophosphate pesticides while still in their mother’s womb were more likely to develop attention disorders years later. Organophosphates have been linked to neurobehavioral deficits in children but this new research is the first to examine the influence of prenatal organophosphate exposure on the later development of attention […]

ONLINE MEDIA BRIEFING: Tues 20 July, 10 am (NZT) — Conservation efforts in New Zealand currently depend heavily on a single pesticide — sodium monofluoroacetate, or 1080. In its 2007 review of 1080 — widely-used in New Zealand to control pest animals in native ecosystems and agricultural land — ERMA (the Environmental Risk Management Authority) […]

Eloise Gibson writes in the New Zealand Herald about research which showed that, given the choice, birds preferred ‘conventional’ over organically grown seeds. The research suggested it could be due to the higher protein levels of the non-organic seeds, but also made it clear that other impacts, such as environmental impact of farming chemicals, had […]

India A 2002 British Medical Journal article outlining a order by a court in south India to ban use of endosulfan “after growing concern at the risk of farmers and villagers being poisoned”. US A 2004 BMJ clinical review examining evidence of a link between environmental chemicals and adverse effects on human reproductive health. “…exposure […]