EPA knowingly allowed bee-killing pesticide onto the market

A leaked document from the EPA shows that the agency has knowingly allowed a highly toxic pesticide for bees, to be sold and used nationwide by Bayer, the third-largest producer of pesticides in the world.

Below is an except from Tom Philpott’s in-depth Grist.org article on the recent leak which came into the hands of a Colorado beekeeper.

“An internal EPA memo released Wednesday confirms that the very agency charged with protecting the environment is ignoring the warnings of its own scientists about clothianidin, a pesticide from which Bayer racked up €183 million (about $262 million) in sales in 2009.”

Shocking is the clarity of their scientists language in the leaked study itself–

“Clothianidin’s major risk concern is to nontarget insects (that is, honey bees). Clothianidin is a neonicotinoid insecticide that is both persistent and systemic. Acute toxicity studies to honey bees show that clothianidin is highly toxic on both a contact and an oral basis.”

And perhaps most frightening:

“On Thursday, I asked an EPA press spokesperson via email if the scientists’ opinion would inspire the agency to remove clothianidin from the market. The spokesperson, who asked not to be named but who communicated on the record on behalf of the agency, replied that clothianidin would retain its registration and be available for use in the spring.”

As a reaction to this report, Pesticide Action Network has issued a petition straight to the the head of the EPA herself. Please click to sign this important petition: http://action.panna.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5370

And, over 1 million people have signed a petition to ban neonicotinoid pesticides around the globe, please sign this important petition as well: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/save_the_bees/?vl

Help the U.S. join a the governments of France, Germany, Italy and Slovenia who have banned forms of neonicotinoid pesticides.

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The full report on the leak from Grist.org: http://www.grist.org/article/food-2010-12-10-leaked-documents-show-epa-allowed-bee-toxic-pesticide-

A shorter take on the leak from Natural News: http://www.naturalnews.com/030921_EPA_pesticides.html

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