NEWS OF THE WEEK
sy-like brain activity in bees before it, too, shut down learning center nerve cells. “If bees can’t learn efficiently, then they can’t forage REGULATION: Study of pesticides’ efficiently and the whole colony is likely to struggle and effect on bees’ brains fuels efforts weaken,” Connolly says. But Christian Maus, a safety manager at Bayer Cropto ban neonicotinoid compounds Science, which makes clothianidin, cautions that it’s tough to S THE ENVIRONMENTAL Protection Agency determine what happens to bees faces a lawsuit over its policy to allow use of a in nature from this study, because pesticide class implicated in global honeybee die- it was conducted on isolated bee offs, new evidence that the compounds may damage the brains in direct contact with insecbrains of bees could convince the agency to reconsider. ticides, without any of the normal Scientists are investigating many possible causes of protective barriers or metabolism. honeybee deaths. Neonicotinoid pesticides are under It’s great to know the underlyparticular scrutiny, however. A growing body of field ing mechanism for the behavioral research studies links these compounds to behavior impairments scientists have obchanges that affect bee survival, including impaired served in the field, says David memory and navigation. Goulson, who studies bees at the Until now, neonicotinoids’ effects on bees’ brains University of Stirling, in Scothave been unknown. A new report finds that neonicland. But he’s not sure this result otinoids and another pesticide class, the organophoschanges the wider debate about A study finds neonicotinoids have a phates, inactivate brain cells that help bees learn (Nat. whether to ban neonicotinoids. Comm., DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2648). That debate came into renewed detrimental effect on bees’ brains. Researchers already knew these pesticide classes focus on March 21, when a coalitarget acetylcholine signaling to kill bugs. tion of environmental groups and beekeepers filed suit But honeybees are not killed right against EPA, claiming the agency rushed away. To find out whether the comapproval of two neonicotinoids—cloN pounds’ modes of action translate to thianidin and thiamethoxam—without Cl effects on bee brain function, a team addressing how they impact bees and N N S H NO2 led by Christopher N. Connolly at the other pollinator species. The groups are N University of Dundee, in Scotland, demanding that EPA ban the pesticides. H CH3 monitored nerve signals at the learning “Beekeepers and environmental Clothianidin centers of intact honeybee brains as the and consumer groups have demonbees were exposed to the pesticides. strated time and time again over the At doses commonly found in plants treated with last several years that EPA needs to protect bees,” says the pesticides, the neonicotinoids imidacloprid and attorney Peter T. Jenkins of the Center for Food Safety, clothianidin each inactivated bee brain nerve cells which is representing the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. “The after 20 minutes. The organophosphate coumaphos, agency has refused, so we’ve been compelled to sue.”— which beekeepers use to prevent mites, led to epilepCARMEN DRAHL & BRITT ERICKSON
A
SAFETY Prevention of worker fatigue is the topic of next chemical safety board hearing Worker fatigue is the subject of an April 24 public hearing organized by the Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board and to be held in Washington, D.C. The meeting will allow CSB to hear public views on a guideline developed by the American Petroleum Institute (API) that is intended to avoid fatigue-related plant accidents. When announcing the hearing, CSB warned that the guideline is too weak and unlikely to protect refinery and petrochemical workers. The guideline was developed in response to a 2007 CSB recommendation
that API, the United Steelworkers, and other experts develop a consensus-based, industrywide guideline to avoid fatiguerelated accidents. However, that did not happen. The steelworkers union dropped out of negotiations in 2009, CSB says, when it appeared to them that workers were having little input in developing the new guideline. The guideline-negotiating committee included 15 to 20 industry members, one to three union members, and very little input from nonindustrial experts or the public, CSB adds.
WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG
13
APRIL 1, 2013
As a result, CSB says, the guideline lacks explicit requirements in the form of “shall,” and instead calls for too many “shoulds.” Also, CSB says, the guideline’s limits on hours are too permissive and less protective than those suggested by current scientific knowledge. Additionally, the guideline relies on personal evaluations of fatigue and suggests that workers avoid fatigue without saying how. CSB’s recommendation for new guidelines grew from a deadly plant accident in 2005 at BP’s Texas City, Texas, refinery.— JEFF JOHNSON
SHUTTERSTOCK
BAD NEWS BEES
