"A common pesticide coating on corn and soybean seeds has leached into Minnesota waterways, threatening pollinators and aquatic ecosystems, according to a report released this week by the environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council.

Neonicotinoid pesticides, or “neonics,” are a group of insecticides that kill pests like aphids — but can also devastate bee colonies and aquatic insects, leading to a chain of negative effects in the polluted ecosystem.

The NRDC report, written by Pierre Mineau, a research scientist who worked for the Canadian government and teaches at Canada’s Carleton University, found that most Minnesota waterways have some amount of neonic pollution.

Using sampling data from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Mineau found that over a 12-year period, 95% of flowing-water sites had at least one neonic chemical, and 87% of the sites showed a mixture of two or more neonic chemicals.

“Where neonics were found, they appeared in most cases at concentrations expected to do biological harm,” Mineau wrote."

Madison McVan reports for the Minnesota Reformer December 3, 2024. [2]