Nearly all of the 1,782 animals and plants listed under the Endangered Species Act are at risk from the two most commonly used pesticides, according to a new EPA report.
The worst offenders are Malathion, an insecticide used to treat crops, as well as pets for ticks, and chlorpyrifos, which wipes out termites, roundworms and mosquitos, says The Guardian. Both are likely to “cause harm” to 97 percent of endangered species, according to the EPA’s findings. A third chemical, diazinon, which kills cockroaches and termites, is a serious risk to 79 percent of endangered species.
“The EPA has allowed chemical companies to register more than 16,000 pesticides without properly considering their impacts. That has to stop,” said Lori Ann Burd, environmental health director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “These evaluations are a huge step forward for the EPA. Now that we know the magnitude of danger these pesticides pose, it’s clear we need to take action.”
The EPA’s study comes amid claims that the federal government has ignored and even blocked data showing the negative impact of pesticides. Jonathan Lundgren, a USDA researcher, has accused the government of squelching his research into the links between neonicotinoid pesticides and colony collapse disorder. The USDA denies Lundgren’s claims.