A report funded by the Natural Resources Defense Council has found contamination from neonicotinoid pesticides exceeding federal standards in Michigan waterways.
Neonicotinoids, or neonics for short, are substances chemically similar to nicotine. As pesticides, they attack insects’ nerve systems.
But the NRDC report also found that almost 95% of the pesticides latch onto soil, which then runs off into Michigan’s water systems.
The report said 21 out of the 22 water samples tested had neonicotinoid pesticides detected at levels harmful to aquatic life. The Randell Drain in Southeast Michigan was one of the locations with the highest level of contamination. The report showed levels more than double the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s benchmark for harm to aquatic ecosystems.
Recent research has also found neonics to be harmful to pollinators and human health. About 50% of the U.S. population is exposed to neonics on any given day, according to data from the CDC. The NRDC says neonics, which have been found in 95% of pregnant women, have been linked to birth defects. The group also says they have been linked to hormonal and neurological issues.
“Neonicotinoids are among the most potent insecticides ever created, and they're used on what might be the largest scale in U.S. history, year after year after year,” said Daniel Raichel, the director for pollinators and pesticides at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “What that leads to is this buildup of pollution in the environment. It’s in water, it's in soil, it's in wildlife and it's in our bodies, making neonics likely the most ecologically damaging pesticides since DDT.”
Raichel said more research needs to be done on the effects on human health.
He explained that these pesticides can be consumed through more than just water runoff. While typical spray-on pesticides can be washed off, neonics are painted onto crop seeds. This means the five percent of pesticides that don't attach themselves to the soil are absorbed into the plant, “making the whole plant toxic,” Raichel said.
Neonics are most commonly used for soybean, wheat and corn seeds. While only around 50% of soybean seeds come with neonic coats, close to 100% of corn is sold to farmers with neonic pesticides. This has made it almost impossible for farmers to avoid them.
“One neonic-treated seed has enough active ingredient to kill a quarter-million bees,” Raichel said. “Multiply that times 30,000 seeds per acre of conventional corn, multiply that by about 2 million acres.”
Seed-coating does not classify as a pesticide application, so it does not require state approval for use, according to the NRDC.
“These treated seeds are sort of a regulatory gray area,” Raichel said. “We don't know how many of these pesticides exactly are being used on seeds. There's no good tracking from state agencies. There's no direct regulation. It's a big deal because neonics are among the most potent insecticides ever created, the most widely used insecticides in the United States.”
Quebec and Ontario have started to implement prescription programs, which only allow for the pesticide when deemed necessary.
The EPA is planning a registration review for neonics in 2026. This will be the first time it reviews the regulations surrounding the chemicals since they first gained popularity, when the health and environmental risks were unknown, according to Raichel.
“It's just everywhere for no good reason,” he said. “We're starting to see the effects of that. We're seeing the pollution all over the state's environment, all over the country's environment. We're seeing these pesticides show up in people's bodies. And surprise, surprise, for a chemical that mimics nicotine, we're now beginning to realize that these chemicals are harmful to human health.”
The Michigan Farm Bureau said its farmers are following the EPA’s guidelines on neonicotinoid use.
“Michigan farmers work hard to protect the soil, water, and pollinators they depend on to produce a safe and affordable food supply,” Laura Campbell, Michigan Farm Bureau’s senior conservation and regulatory relations specialist, said in a statement.
Raichel said the neonic contamination found in the Randell Drain, which joins a watercourse that eventually empties into Lake Erie, shows the EPA needs to change its regulations. He said the guidelines don't account for how the pesticide accumulates in the environment and the food chain.
“The proof is in the pudding right there,” Raichel said. “The EPA's labels and its restrictions are not keeping Michigan water below those thresholds that EPA itself has identified as harmful.”
