PCBs Are A Health Risk for Humans and Wildlife, Peter S. Ross, et al, Science, Volume 289, September 15, 2000

"'Illegal poison' used on salmon"... chemical treatment at fish farms is hazard to health and marine life, claims ex-employee, by Antony Barnett, The Observer, April 30, 2000

The Summer the Rivers Died: Toxic runoff from potato farms is poisoning P.E.I., By Kelly Toughill, Toronto Star Atlantic Canada Bureau -- October 11, 1999

The Second Silent Spring (PDF 121K), John R. Kerbs, Jeremy D. Wilson, Richard B. Bradbury and Gavin M. Siriwardena, Commentary in Nature, Volume 400, August 12, 1999

"Pesticides Threaten Birds and Fish in California", PANUPS, June 4, 1999.

PAN's new report, Disrupting the Balance: Ecological Impacts of Pesticides in California , is now available.

Pesticide Impacts on the Swainson's Hawk

• Background
• Dr. Pierre Mineau, a leading expert on pesticide ecotoxicology, praises Novartis for its decision to withdraw monocrotophos, an OP insecticide responsible for bird kills throughout the developing world, including the death of Swainson's Hawks in Argentina. Mineau questions whether other companies selling this high-risk pesticide "will follow suite, starting with American Cyanamid."
• Novartis announces decision to "slim down" its line of insecticides from 26 to 11. The active ingredients subject to a voluntary phase out include monocrotophos, an OP insecticide responsible for many bird kills, especially in the developing world.

Deformed Frogs Raise Concerns: A recent biological mystery is reviewed here in a variety of articles and links

• Villager Investigation -- Larvicide linked to frog deformities, Methoprene, used in Wilton, focus of scientists' study, October 2001

• A Wind-Borne Threat to Sierra Frogs Science: A study finds that pesticides used on farms in the San Joaquin Valley damage the nervous systems of amphibians in Yosemite and elsewhere, by Marla Cone, L.A. Times Environmental Writer, December 6, 2000

• Studies link frog deformities to pesticides, Star Tribune, October 25, 1999

• Dr. James LeClair, Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Biology, at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA. offers a review of 'Amphibian Decline Research' efforts.
• Summary of Workshop on Central North American Amphibian Deformities , September 25-26, 1996 in Duluth, MN. This site includes most of the papers presented at this meeting, including "Developmental abnormalities in free-living anurans from agricultural habitats" presented by Martin Ouellet from McGill University.
• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Hot Topic page on Deformed Frogs in Minnesota includes background information, fact sheets about deformed frogs, pictures as well as links to other sites on the WWW.
• The Great Lakes Declining Amphibian Task Force of the World Conservation Union's Species Survival Commission WWW site including a newsletter, FROGLOG , and the proceedings of the Great Lakes Declining Amphibian Conference held 3/30/97.
  Presentations at the conference include: "Investigation of deformed frogs in Minnesota " and "Decreased adult size and reduced reproductive competence in the Northern Leopard Frog, Rana pipiens ".
• "Frog deformities Pose a Mystery", an article by Dr. Stanley K. Sessions, Department of Biological Sciences, Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY. In this article, Dr. Sessions discusses pesticides vs parasites as an explanation of the recent discovery of amphibian deformities.
• "Methoprene May Be Getting Bad Rap as Cause of Frog Freaks". A study comparing the toxicity and developmental effects of a methoprene-containing pesticide, Altosid, to another organophosphate insecticide, Abate, widely used in wildlife refuges to control mosquitoes, on the grey treefrog tadpole.

Environmental Contaminants and Amphibians in Canada

• Pesticides and Behaviour in Tadpoles
• Measuring the Health of Frogs in Agricultural Habitats Subjected to Pesticides in Southern Quebec
• New Database on Effects of Pollutants on Amphibians and Reptiles
• Apple Orchard Insecticide and Fungicide Effects on Ranid Populations in Ontario
• Impact of Reproductive and Developmental Toxicants on Populations of Mudpuppies