Judy Hoy is a scientist, wildlife biologist, and educator, who taught elementary school for 12 years, rehabilitated wildlife for 50 years, continuously documented the birth defects that began occurring on wildlife in spring of 1995 and has co-authored several scientific papers on animals and plants.

Specific birth defects are relatively high in prevalence on both wild and domestic animals, and even more concerning, on newborn children. Newborn children are approximately the same size as newborn deer fawns. White-tailed deer fawns have been a main study subject for over twenty years regarding specific birth defects and other effects of exposure to imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid insecticide and likely simultaneous exposure to glyphosate, an extensively used herbicide.

Nearly all white-tailed deer tested recently in Minnesota had neonicotinoid pesticides in their spleens. Those are the same pesticides that are causing birds and bees to get lost or quickly die when exposed, especially the insecticide called imidacloprid. [5] Scientists reported three years ago that a high prevalence of tested white-tailed deer in Minnesota had neonicotinoid pesticides in their spleens. [1] In 2021, 94% of the deer spleens tested positive for neonicotinoids, again especially imidacloprid. [2] Neonicotinoids or neonics are insecticides that are toxic to vertebrates [4] and invertebrates. [6] In North Dakota, harvested wild deer tested had an average of 3.5 times more imidacloprid in their spleens [3] than the captive deer used in the SDSU study [4], who were intentionally given the pesticide.

The expanding use of neonicotinoid insecticides is contaminating the food and water ingested by all animals because it falls in rain and snow on foliage and into surface water everywhere.

Exposure can lead to organ damage, birth defects, lethargy, and mortality in vertebrates, as well as mortality in most invertebrates necessary for human and other vertebrate survival. [3][5]

This extensive testing and research on white-tailed deer happened because the birth defects were brought to the attention of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MDFWP) in 1996 by biologists who worked for MDFWP. Those birth defects were subsequently reported in studies and have prompted a much wider concern and larger amount of testing and research in other states than they did locally in Montana [7][8].

Most concerning for people and particularly pregnant mothers, a new study was published that shows neonicotinoid insecticides and their metabolites are able to pass through the human placenta to expose the fetus whenever the mother is exposed. [9]. Consider if imidacloprid can do that on a pregnant human, it certainly can do the same on other pregnant mammals.

An even more recent and extremely concerning study was done on infants to determine neonicotinoid exposure levels in newborn humans. [16] The study found significant levels of neonicotinoids, especially imidacloprid, in breast milk (0.27 ng/mL), infant formula (0.22), and tap water (0.028). A higher median concentration of neonicotinoids were in infants’ blood samples than in urine samples. [16]

All recent testing shows alarming levels of imidacloprid in white-tailed deer, in human mothers to be, and in newborn children. In addition, thousands of studies show imidacloprid has dire effects on developing young, newborns and adults of other vertebrates, and most invertebrates. One group of vertebrate species that has received little attention until recently are avian pollinators, especially hummingbirds. Within 2 hours after deliberate imidacloprid exposure, wild-caught Ruby-throated Hummingbirds exhibited a significant depression in energy expenditure (up to 25%±11%) [17]. Therefore, changes in their metabolism following exposures to imidacloprid, “…could significantly influence survivorship” for hummingbirds and other avian pollinators, especially hatchlings.

Since birth defects and mortality was shown to be in direct correlation with the imidacloprid levels in the spleens of white-tailed deer [4], it is highly likely that imidacloprid exposure is having similar effects on human fetuses and newborns. Newborn humans were observed to be born with the same or very similar birth defects found on deliberately exposed white-tailed deer. Most importantly, in the same time period as wild deer were born with those distinctive defects, the young of many other vertebrate species were born with the exact same developmental malformations. [11]

Thus, the research strongly suggests neonicotinoids should never have been used, should no longer be used anywhere and should be banned immediately.         

The experts quoted in an article by Kenny Stancil on May 05, 2023, “EPA Report on Neonics Proves US Has ‘Five-Alarm Fire’ on Its Hands, Green Groups Say” strongly support this. [18]  Quoted, “…A newly published assessment from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency warns that three of the most commonly used neonicotinoid insecticides threaten the continued existence of more than 200 endangered plant and animal species.”  And “…there’s now no question that neoicotioids play an outsized role in our heartbreaking extinction crisis.”

Another concerning new study regarding human mothers and babies who are exposed to the world’s most used herbicide, glyphosate, was also published recently.[10] This was stated by the researchers about the study; “…This groundbreaking study builds on growing research that has linked glyphosate to birth defects, miscarriage, and infertility in animal studies. Yet the EPA still allows more than 250 million pounds of glyphosate to be sprayed on American farmlands each year!” This new study indicates that researchers are seeing very similar health issues and mortality in human newborns to those reported on wildlife and human newborns in our 2015 study. [11]

We hypothesize that the imidacloprid and glyphosate are working synergistically in exposed animals to cause far greater cellular damage than either toxicant alone.

The phosphonate, N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine, known as glyphosate, is a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide and crop desiccant. A 2015 study implicated glyphosate in causing prion diseases, including Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) because glyphosate is a mineral chelator and disrupts the mineral balance. [12] Originally patented as a metal chelator, glyphosate binds to essential minerals in the soils, thereby reducing their uptake by plants, which is how it kills plants.

Glyphosate falling in rain and snow on all the plants that wild ungulates eat reduces the minerals in the plants ingested [13], simultaneously resulting in exposure to glyphosate and compounding mineral deficiency in the exposed grazing animals. [11] Ironically, if the animal does receive adequate manganese in its diet, exposure to the glyphosate disrupts bile acid homeostasis promoting a toxic accumulation of manganese in the brainstem. [12] This can result in animals developing prion diseases like CWD and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), which are serious health concerns for wildlife, domestic livestock, and humans. [12]

Below, note other important facts regarding glyphosate:

• Nearly 1 lb. of glyphosate for every person in the US is sprayed per year.
• It’s water soluble, so our rain and groundwater are also contaminated.
• It’s a patented antibiotic by Monsanto/Bayer, killing off the beneficial microbes and promoting the growth of the pathogens.
• It binds crucial biologically important metals, such as zinc, magnesium, and manganese.
• It’s used off-label as a crop desiccant (drying agent), which means at harvest, crops like oats, wheat, and legumes take up whopping amounts of glyphosate.
• Roundup-Ready crops are GMO and do not die when sprayed.

Glyphosate was also patented by Monsanto in 2010 as an antibiotic, which stimulates populations of oxidant microorganisms and suppresses reducing microorganisms in the soil. This is another mechanism for decreasing the availability of manganese, iron, zinc, and other essential micronutrients to plants and to the animals that eat the plants. [12]  The resulting mineral imbalance causes numerous health issues, birth defects [11] and likely prion diseases. [12]

In the mid-1980s, autism was extremely uncommon. Now autism prevalence is approximately 1 of every 30 babies born and increasing each year, varying by sex and location.

(Editor note: GMOScience.org has been reporting on the relationship between autism and glyphosate, here.  For more information regarding the effects of glyphosate, GMOs and children’s health, read, What’s Making our Children Sick? by Drs. Perro and Adams.)

Glyphosate has been shown to cause autism-like symptoms in exposed study animals [14] and seriously disrupt the microbiota in invertebrates and vertebrates. [15]  In March of 2023, a study showed that exposure to glyphosate and its break down product aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) is responsible for the high prevalence of liver inflammation and metabolic syndrome in young humans, increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. [19]

In 2020, a very important review was published by Cerrizuela et al. [20], which listed the top chemicals that are serious teratogens; conditions or toxicants, which cause disrupted fetal development in vertebrate species. The authors have 6 pesticides in their list of top teratogens shown by studies to disrupt neural crest development, which results in multiple birth defects on newborns, especially mammals. One, chlorpyrifos, was used long before certain definitive birth defects began on wildlife, domestic animals, and human babies in spring of 1995. Two other pesticides, triazole derivatives and carendazim are not widely used. That left three highly teratogenic pesticides, glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH), the neonicotinoid insecticide, imidacloprid, and the fungicide, chlorothalonil, which are also the three most widely used pesticides in the US.

Those are the three pesticides that my colleagues and I have implicated by timing and new types of exposure effects to be working synergistically to cause the definitive developmental defects on vertebrate species since spring of 1995. As stated above, imidacloprid has been shown to cause mortality to adults and young of ruminant species, birds, and many kinds of invertebrates, especially pollinators. [4, 5]

In addition, large applications of chlorothalonil began being used for potato blight the same year that imidacloprid was first used in spring of 1994. [7] High applications of GBH were already being used beginning in the 1970s, but the definitive birth defects did not begin until the spring after large amounts of all three of those teratogenic pesticides began being used at the same time in spring and summer of 1994. It was not likely a coincidence that the high prevalence of several uncommon and one new to science birth defects began occurring simultaneously on vertebrate species, since all experience neural crest development in the egg or womb.

If you are interested in seeing photos of the birth defects that are happening to wildlife, especially mammals and birds, I have a website with photo documents showing photos of the birth defects on multiple vertebrate species. To access, scroll down to the PDFs, download, and click to find the photo documents comparing birth defects to normals. Our studies are also discoverable there, as well as the SD study that was published in Nature.

References:

1. Dan Gunderson, “Data show increasing insecticide levels in Minnesota deer,”MPR News, Moorhead, Minn. August 23, 2022. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2022/08/23/data-show-increasing-insecticide-levels-in-minnesota-deer
2. Paul Richards, “Biologists in Minnesota are Finding More Insecticides in Whitetail Deer Than Ever Before,” Field & Stream, August 29, 2022. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2022/08/23/data-show-increasing-insecticide-levels-in-minnesota-deer
3. Rob Beer, “Study shows widespread neonicotinoid exposure in Minnesota white-tailed deer,” Twin Cities, March 1, 2021. https://www.twincities.com/2021/03/01/study-shows-widespread-neonicotinoid-exposure-in-minnesota-white-tailed-deer/amp/
4. E. H. Berheim, et al. “Effects of Neonicotinoid Insecticides on Physology and Reproductive Characteristics of Captive Female and Fawn White-tailed Deer, March 14, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-40994-9
5. Mia Rabson, “No doubt that neonicotinoids are killing birds, bees, scientists say,”CBC News, September 17, 2019. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/pesticide-bee-bird-deaths-neonicotinoids-1.4296357
6. Lauren Aratani, “Pesticide widely used in US particularly harmful to bees, study finds,” The Guardian, August 6, 2019. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/06/us-pesticide-neonics-toxic-harmful-bees-study
7. Hoy, J.A., Hoy, R.D., Seba, D., Kerstetter, T.H., 2002. Genital abnormalities in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in west-central Montana: Pesticide exposure as a possible cause. J. Environ. Biol. 23, 189–97. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12602857.
8. Hoy, J.A., Haas, G.T., Hoy, R.D., Hallock, P., 2011. Observations of brachygnathia superior in wild ruminants in western Montana, USA. Wildl. Biol. Pract. 7(2), 15–29. http://dx.doi.org/10.2461/wbp.2011.7.13.
9. Zhang H, Bai X, Zhang T, Song S, Zhu H, Lu S, Kannan K, Sun H. Neonicotinoid Insecticides and Their Metabolites Can Pass through the Human Placenta Unimpeded. Environ Sci Technol. 2022 Nov 28. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.2c06091. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36441562.
10. Gerona, R.R., Reiter, J.L., Zakharevich, I. et al., 2022. Glyphosate exposure in early pregnancy and reduced fetal growth: a prospective observational study of high-risk pregnancies. Environ Health 21, 95. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-022-00906-3 https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-022-00906-3
11. Hoy, J., Swanson, N., Seneff, S., 2015. The high cost of pesticides: Human and animal diseases. Poult. Fish Wildl. Sci. 3,132. https://doi: 10.4172/2375-446X.1000132.
12. Samsel, A., Seneff, S., 2015. Glyphosate, pathways to modern diseases III: Manganese, neurological diseases, and associated pathologies. Surg. Neurol. Int. 6:45. doi: 10.4103/2152-7806.153876
13. Huber, D.M., 2007. Strategies to ameliorate glyphosate immobilization of Mn and its impact on disease. Phytopathology 97, S168. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO.2007.97.7.S166
14. Pu, Y., Yang, J., Chang, L., Qu, Y., Wang, S., Zhang, K., Xiong, Z., Zhang, J., Tan, Y., Wang, X., Fujita. Y., Ishima, T., Wang, D., Hwang, S.H., Hammock, B.D., Hashimoto, K, 2020. Maternal glyphosate exposure causes autism-like behaviors in offspring through increased expression of soluble epoxide hydrolase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2020 May 26;117(21):11753-11759. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1922287117. Epub 2020 May 12. Erratum in: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 Feb 2;118(5): PMID: 32398374; PMCID: PMC7260984.
15. https://www.ehn.org/monsanto-glyphosate-impacts-wildlife-2631750527.html
16. Zhang, H., Wang, Y., Zhu H., Lu S., Wang, Y., Xue, J., Zhang, T., Kannan, K., Sun, H., 2023. Infantile internal and external exposure to neonicotinoid insecticides: a comparison of levels across various sources. 16. Infantile Internal and External Exposure to Neonicotinoid Insecticides: A Comparison of Levels across Various Sources. Environmental Science and Technology 2023 57 (13), 5358-5367 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c09538
17. English, S.G., Sandoval-Herrera, N.I., Bishop, C.A., Cartwright, M., Maisonneuve, F., Elliott, J.E., Welch, K.C. Jr., 2021. Neonicotinoid pesticides exert metabolic effects on avian pollinators. Sci Rep. Feb 3;11(1):2914. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-82470-3. PMID: 33536520; PMCID: PMC7858574. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7858574/
18. https://www.commondreams.org/news/us-epa-neonicotinoids-extinction-crisis Article by Kenny Stancil May 05, 2023  “EPA Report on Neonics Proves U.S. Has ‘Five-Alarm Fire’ on Its Hands, Green Groups Say.”
19. Eskenazi, B., et al. 2023. Association of Lifetime Exposure to Glyphosate and Aminomethylphosphonic Acid (AMPA) with Liver Inflammation and Metabolic Syndrome at Young Adulthood: Findings from the CHAMACOS Study. EHP Vol. 131, No. 3. CID: 037001 https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP11721
20. Cerrizuela S, Vega-Lopez GA, Aybar MJ. The role of teratogens in neural crest development. Birth Defects Res. 2020 May;112(8):584-632.https://doi:10.1002/bdr2.1644

The Clean Hand Obsession

From supermarkets to schoolyards, it is hard to travel more than ten feet without running into a bottle of hand sanitizer!  Since the beginning of the COVID era, the usage of sanitizing products has expanded, particularly in areas that interface with children.  Of concern are the many compounds in these products that are antimicrobials.  Clearly, there is an obvious need for disinfection.  However, the potential toxicity of the various compounds in these products on children has not been taken into account. And what about the effects of the antimicrobials on the sensitive microbiome?

What’s in Those Hand Sanitizers?

Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs or quats), mostly utilized in the food industry, have been around since the 1930s.  They have now crept into hand sanitizers in addition to personal care products, anti-static/softeners, and pesticides/algaecides.  There are eight commonly found quats, and a giveaway is the preservative listed as ‘quaternium-15’ (which releases toxic formaldehyde).  They’ve been shown to have antimicrobial activity against Staph aureus and E. coli.  Their usage is so pervasive that their production has reached one million pounds/year (and higher amounts were produced during the pandemic).

Particularly problematic, these compounds are surfactants (detergents), sticky, and persistent.  Studies have shown that the half-life of quats lasts one week to over 1¼ years, with degradation happening quicker in sunlight.  The EPA created an ‘N’ list for approved sanitizers and disinfectants during COVID. Of the 392 products on the US EPA-approved list of sanitizers and disinfectants, 205 contain quats.

So What’s the Problem with Quats?

There are the known, reported problems with quat exposure such as asthma, inflammation of the skin and eye/mucous membrane injury (such as those reported in exposed workers).  However, a more shocking revelation was brought to our attention in 2017 via the groundbreaking work of Dr. Terry Hrubec, DVM, PhD, where she made some remarkable discoveries previously unreported.A summary of Dr. Hrubec’s findings in her study of mice exposed to quats include:

• An increased rate of neurologic issues in the pups (neural tube defects)
• Decreased and delayed reproduction
• Increased maternal and pup loss
• A reduction in sperm count
• Two generations were required for these changes to resolve

The source of these findings were the quats used in the cleaning solution of the mice cages.

Quats and Kids

Dr. Hrubec also recognized other relationships that affect health as well.  She discovered the link between quats and allergic disorders noted with an increase in inflammatory markers and decrease in cells (interleukins) that dampen inflammation.

In other words, there was a pro-inflammatory response. It is known that 80-90% of immune function resides in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) modulated by the microbes.  The health promoting effects of the microbiome (now even identified as an ‘organ’) on immunologic well-being has been clearly documented.

Considering the fact that children have a decreased ability to detoxify toxic substances, it is not a stretch to postulate that long-lasting antimicrobial toxicants could lead to residual effects on their microbes, thus producing the changes reported in immune function by Dr. Hrubec.

Until this data is produced, the Precautionary Principle needs to be swung back to the side of our children.

Of Mice and Men?

The curious reader may question the status of quats in humans since Dr. Hrubec’s work focused on mice.  She also decided to do a human study and examined the blood of 43 college students looking for quat concentrations.  She found the following:

• 80% of the participants had by-products of quats in their blood
• The students had decreased function of their mitochondria
• The students had alterations in cholesterol synthesis

With over five thousand quat-containing products now on the market, they are certainly hard to avoid even for those with a trained eye.  Industry reported that they don’t accumulate in human tissue.  However, Dr. Hrubec found that they did.  While the work of Dr. Hrubec focused on a specific type of neurologic issue seen in children, the likelihood of seeing other neurologic issues is high. So, the question is have we seen increased rates of neurologic diseases?  The rising rates of neurocognitive, neurobehavioral and neurodegenerative diseases says we have.

“…It was the worst of times…”  for Children

Reporting in the news has now taken on a certain Dickens quality, famously quoted in A Tale of Two Cities. Teachers in the UK demanded that children, “…be sprayed front and back with disinfectant at the school gates – as they reacted with alarm to the Prime Minister’s announcement (regarding the reopening of school during the pandemic)…”.  Is that the best that we can do?

There are safer choices for disinfection for everyone including:

• Soap and water (Imagine!)
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Thymol
• Lactic acid
• Citric acid
• Caprylic acid
• Some essential oils (i.e., pine oil)

Alcohol preparations, in themselves, are non-toxic, however can cause increased absorption of other toxic substances such as BPAs (endocrine disrupting compounds).

An often neglected and overlooked aspect of environmental toxicity is to be found in our waste; in particular, our wastewater.  Wastewater treatment plants were not designed for quat removal.  Biosludge (wastewater remnants) is being used as fertilizer across the US, thus further exposing our kids to a wide array of quats and other toxicants.  These issues shine a light on the need for environmental medical education to advise public policy and put into place legislation that supports the health of our most vulnerable.  That is our job.

Reader Kathryn L. asks whether carbon filters can eliminate glyphosate from her drinking water.  Good question!  This is what we found out

As per the EPA, studies show that glyphosate is effectively removed with activated-carbon methods, as well as chlorine and ozone.  There are more than 750 glyphosate-based herbicides on the market, (Roundup being the most renowned), so this is a commonly used and ubiquitous herbicide.

How does glyphosate get into your water, Kathryn?  Run-off and erosion from farms, roadways and public spaces are one of the most common ways it gets into the soil, finding its way into the water supply. It’s water-soluble and in certain conditions can last up to 22 years!  The following map shows how much is being used state-to-state, from 2018:

What makes the issue difficult is that acceptable amounts of glyphosate (there are none!) vary from state-to-state under the Safe Drinking Water Act via the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations.  The EPA established the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 700 ppb for glyphosate.  Hmm. Researchers found that levels of .1 ppb in rats caused fatty liver disease.  Maybe we should have another look at those levels?

But let’s get back to Kathryn’s question and do a deeper dive into those carbon-based systems.  Carbon-based filters are an effective way to eliminate glyphosate as well as other unwanted chemicals.  The method of action is via the process of adsorption where toxicants bind to the surface of the carbon filter.  To expand the binding capacity of carbon, pores are created that increase the surface area, thus “activating” the carbon in the filter.  The sources of the carbon are from coconut, coal and activated carbon modified through the addition of iron hydroxide.

There are several factors that can affect the binding capacity including the amount of glyphosate present, the pH (ideal is between 4 and 5) and temperature of the water, the type of carbon being utilized as well as how long the water is in contact with the carbon.

The biggest obstacles are cost and the need to change the carbon filter on a regular basis.  While home units might be best, they are definitely higher in price.  Under the sink models and stand-alone pitchers can also do the job!

When do you change the filter?  It depends on the usage, but approximately every 6 months to one year and/or when the carbon filter loses its adsorptive capacity.

Which ones should I buy?  Researching some of the filters out there, some of the leading pitcher-type filters include Clearly Filtered Water, Zero Water, and The Berkey.  This is an incomplete list but will get you thinking about the need to filter your water so that it is clean and affordable.  A drink of pure water to your health, Kathryn, and to all our readers!

By Dr. Michelle Perro, MD, DHOM Jan. 2023

Reader Kathryn L. asks whether carbon filters can eliminate glyphosate from her drinking water.  Good question!  This is what we found out…

As per the EPA, studies show that glyphosate is effectively removed with activated-carbon methods, as well as chlorine and ozone.  There are more than 750 glyphosate-based herbicides on the market, (Roundup being the most renowned), so this is a commonly used and ubiquitous herbicide. 

How does glyphosate get into your water, Kathryn?  Run-off and erosion from farms, roadways and public spaces are one of the most common ways it gets into the soil, finding its way into the water supply. It’s water-soluble and in certain conditions can last up to 22 years!  The following map shows how much is being used state-to-state, from 2018:

What makes the issue difficult is that acceptable amounts of glyphosate (there are none!) vary from state-to-state under the Safe Drinking Water Act via the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations.  The EPA established the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 700 ppb for glyphosate.  Hmm. Researchers found that levels of .1 ppb in rats caused fatty liver disease.  Maybe we should have another look at those levels?

But let’s get back to Kathryn’s question and do a deeper dive into those carbon-based systems.  Carbon-based filters are an effective way to eliminate glyphosate as well as other unwanted chemicals.  The method of action is via the process of adsorption where toxicants bind to the surface of the carbon filter.  To expand the binding capacity of carbon, pores are created that increase the surface area, thus “activating” the carbon in the filter.  The sources of the carbon are from coconut, coal and activated carbon modified through the addition of iron hydroxide. 

There are several factors that can affect the binding capacity including the amount of glyphosate present, the pH (ideal is between 4 and 5) and temperature of the water, the type of carbon being utilized as well as how long the water is in contact with the carbon.

The biggest obstacles are cost and the need to change the carbon filter on a regular basis.  While home units might be best, they are definitely higher in price.  Under the sink models and stand-alone pitchers can also do the job!

When do you change the filter?  It depends on the usage, but approximately every 6 months to one year and/or when the carbon filter loses its adsorptive capacity. 

Which ones should I buy?  Researching some of the filters out there, some of the leading pitcher-type filters include Clearly Filtered Water, Zero Water, and The Berkey.  This is an incomplete list but will get you thinking about the need to filter your water so that it is clean and affordable.  A drink of pure water to your health, Kathryn, and to all our readers!