Neonicotinoids and human health

Neonicotinoid pesticides have come under scrutiny in Europe as possibly being harmful to human health, with a call for further restrictions on their use than currently exist.

European Union food regulators conducted a review at the request of the European Commission, finding that neonicotinoid pesticides “may affect the developing nervous system” of children, according to The New York Times. Earlier this year, some neonicotinoid pesticides were banned temporarily in Europe for use on a number of honey-bee-attracting crops, due to the pesticides being linked to bee deaths.

The European Commission acted in response to a Japanese study that raised concerns about the effects of neonicotinoids—such as acetamiprid (used in Ortho Flower, Fruit & Vegetable Insect Killer, for one) and imidacloprid (the active ingredient in Bayer Advanced Fruit, Citrus & Vegetable Insect Control)—on humans.