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Wildlife

The unintended consequence of DDT, an insecticide banned in 1972, was its devastating impact on bird populations. DDT residue washed into aquatic ecosystems where bald eagles and other predatory birds ingested the contaminated fish, causing thinning, nonviable eggshells. As a result, the bald eagle population plummeted to just 500 pairs across 48 states.

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Today, neonicotinoids (neonics), a class of insecticides introduced in 1994, is 7000 times as toxic as DDT. Neonics in Connecticut are widely used to kill insects on lawn and golf courses and in agriculture with coated seeds. As seen with DDT, the use of neonics affects not only the targeted insect, but  hollows out entire ecosystems. A 2023 EPA study shows neonics likely jeopardize over 200 threatened and endangered species. 

Pollinators

Birds

Mammals

90% of flowering plants and  ⅓ of human crops need pollinators for reproduction, but neonic pesticides have reduced the number of flying insects significantly.

Common birds such as American Robin, Eastern Bluebird, and Barn Swallows are among the species at risk from neonicotinoid use, and delaying action until populations decline dramatically is a costly and ecologically risky approach to conservation.

From jaw deformities in deer to neurological delays, emerging evidence demonstrates neonicotinoids adversely impact the nervous system of animals, including humans.

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