DOC wiping out pest fish
Subject: DOC wiping out pest fish
Date: Fri, 5 Apr 2002 10:50:01 -0500
From: Stephen Tvedten <steve@getipm.com>
Organization: Get Set Inc. (www.getipm.com)
To: Paul Helliker <phelliker@cdpr.ca.gov>
Director, State of
California, Department of Pesticide Regulation
cc: Christine Whitman whitman.christine@epa.gov
Dear Mr. Helliker, I thought you might like to read an article from the NEWS dated:
N E W S S T O R Y
DOC wiping out pest fish
The Department of Conservation has begun work to eradicate three populations of the pest fish gambusia in the Motueka area.
The three populations are among eight new populations of gambusia affinis found in the area during the past four months.
Conservation officer Tim Shaw said two were in water
systems that flowed into the
"These three gambusia populations are being targeted now because of the risk of these fish spreading into larger water bodies.
"We don't want gambusia spreading to the
"Gambusia upset the natural balance of the ecosystems they invade. They prey on native fish and their eggs and compete with them for food and habitat."
It has yet to be decided what will be done with the other
gambusia populations. The Motueka populations are believed to be the only ones
in the
"Ideally, we would like the
Rotenone, a fish poison, will be used to eradicate the three populations being targeted this month. Last year, 18 gambusia populations in the Nelson region were successfully eradicated with rotenone.
According to DOC, Rotenone is a natural toxin found in the roots of certain tropical plants. It is highly effective against fish but is not poisonous to birds and animals.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/inl/print/0,1103,1157825a1931,FF.html
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Dear Mr. Helliker, I also thought you might like to compare the following article entitled:
otenone Pesticide exposure linked to Parkinson's
Research suggests it may trigger disease symptoms
By JOSEPH D. VERRENGIA Associated Press
New research using rats suggests that long-term exposure to a widely used pesticide kills brain cells and triggers debilitating physical symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease. Scientists say that the experiment's results strongly indicate what scientists have suspected for several years — that the most common form of Parkinson's disease might result from toxins in the environment.
The new study, published in the December issue of Nature Neuroscience, does not prove that the pesticide used in the test, rotenone, causes Parkinson's in humans.
But scientists who reviewed the experiment said the results are powerful and should reinvigorate the search for environmental toxins that may contribute to Parkinson's, the most common neurological disorder after Alzheimer's.
More than one million Americans suffer from Parkinson's.
Muscle control ebbs as brain cells in a region called the substantia nigra produce less dopamine, a hormone vital to normal nerve function. The illness is marked by small tremors, such as facial tics and shaking hands.
Advanced symptoms include a shuffling gait, speech difficulties and muscle weakness.
There is no cure, and current drug and surgical I therapies tend to lose effectiveness over time. New therapies involving transplants of stem cells, the body's master cells from which all tissues grow, have been slowed by federal funding restrictions on experiments using embryonic tissues.
In about 10% of patients; Parkinson's strikes before age 50. These rare cases probably are caused by inherited genetic abnormalities.
However, most patients show their first Parkinson's symptoms after age 60. Researchers believe that older patients may have suffered brain damage from chronic exposure to unspecified toxins. Among the suspects: pesticides, industrial chemicals and tobacco smoke.
In the experiment conducted at
Rotenone is an organic product made from extracts of tropical plants. It is widely used as an agricultural pesticide and to kill unwanted fish in reservoirs.
People most frequently would be exposed to rotenone by ingesting residue in food or by handling the compound.
Scientists acknowledged the pump method used in the experiment did not duplicate rotenone exposure in the real world, but said it was a more direct and reliable method for research purposes.
Half of the rats gradually showed Parkinson's symptoms.
Examination revealed that large numbers of dopamine-producing cells in the rats' brains had died or were damaged. In addition, the cells showed fibrous protein deposits that closely resemble Lewy bodies, deposits found in brain cells of Parkinson's patients.
How rotenone might have triggered these changes in rats is unclear.
Well Mr. Helliker, It is
against the
Respectfully,
Stephen L. Tvedten
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