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Pollution and the Birds and the Bees (and spiders too) – Another Indictment of Our Handling the Environment
By Mark Schauss | May 9, 2008
The White House’s recent evisceration of the EPA edict to lower pollution and smog may be another stake in the heart of beekeepers everywhere. Turns out smog and other parts of air pollution may be confusing the bees as well as other pollenators such as moths and bats so they can’t find the flowers. Under ideal situations, the floral scent of a flower can travel for miles, air pollution can cut the scent in half within 200-300 yards.
We, in our yearning to use up fossil fuels have again disrupted natural processes that are having devastating consequences. Another study shows that methylmercury is accumulating in high levels in spiders, which then moves up the food chain into birds that prey on the arachnids. Spiders, because they tend to be predatory, eat insects that are exposed to mercury. According to aquatic ecologist, David Schindler of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, “Anything that lengthens the food chain pushes mercury up and is biomagnified by about a factor of 10 with each step.” Guess what? Humans are at the top of that food chain.
Topics: Environment, Food, Health, Mercury, Politics, Research, Toxicity, heavy metals | No Comments »