A rise in pesticides has been linked to a surge in infant deaths, study finds
Thousands of child deaths have been linked to the increasing use of pesticides on conventional agricultural crops.
Researchers from the University of Chicago found that farmers are increasingly using chemical pesticides to protect their crops from insects, as the number of pests feeding on their produce increases.
As farmers used more pesticides on their crops, infant mortality rose by nearly eight percent, resulting in 1,334 additional infant deaths.
For every one percent increase in pesticide use, the infant mortality rate increased by 0.25 percent.
Researchers found that the increase in insects is due to accelerated bat population declines caused by white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that kills more than a million bats in North America each year.
The researchers found that for every one percent increase in pesticide use, there was a 0.25 percent increase in the infant mortality rate
Farmers have long relied on winged creatures as natural pesticides, because they eat at least 40 percent of their body weight in insects every night. That means that when there are fewer bats, there are more insects, and therefore more pesticides.
The research team found that the decline in bat numbers led to a 30 percent increase in the use of synthetic pesticides.
But the chemicals have been linked to an increased risk of birth defects, low birth weight and fetal death.
Since WNS was first discovered in the U.S. in 2006, the disease has killed nearly 7 million bats in North America.
Dr Eyal Frank, study author and assistant professor at the University of Chicago, said: ‘Bats have gotten a bad reputation as something to be afraid of, especially after reports of a possible link to the origins of Covid-19.
“But bats do make a valuable contribution to society, because they are a natural pesticide. And this study shows that their decline can be harmful to humans.”
The findings come as the number of infant deaths in the U.S. is rising, with researchers saying this is due to premature births, complications during pregnancy and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
In the study In a study published in the journal Science, Dr. Frank examined 245 counties where cases of white-nose syndrome (WNS) have been reported. WNS gets its name from the white fungus that grows around the snouts and wings of infected bats.
The fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, thrives in cold weather and infects bats during hibernation.
The team found that farmers in counties where WNS was reported increased their use of synthetic pesticides by 31 percent to offset the decline in bat populations and protect their crops from the increase in crop-damaging insects.
In those provinces, the number of infant deaths from natural causes rose by eight percent, accounting for 1,334 additional deaths between 2006 and 2017.
While this is only a preliminary link, the researchers believe it could provide insight into the human costs of bat population declines.
White-nosed bat populations are declining due to a disease called white-nose syndrome
Dr Frank said: ‘If bats are no longer there to control insects, the costs to society are very high, but the costs to maintaining bat populations are likely to be lower.
‘More broadly, this research shows that wild animals add value to society. We need to understand that value better so that we can formulate policies to protect them.’
The research sheds new light on the causes of infant mortality, which has increased by about 3 percent over the past year, according to the most recent data from the CDC.
According to the CDC, the leading causes of infant death in 2021 were birth defects, preterm birth and low birth weight, injuries such as choking, pregnancy complications, and sudden infant death syndrome.
When the disease spreads to a group of hibernating bats, it kills 70 to 90 percent, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. But in some cases it can wipe out entire colonies.
According to researchers at the nonprofit Bat Conservation International, this could put more than half of North American bats at risk of serious decline over the next 15 years.
WNS has been found in 34 US states and seven Canadian provinces.
Bats have also been shown to help pollinate plants such as banana and mango trees, and disperse seeds in rainforests. However, the animals can also carry rabies, so experts advise against touching them.
Some studies have also found that SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the Covid-19 pandemic, originated in bats and reached humans through another species or has mutated enough to spread between people.