The Great Lakes dominate this true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image. Lake Superior covers the upper left corner. Beneath it is Lake Michigan, and to the right is Lake Huron. Under Lake Huron is Lake Erie (left) and Lake Ontario (right). Image Credit: Stocktrek Images via Getty Images
EnvironmentHealth United StatesLess Insecticides Have Led to Cleaner Air (a Win for People’s Health!)
New research shows that greater protections against the use of insecticides in the Great Lakes region of the United States have worked, with the atmospheric concentration of three insecticides falling so low that they are now undetectable.
Three insecticides – lindane, alpha-HCH, and endosulfan – “are well on their way to being virtually eliminated,” the paper says. “The measures that have been enacted have worked,” says Marta Venier, associate professor at Indiana University.
Insecticides such as lindane and alpha-HCH have been linked to heart and brain problems. Meanwhile, endosulfan is a known endocrine-disrupting compound. By 2016, all three chemicals had been banned by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The latest research, performed near The Great Lakes, shows that these restrictions are working, ultimately contributing to a safer environment for all local inhabitants.
