Florida’s manatees are being poisoned by toxic chemicals from pesticides, according to a recent study.
The study found the chemical glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup weed-killer, in the plasma of 55.8% of the Florida manatees sampled.
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Pesticides are threatening manatee survival: Chronic exposure to glyphosate may have consequences for Florida manatees’ immune and renal systems, which may be further compounded by other environmental factors.
Glyphosate, the most widely used pesticide in the world, is likely harming 93% of endangered species in the United States according to recent findings from the Environmental Protection Agency.
More than 300 million pounds of glyphosate are applied in the United States every year, the stakes are high.
With one million species at risk of extinction, the last thing imperiled wildlife needs is another poison to contend with.
Manatees are just one example demonstrating the lingering effects of rampant pesticide use. And it's not just imperiled wildlife at risk. The World Health Organization and the state of California have also identified the herbicide as a probable cause of cancer in humans.
The Center for Biological Diversity is fighting to stop the EPA from rubberstamping poisons that harm life on Earth.