Pesticide Linked to Massive Deaths of Bees May Also Harm Humans, European Regulators Say

The type of pesticides associated with the deaths of huge numbers of honey bees may also be damaging to human health, announced the European Food regulators on Tuesday. The agency is also pushing for a restriction of its use within the European Commission. 

The commission, which had requested the review, has already taken a tougher stance than regulators in other parts of the world against neonicotinoids, a relatively new nicotine-derived class of pesticide. They were banned this year for use on many flowering crops in Europe that attract honey bees, an action that the pesticides' makers are opposing in court.

Now European Union regulators say the same class of pesticides "may affect the developing human nervous system" of children. They focused on two specific versions of the pesticide, acetamiprid and imidacloprid, saying they were safe to use only in smaller amounts than currently allowed.

The review was prompted by a Japanese study that raised similar concerns last year.

Imidacloprid is one of the most popular insecticides, and is used in agricultural and consumer products. It was developed by Bayer, the German chemicals giant, and is the active ingredient in products like Bayer Fruit, Citrus & Vegetable Insect Control, which can be purchased at stores internationally, including Home Depot in the United States.

Acetamiprid is sold by Nisso Chemical, a German branch of a Japanese company, though it was developed with Bayer's help. It is used in consumer products like Ortho Flower, Fruit & Vegetable Insect Killer.

The action by European regulators could affect the entire category of neonicotinoid pesticides, however.

James Ramsay, a spokesman for the European Food Safety Authority, which conducted the review, said the agency was recommending a mandatory submission of studies related to developmental neurotoxicity "as part of the authorization process in the E.U."

"We're advising that all neonicotinoid substances be evaluated as part of this testing strategy, providing that they show a similar toxicological profile to the two substances we've assessed in this opinion," he said.

Research by the Environmental Protection Agency in the United States has also raised concerns about the effect of the pesticides on honey bees, but the agency has not yet seen enough evidence to take action. The E.P.A. did not immediately have a response on Tuesday.

Bayer sharply disputed the European assessment on Tuesday.

"Imidacloprid has no developmental neurotoxicity potential in humans," Richard Breum, a spokesman for Bayer CropScience, said in a statement. He raised questions about the Japanese research, which he said "reports investigations in rat cell cultures, i.e. in an artificial system."

"Bayer CropScience has also evaluated the publication and can confirm that few conclusions can be drawn from it," he added.