Daniel Salzler No. 1109
EnviroInsight.org Five Items August 6, 2021
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Enhance your viewing by downloading the attached pdf file to view photos, etc.
The attached is all about improving life in the watershed.
Read this newsletter at EnviroInsight.org
1. Draft Climate Action Plan Worksp For The City Of Phoenix, With The Arizona Green Chamber. August 5th from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m.. Register Here
2. Using Silicone Wristbands To Measure Air Quality. The research team found that the wristbands, when used as passive samplers, have the ability to bind smaller molecular weight semi-volatile polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) — a class of chemicals that occur naturally in coal, crude oil and gasoline and are produced when coal, oil, gas, wood, garbage and tobacco are burned — in a similar pattern as active sampling.
Published recently in Nature’s Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, the study focused on pregnant women in Hidalgo County in South Texas. This particular area of Texas was selected because of the heightened prevalence of childhood asthma in the region, as well as a higher prematurity rate (14.8 percent) compared to the rest of the state (12.9 percent).
The study was aimed at quantifying maternal PAH exposure in pregnant women residing in McAllen. To gather the data, participants carried backpacks containing air-sampling equipment. A silicone wristband was also attached to each backpack. After three nonconsecutive 24-hour periods, the air-sampling equipment and wristbands were analyzed for PAHs. Prenatal exposure to PAHs has been shown to lead to adverse health effects in children.
When the researchers analyzed and compared the data from the air sampling equipment and the wristbands, they found that the wristbands yielded similar results to the more traditional testing methods. The researchers suggest that the use of the silicone wristbands as a passive sampler could be useful in studies of semi-volatile PAHs.
“The use of wristbands is appealing because it is inexpensive and easy to wear,” said co-author Itza Mendoza-Sanchez, assistant professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH). “Wristbands have been used to detect a number of pollutant, but qualification of those pollutants remains a challenge. Our goal was to evaluate to what extent we can use wristbands as passive samplers to quantify PAHs in air. Source:https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/07/210723154525.htm
3. When Walking The Forest Or Desert Trail, Be On The Watch For Rattlesnakes. There are a total of 36 identified species of rattlesnakes, and they can be found in most U.S. states. Fourteen of these species of rattlesnakes can be found in the state of Arizona. That’s more rattlesnake species than any other state.
Rattlesnakes are venomous snakes in the viper family, and are only found in the Americas. They get their name from the “rattles” they have on the ends of their tails. These rattles are actually made up of sections of keratin (what our finger nails are made of) spaced apart justright so that when they shake the end of their tails, you get the rattle sound that warns off predators.
14 TYPES OF RATTLESNAKES IN ARIZONA
The 14 species of rattlesnakes found in Arizona are:
Desert massasauga rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus edwardsii)
Mohave rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus)
Sidewinder rattlesnake (Crotalus cerastes)
Grand canyon rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus abyssus) ––
Arizona black rattlesnake (Crotalus cerberus)
Great basin rattlesnake (Crotalus lutosu)
Tiger rattlesnake (Crotalus tigris)
Prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis)
Northern blacktail rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus)
Arizona ridge-nosed rattlesnake (Crotalus willardi willardi)
Southwestern speckled rattlesnake(Crotalus mitchellii pyrrhus)
Western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox)
Twin-spotted rattlesnake (Crotalus pricei) and the
Banded rock rattlesnake (Crotalus lepidus klauberi)
Rattlesnakes emerge from hibernation between March and April and are generally most active during the daytime, when it’s between 80 and 90 degrees.
With a valid hunting license it is legal to hunt rattlesnakes in the state of Arizona. Though some species, like the Arizona ridge-nosed rattlesnakes, are protected by state law. So please check with the local fish and wildlife service before you kill any wildlife.
Rattlesnakes are venomous and their venom is composed mainly of hemotoxic elements. According to Infoplease.com, hemotoxins puncture the blood vessels, causing hemorrhaging and tissue damage and destroying red blood cells. However, rattlesnake bites are rarely fatal unless they are left untreated.
What to do if you encounter a rattlesnake on the trail
Rattlesnakes don’t want to bite you, Johnson said, but they will defend themselves if they feel threatened.
“If you’re on the trail, you don’t need to be worried at all as long as you keep your eyes open and don’t put your hands and your feet where you can’t see them. If you see a snake, don’t go near it. Just go around it. if you do that, it’s impossible to be bitten,” he said.
“Most bites occur when people go into the brush. Snakes have no ears; they can’t hear you coming. People are usually touching rocks or putting their hands and feet on the other side of the trail, which is where bites happen.”
Source: Arizona Republic.Source: Wildlife Informer
4. Safety In The Bedroom. Did you know that sheets that haven’t been washed in one week have 3 million particles of bacteria per square inch? That’s 17,442 more than a toilet seat. Your sheets are literally crawling and saturated with bacteria and germs.
Dead skin cells. Humans shed between 30,000 and 40,000 skin cells every day, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). Congratulations because that’s impressive, but also, you spend hours of your life in bed. Guess where a lot of those dead skin cells are hanging out?
Then there’s the amount of moisture you can leak all over your sheets as you sleep. We’re talking sweat, drool, oils from your skin, and any fluids from sexual extracurriculars.
If you sleep naked, you may even be adding tiny bits of dried fecal matter to the mix, microbiologist Michael Schmidt, Ph.D., a professor and vice chairman of microbiology and immunology at The Medical University of South Carolina, tells SELF. So, if you don’t wash your sheets for an extended period of time, it’s kind of like you’re sleeping in a cesspool of your own making.
That is, of course, unless you share a bed with someone else. If you do, you’re dealing with all of their bodily fluids and dead skin cells, too. If you have a pet that sleeps in bed with you, they could be contaminating your sheets as well.
That’s just a general number, though. A myriad of factors determine if you should wash your sheets more often than once a week based on your lifestyle, Dr. Schmidt says. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:
- Do you wear pajamas to bed? They can trap some of your dead skin cells so they don’t wind up on your sheets.
- Do you shower before bed? That gets rid of some of those dead cells, too.
- Do any pets sleep with you?
- Do you move around a lot in your sleep? If you’re what Dr. Schmidt likes to call a “dead-to-the-world sleeper,” you’re less likely to shed skin. You’ll still shed some, but not as much as if you were constantly thrashing around in your sleep.
- Do you drool all over your pillowcase every night?
- Do you have skin issues such as acne or eczema
One study found that a typical pillow has as many as 16 different species of fungus and literally millions of fungal spores. And the most common among them, Aspergillus fumigatus, is potentially dangerous. In addition to allergic reactions, it can infect your lungs and other organs.
If you want to take further precautions, making your bed daily is an excellent idea. As you make your bed, tiny dry particles your sheets have accumulated fall to the floor, says Dr. Schmidt. Then it’s a job left to your vacuum.
Source: Insider, November 2020
And to make sure residual bacterial are killed off, hang your sheets on the line for 30 minutes on a sunny day to get a more sanitary clean.
5. Common Insecticide Is Harmful To Bees In Any Amount. For the average bee, every little bit counts.
A new UC Riverside study shows that a type of insecticide made for commercial plant nurseries is harmful to a typical bee even when applied well below the label rate.
The study was published today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
Chemically similar to nicotine, neonicotinoids are insecticides that protect against plant-consuming insects like aphids, but seriously harm beneficial insects, like bees. They are widely used by commercial growers.
Much research has focused on their use in food crops like canola, in which they are typically applied at low doses. However, this study is one of the few to examine neonicotinoid application in potted ornamental plants, which can represent more potent, acute sources of exposure to the toxin for bees.
“Neonicotinoids are often used on food crops as a seed treatment,” explained UCR entomologist and lead study author Jacob Cecala. “But they’re usually applied in higher amounts to ornamental plants for aesthetic reasons. The effects are deadly no matter how much the plants are watered.”
Though increased water decreased the pesticide’s potency in the nectar of the flowers, the negative effects on bees were still observed.
“Unfortunately, we observed a 90% decrease in the bees’ reproduction with both high and low levels of irrigation,” Cecala said.
This study is also one of the few to examine neonicotinoid effects via ornamental plants on solitary bees, which make up more than 90% of native bee species in North America, and an even higher percentage in California.
If a worker bee that is social — like the honeybee — gets exposed to insecticide and dies, it won’t necessarily affect the longevity of the hive. However, if a solitary bee dies, its lineage is cut short.
Though this study used a neonicotinoid product formulated for nurseries, formulations of similar products for home gardeners also tend to be highly concentrated.
Plants in nurseries or residential backyards represent a smaller total area than food plant fields like corn or soy. However, high-potency neonicotinoid products can have a big effect even in small areas. In 2013, neonicotinoids applied to flowering trees in a retail parking lot in Oregon caused a massive bumblebee die off, with more than 25,000 found dead.
The researchers recommend that nurseries quantify the amount of pesticides that are making their way into flowers given their watering and pesticide regimes, and consider alternative management practices that reduce harm to bees and the ecosystems dependent on them.
“It’s not as simple as ‘don’t use pesticides’ — sometimes they’re necessary,” Cecala said. “However, people can look for a different class of insecticide, try to apply them on plants that aren’t attractive to bees, or find biological methods of pest control.”
Examples of Garden product trademark Neonicotinoids names:
Bayer Advanced 3-in-1 Insect, Disease, & Mite Control
Bayer Advanced 12 Month Tree & Shrub Insect Control
Bayer Advanced 12 Month Tree & Shrub Protect & Feed
Bayer Advanced Fruit, Citrus & Vegetable Insect Control
Bayer Advanced All-in-One Rose & Flower Care concentrate
DIY Tree Care Products Multi-Insect Killer
Ferti-lome 2-N-1 Systemic
Hi-Yield Systemic Insect Spray
Knockout Ready-To-Use Grub Killer
Monterey Once a Year Insect Control II
Ortho Bug B Gon Year-Long Tree & Shrub Insect Control
Ortho MAX Tree & Shrub Insect Control
Surrender Brand GrubZ Out
Neonicotinoid:
Clothianidin
Garden product trademark name:
Bayer Advanced All-in-One Rose & Flower Care granules
Green Light Grub Control with Arena
Neonicotinoid:
Thiamethoxam
Garden & ornamental uses:
Foliar spray for turf and ornamental flowers, trees, and shrubs; granules for turf and ornamental flowers, trees, and shrubs.
Garden product trademark names:
Amdro Quick Kill Lawn & Landscape Insect Killer.
Amdro Rose & Flower Care
Maxide Dual Action Insect Killer
Neonicotinoid:
Dinotefuran
Garden & ornamental uses:
Granules for turf and ornamental flowers, shrubs or trees; soil drench for ornamental flowers, trees, and shrubs.
Garden product trademark names:
Green Light Tree & Shrub Insect Control with Safari 2 G
Ortho Tree & Shrub Insect Control Plus Miracle Gro Plant Food
Safari
Neonicotinoid:
Acetamiprid
Garden product trademark names:
Ortho Bug B Gon Garden Insect Killer
Ortho Bug B Gon for Lawns
Ortho Flower, Fruit and Vegetable Insect Killer
Ortho Rose and Flower Insect Killer
Ortho Rose Pride Insect Killer
Source: http://www.gardening-for-wildlife.com/Gardening_For_Wildlife-A-List-of-Pesticides-June-1-2015.html and Science Daily, August 2, 2021
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