Toxicology - Colony Collapse Disorder - Case Study Example

Toxicology Toxicology is the study of dangerous interactions between chemicals and biological systems. Biological systems are fundamentally human beings, animals and plants. On the other hand, the chemicals range from metals to large complex molecules. Based on the study, the chemicals we shall look at are nionicotinoid pesticides, miticides and antibiotics and how they affect bees causing the Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Colony Collapse Disorder is a term that got forged by bee researchers who use it to refer to the phenomenon which had healthy bees flying away from their colony leaving behind pollen, young bees and the queen, abandoning their hive for a new one elsewhere. This is a phenomenon that got witnessed in the United States between the years 2004 – 2005 where commercial bee keepers lost 30 – 90 percent of their hives (Sainath, 2010). Pesticides are a group of chemicals that became designed for selective toxicity to a certain type of species. They might be toxic to other species also but only to a certain degree lesser than for the targeted one. Pesticides usually have toxic effects on some non-targeted organisms too, using this case as an example, the bees. When they feed on neonicotyl insecticides, even at sub lethal levels it eventually has an effect on their memory, behavior and longevity (Timbrell, 2002). A prolonged exposure to the pesticides also tends to cause them to acquire chronic levels of pesticides in their body and also to the honey they make. Studies have gone ahead to show traces of such chemicals in honey which became consumed by human beings. Miticides are a group of chemicals that essentially kill ticks and mites. The chemical became essentially intended for use in the control of mites that feed on plants and cause irritation to the bees. A particularly common example would be the varroa mite and the hive beetle. These pests harbor infectious pathogens that cause catastrophic damage to bee keeping operations. It is because of these facts that farmers/bee keepers tend to fumigate their bee hives with the chemicals. The problem though, arises when these exact chemicals affect the bees directly by adding additional stress to them. Miticides that got sprayed to plants are also likely to be subjected to exposure on the bees as they forage on the crops for nectar, pollen and other materials necessary for honey production. Antibiotics are chemicals used to control infections by inhibiting growth and destroying microorganisms. Unlike pesticides and miticides which are curative chemical measures, these chemicals get administered as a preventive measure against brood diseases in a bee colony. The problem is that in the long run, continued use of the antibiotics contributes to weakening of the bees immune system as they do not come to contact with the disease causing pathogens hence building their own immunity (Palacios et al, 2007). It contributes to the immune system deficiency in the bees and at the same time increasing the development of super-pests and diseases that are antibiotic resistant. This is thanks to their evolving to the antibiotics that get administered to them in their aim to survive. This leads to an augment in the amount of pests and diseases that are antibiotic resistant. There are two types of exposure, to the stated chemicals in the last three preceding paragraphs. There is acute exposure. This occurs as a result of an organism getting exposed to a large dosage of a particular chemical at once. There is also chronic exposure. This is essentially getting exposed to a chemical in little doses until it accumulates leading to it having a toxic effect. The bees can be exposed to the both above types of exposure through three main ways. First, it is through gastro-intestinal inception of the chemical. This is where the young bees consume the chemical as they feed on the toxic honey. Second, it is through inhaling of pesticides in liquid form that might have gotten sprayed and is in the air. Third is through absorption via their ‘skin’ (Pettis, 2007). Colony Collapse Disorder gets considered to be caused by various ways other than just the bees coming to contact with chemicals. One of the factors is poor nutrition. Factors such as a drought cause plants to wither off leading to the bees lacking food causing ‘stress’ which leads to an unhealthy and malnourished colony. Second is pathogens and immunodeficiency in the bees (Palacios et al, 2007). Immunosuppressing pathogens in bees cause a type of immunosuppression of their immune system. This causes them to have some form of stress. Poisonous plants like Yellow Jessamine and skunk cabbage also tend to be part of what gets thought to cause Colony Collapse Disorder. We tend to know that poisonous plants have poisonous nectar. When bees feed on the nectar they poison themselves and the colonies honey when they mix it. So failure for a farmer/bee keeper to take note of such plants on the environs of his farm might lead to such scenarios taking place leading to Colony Collapse Disorder taking place (Pettis, 2007). As it got observed in Europe, where some colonies attack a dying colony’s hive to rob it of its supplies for their use, if say the hive got infected, it causes the infection to spread to other colonies too. Despite all the causes of Colony Collapse Disorder, what stands out the most is that the use of chemicals such as pesticides, miticides and antibiotics are the crucial factor into what causes it. This happens by the chemicals working either on their own or through synergistic interactions between themselves and other local, multiple environmental factors in play. With this, researchers get seen as having a mountain to climb as they argue their case out to the Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A). This is an organization that protects the environment and does not use the informal ways of acquiring information like bee keepers do. Instead, to make federal laws it bases its weight mostly on strong laboratory practices (G.L.P). This unlike the informal ways the farmers use is a scientific way of having research consistently done. It specifies how a particular study should be conducted, recorded. The interpretation of the findings and also specifies who does the process. In order for a study to comply with all these stringent rules, it has to be validated by a regulatory board first (Sainath, 2010). It is also critical that we note the regulatory body does need to apply a precautionary approach to the way it comes up with the rules and regulations instead of following a scientific approach. Regulators such as the Environmental Protection Agency must accept suggestive data, for example, the informal data collected and given to them by the bee keepers. This will go a long way to help in broadening the array of knowledge the regulators will have to help them come up with a conclusive and inclusive policy decisions regarding the chemicals such as pesticides, miticides and antibiotics than they currently do. Ignorance to such might prove detrimental in the future should it go unchecked or not looked into at all. It gives the bee keepers morale to continue feeding the regulatory body with information knowing they would be heard. There is also a growing need to protect the bees as they are one of the major pollinators of over 90 fruit, nut and vegetable crops that depend on animal pollination. The human species largely depend on these crops directly or indirectly. Protection of the bees is an indirect way of protecting these crops as without the pollination there is no reproduction among the plants hence the human needs do not get met. We see that Colony Collapse Disorder is still a topic of discussion, and it has a long way before a neutral ground gets reached and a long lasting solution gets found. The several different ways through which the phenomenon can occur gets seen, also highlighting the various ways that have cropped up to try and explain have also been highlighted. At the same time, we see how there are various ways also coming out to address the issue of how can we prevent the Colony Collapse Disorder from occurring. There is a need for the authoritarian bodies to burrow deep and do more research on the issue as a whole. This would enable them to come up with a solution that would be feasible to both the chemical producing industries and the bee farmers. Also, the bee keepers need to be additionally learned on how to take care of the bees, on what the most favorable environment for the farming of bees is. This ensures that the bees are in a conducive environment. Here, they do not get ‘stressed’ hence increasing their chances of reproducing and producing a high yield of honey that is pure and safe for consumption. References Palacios, G., Conlan, S., & et. al, E. H. (2007). A Metagenomic Survey of Microbes in Honey Bee Colony Collapse Order. London: Humphrey and sons. Pettis, J., Vanengelsdorp, D., & Cox-Foster, D. (2007). Collony Collapse Disorder Working Group Pathogen Sub-group Progress Report. New Jersey: Walters & Sanders. Sainath Suryanarayanan, D. L. (2010). Disappearing Bees and Reluctant Regulators. Wisconsin. Timbrell, J. (2002). Introduction to Toxicology. New York: Taylor & Francis. Read More