Cellphones are dangerous/not dangerous, bee-friendly edition

As the saga continues, we've got yet another flip-flopped story rolling through in regard to the toxicity (or not) of cellphones to our environment. Just under a fortnight ago, a report based on an (admittedly lacking) research study claimed that Colony Collapse Disorder within bees was being encouraged by cellphone radiation. As expected, the researchers began living a life filled with Q&A sessions about the data, and now the "truth" is coming out. Essentially, the scientists are claiming that their data was "misinterpreted," and that the study actually looked at DECT phones and base stations, which transmit a "different frequency than mobiles." Furthermore, another member chimed in and boldly stated that their "studies cannot indicate that electromagnetic radiation is a cause of CCD." So that settles it -- until the next round of bickering begins, of course.

[Via Guardian]

[Maxwell Scott-Slade @ Apr 27th 2007 10:03AM]

I want evidence either way, why does it always seem like "research" is just a load of crap to support another faddish government law they're trying to pass. When will we all just grow up and realise people could die/not die. lol

[Adam @ Apr 27th 2007 11:22PM]

I have a new view on all of this "research" people do after participating in the mFlu study at the University of Michigan. No one actually participated. I'm sure some research is credible, but a lot of results must be worthless. Who knows if this research means anything?

(The mFlu study I was in was trying to determine if the use of surgical face masks and Purell hand sanitizer would prevent the spread of influenza if you're wondering.)

[syadasti @ Apr 27th 2007 11:03AM]

Instead of posting sensational BS, they should post articles focus on the real suspects of CCD:

http://www.nj.com/starledger/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1176611470205100.xml&coll=1

[Iceman @ Apr 27th 2007 11:37AM]

Thanks for the link! I had no idea bees were so susceptible to the pesticide used by corn farmers.

[syadasti @ Apr 27th 2007 1:22PM]

Here is the most important excerpt:

http://www.nj.com/starledger/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1176611470205100.xml&coll=1&thispage=3

" The rapid decline of feral honeybees has meant an increased reliance on commercial beekeepers to service the agricultural industry. Where there are no honeybees, there are no apple orchards or pumpkin patches, no squash, no broccoli, no cucumbers, melons, blueberries or cherries.

In the late 1980s, two pests, the varroa and tracheal mites, began decimating honeybee colonies all over the United States. With the falloff in honeybees, and without the government subsidies farmers get, beekeepers began abandoning the business. In the past 20 years nearly half of New Jersey's apiarists have closed up shop.

Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture heard testimony from commercial apiarists, as well as scientists, regarding the new threat to the American beekeeping industry. One of the experts, Penn State University entomologist Diana Cox-Foster, said that a recently convened research group is looking into three hypotheses for the unprecedented die-off:

# New or re-emerging pathogens

# Environmental pesticides suppressing the immune system of bees

# A combination of stresses working together to weaken bee colonies and cause final collapse.

Tassot and his wife believe they know why their bees have disappeared.

"We have suspicions about pesticides," he said. "We noticed most of the dead hives are close to cornfields. ... And when we asked other beekeepers what was the principle crop near their hives, they said corn, corn, corn."

Simone, of Morris Township, agrees. "When I spoke with other beekeepers they say all their hives with heavy losses are near cornfields."

Many farmers in the United States and around the world rely on genetically engineered corn to survive the assault of crop-killing insects. The seeds are coated with a systemic pesticide that is essentially built into the corn as it grows.

One of the chief chemicals used is a neurotoxin called imidacloprid, which is manufactured by the German company Bayer CropScience. Imidacloprid works by blocking a pathway in insect brains that results in an accumulation of a neurotransmitter which, in insects, leads to paralysis and death.

At sublethal doses, however, imidacloprid is toxic to honeybees. In a 2001 article in the Journal of Pesticide Reform, German scientist Eric Zeisstoff wrote that his research "indicated that bees affected by imidacloprid suffer problems with orientation. Bees with a particular level of imidacloprid contamination at 500 meters from the colony did not return to the hive at all."

In the mid-1990s, imidacloprid was implicated in a catastrophic honeybee die-off in France where honey production was cut in half between 1995 and 2002. In 2003 alone, more than 150 million honeybees were lost in France, and since then some uses of imidacloprid have been banned.

The reason for the die-off may not be so simple, however. Scientists also have discovered that adult bees in hives suffering from Colony Collapse Disorder carried fungal infections that may indicate the immune system of the bees may be compromised, contributing to the collapse.

"It's a scary thing to contemplate," said Simone, "because the potential for harm is really huge. ... If we don't find some real answers pretty soon, we'll see prices of fruit go way up."

Part of the problem, says Katz, is that while the U.S. Department of Agriculture keeps statistics on honey production, it does not track trends in pollination.

"The government has no ideas how many hives are put into crops, where they come from, or where they travel to," said Katz. "To me that is the major value of the honeybee in the U.S. ... It will be very difficult to quantify the loss. It will start to snowball.

"We'll see skyrocketing prices. It's going to be very problematic, and we're already behind the curve on the state and federal level." "

[James @ Apr 27th 2007 5:11PM]

SYG, while I agree that it's important to educate yourself and form your own opinion, I've seen a lot more "religious fervor" coming from the pro-AGW (Anthropogenic Global Warming) crowd (usually liberals) than from the anti-AGW crowd (usually conservatives).

And your comment about "Anything that gets this issue into household discussion..." (even if "anything" is stretching the truth, misrepresentation, and outright lies) smacks of the quote from the IPCC official who told all scientists something along the lines of, "We have to present a unified front. We need to play down any doubts we might have, because Global Warming is such an important issue and we don't want people to think the science isn't 100%." (I'm having a hard time finding a link, but I assure you it's out there.)

Well, if the science isn't 100% (as in AGW, and as in CCD), people should know about it -- so they can educate themselves and form their own opinions, just like you said. That's why conservatives get so riled about AGW, and that's why these revelations about CCD are such big news: people with an environmentalist agenda like to represent the case as though the science is settled, because they know people will not react in their favor if they find out that it isn't. But it's much worse for your case to come out screaming "THE SKY IS FALLING!!!", then have somebody point out that it possibly/probably won't, than to tell people "There's at least a 20% chance that the sky could be starting to fall, and we really need to look into that" and have a reasoned discourse.

[Leandro Almeida @ Apr 27th 2007 5:28PM]

Earth is passing through another big change right now, The earth's magnetic field is also changing and decreasing rapidly, and due to high radiation from the sun , cause by sun's spots , Earth magnetic field also becomes unstable in many areas causing confusion on many animals including many insects. there are many animals species to disappear from now on, few will survive lucky us most of those we need for food. Also sun's spots seems to be the major cause of global warming. Global Warming is caused by anything but Fossil fuel burning, Al Gore is a member of Skull and Bones Society, Nothing they say will be for the good of humanity. Trough out this change on earth, prepare your self to wake Up to the real world. myspace.com/shinespeed

[De'Mauri @ Apr 27th 2007 7:04PM]

That bee is the Key Club International, California-Nevada-Hawaii (CNH is on the wing) bee.

[LC @ Apr 27th 2007 8:50PM]

SYG, it's obvious you have a gripe with all of your conservative/religious right are evil diatribe, but to take the stand or erring on the side of caution every time a theory is birthed is just plain foolish. It didn't take long for this CCD cell phone theory to collapse, but in the meantime were we supposed to err on the side of caution until someone proved a negative?

Hell, someone can say tomorrow that Satellite television causes brain cancer. Are we then supposed to shut it down, put millions out of work just to err on the side of caution? Or are we supposed to scrutinize and peer review the studies before we make drastic decisions?

[ASSASSYN @ Apr 28th 2007 10:50PM]

Biologist found that it was a fungus causing massive bee deaths across the U.S.