Effects on aquatic and human health due to large scale bioenergy crop expansion

Love, B.J., M.D. Einheuser and A. P. Nejadhashemi

Presented at the All Scientist Meeting (2012-03-15 to 2012-03-16 )

•Global energy consumption will increase by 57 percent in the next 25 years (Rooney et al., 2007).

•Increased agricultural inputs may result in pollutant loadings in water leading to negative effects on human safety and aquatic ecosystems (Carpenter et al., 1998).

•Pesticides impair behavioral and physiological characteristics of aquatic organisms (Cook and Moore, 2008; Scott and Sloman, 2004).

•Some pesticides may be carcinogenic and others affect humans in other ways including risks to the nervous system and hormones, and skin irritations (Omalley, 1997).