Widely used fungicide poses threat to sparrow chicks

Widely used fungicide poses threat to sparrow chicks

A French team coordinated by a scientist at CNRS highlights the harmful impact on sparrow reproduction of chronic exposure to tebuconazole, one of the most widely used fungicides in agriculture in Europe. These findings, recently published in Environmental Research, reveal a direct link between exposure to this fungicide and slower growth, as well as increased mortality, in sparrow chicks, with a greater impact on females.

More than sixty years ago, American biologist Rachel Carson alerted about the massive use of pesticides and their harmful effects on biodiversity and humans. The title of her book, Silent Spring, referred to...