GET THE FACTS
Neonic-treated seeds are contaminating Colorado’s soil, water, and food system — and research across the country confirms the harms. The resources below offer evidence-backed insights into why these default seed treatments don’t belong in everyday agriculture.
Four Chemical Giants Control 80% of Corn Seed — and Farmers Pay the Price
THE PRICE OF
NEONIC POLLUTION
Neonicotinoids (or “neonics”) are among the most toxic insecticides ever created — up to 10,000 times more toxic to bees than DDT. Despite this, they’re used by default on many field crop seeds in Colorado — often with no evidence of benefit. Studies now link these pesticides to widespread contamination in soil and water, as well as serious health risks for people, especially pregnant women and children.
-
Neonics persist, travel, and concentrate in soil and water, spreading well beyond the original application site.
-
Research links neonics to neurological, developmental, and reproductive harms, including birth defects of the heart and brain.
-
Extensive research shows neonic seed treatments provide no overall economic benefit to farmers.
95%
95% of pregnant women tested had neonics in their bodies, with levels rising each year.
0
Neonic treatments typically provide ZERO benefits to corn farmers.
250k
One neonic-treated corn seed can contain enough poison to kill a quarter million bees.
THE RISKS
ARE REAL
& WELL-DOCUMENTED
IMPACTS ARE EVERYWHERE
IMPACTS ARE EVERYWHERE
Human Health
Neonics are showing up in our bodies — not just on farms. From pregnant women to children, these pesticides are now found in the bloodstream of everyday Americans and have been linked to neurological, developmental, and reproductive harm.
-
95% of pregnant women tested were found to have neonics in their bodies, with the highest levels in Hispanic women.
-
Neonics interfere with brain development – with studies showing links to neurological, developmental, and reproductive harms (including birth defects of the heart and brain).
-
Half of the U.S. population is regularly exposed to neonics, with children facing higher exposure rates.
Water
Neonics don’t stay where they’re applied. Because they’re water-soluble and persistent, they easily move through soil and runoff into nearby waterways — contaminating rivers, lakes, groundwater, and even drinking water.
-
Over half of U.S. streams are contaminated with neonics — in both agricultural and urban areas.
-
Neonics are in Colorado surface and groundwater at alarmingly high concentrations.
-
A fishery collapsed in Japan after neonics wiped out the insects fish eat.
Soil Health
Neonics don’t just harm above-ground ecosystems — they silently degrade the very soil we rely on to grow food. By disrupting natural pest control mechanisms and killing beneficial microbes, neonic-treated seeds strip soil of its resilience and vitality, which can actually decrease crop yields.
-
Neonics harm beneficial bacteria critical for soil fertility and plant growth, threatening long-term soil health.
-
Neonics kill predators in the soil that keep pests under control, which can lead to even more pest outbreaks.
-
Neonics can sicken or kill earthworms, causing them to avoid neonic-treated soils, robbing farms of the drainage and organic matter benefits that worms provide.
Pollinators
Neonics are fueling alarming declines in honeybees, butterflies, and wild pollinators. These aren’t distant warnings — last winter was the worst on record for honeybee losses. Our food system depends on these species, and the damage is mounting fast.
-
One neonicotinoid-coated corn seed contains enough active ingredient to kill a quarter million bees.
-
Beekeepers lost over 55% of U.S. honeybee colonies last year — the highest rate recorded since tracking began.
-
Colorado is home to over 1,000 species of native bees, and neonics were found in nearly half of native bees sampled in the northeast - indicating their food and habitats are tainted.
Colorado beekeepers lost 42% of their colonies —a major blow to agriculture and an indicator of teetering ecosystem health.
-
Neonics are linked to sharp drops in butterfly populations — including the iconic Monarch — across the Midwest.
Wildlife
Neonics don't stop at insects — they’re poisoning the entire food web. From birds to fish to mammals, the ripple effects of these chemicals are far-reaching and alarming.
-
Neonics have been linked to birth defects and behavior changes in deer and other mammals.
-
Eating one neonic-treated corn seed can kill a small songbird.
94% of white-tailed deer in a recent Minnesota study had neonics in their bodies — with nearly two thirds at levels linked to early death.
-
The U.S. EPA predicts that unchecked neonic use could push over 200 threatened and endangered species to extinction.