Environmental Hazard Assessment of Bioinsecticides as a New Perspective for Ecotoxicology in Brazil

Abstract

Biological products or biopesticides have been presented as an interesting alternative to the traditional chemical products used to control pests in livestock, agriculture and public health. Due to its insecticide action, independent of their origin, these products are regulated by the federal legislation of pesticides. The main concerns are related to the potential impacts on the environment and on the health of the exposed population. Recently, with the publication of the Normative Instruction no 3, in March 10 of 2006, regulatory agencies have defined specific requirements for biopesticides registration in Brazil, and among these requirements are several ecotoxicity assays. In this way, this review inform what are the microorganisms with registration for use in Brazil, describes the assays requested for registration and comments available results in literature about the ecotoxicity of these agents. The studies presented showed different situations where many times the agent’s specificity is not so significant and in some cases non-target species can be affected. Besides, the acquisition of these data could orientate the researches with microorganisms predicting the environmental feasibility of its releases in field experiments. All these information emphasize the importance of ecotoxicology in the environmental hazard assessment of bioinsecticides and configure this field of action as more one for this science in Brazil.

Acute toxicity and cytotoxicity of Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus sphaericus strains on fish and mouse bone marrow

“…Within the midgut the 51 and 42 kDa proteins are converted to 42 and 39 kDa proteins, respectively, resulting in a major toxicity (Baumann et al 1991). Oliveira-Filho (2007) presents an interesting review about the ecotoxicity of bioinsecticides indicating absence of adverse effects on aquatic and terrestrial species. But the release of microbial toxins in the environment constantly generates the need for more data on biosafety, and consequently new toxicological evaluations should be undertaken to support the risk assessment of each new strain and toxin discovered.…”

Susceptibility of non-target invertebrates to Brazilian microbial pest control agents

“…These involve damage ranging from contamination of the environment to poisoning of human beings. Therefore, the use of microbial pest control agents (MPCAs) or entomopathogens as biological insecticides has become a highly viable and interesting alternative, because the selected microorganisms are naturally found in the environment (Oliveira-Filho 2008). Various microorganisms have already been evaluated by researchers and regulatory agencies around the world.…”

Evaluating the Elimination of Brazilian Entomopathogenic Bacillus by Non-target Aquatic Species: An Experimental Study

“…It should be noted that to evaluate the environmental hazard of biopesticides, acute tests and clearance evaluation are not enough. Snarski (1990) and Oliveira-Filho (2008) warn of the need to consider the potential effects of the formulation components and not only the quantification of microbial spores or CFUs for environmental risk assessments of biological insecticides. Several studies reinforce the need to evaluate the toxicity of both the active ingredient and the formulation of chemical pesticides, because in many cases the formulation or some components may have greater toxicity than the active ingredient of the product (Cox and Surgan 2006;Pereira et al 2009; Puglis and Boone 2011).…”