Calhoun one of 15 counties to participate in neonicotinoid study

As discussions about water quality in Iowa continue, the Iowa State Hygienic Laboratory is taking a look at a controversial pesticide.
Neonicotinoids, which belong to a class of insecticides similar to nicotine, have been in use in the U.S. since the 1980s, but, unlike with some other kinds of pesticides and nutrients used in farming, no drinking water standards have been established for them, Calhoun County Environmental Health Officer Shelly Schossow said.
The state lab research project will test farm wells across the state, in Calhoun and 14 other counties, to see if neonicotinoids are present. Nearby participating counties include Sac, Carroll and Crawford.
“If so, what should the safety levels be?” Schossow said the lab hopes to establish.
The goal of the research project is to have data to present at the Governor’s Conference in the spring. 
Read more in the Nov. 1 edition.