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Earthworm problem

AngieD

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I used to collect earthworms from the garden to feed 4 of my newts, but recently there has been a problem:
I used to dig in the driveway, but my mum (despite me telling her not to) went into the back garden and sprayed Pathclear on part of the garden. It wasn't much, but I'm concerned about chemicals.
According to the bottle, the weedkiller becomes inactive when it reaches the soil, but I'm still thinking that it could be a risk.
I'm worried that the worms in the garden will gradually make their way over to the drive, and end up bringing some chemicals across with them.
Am I being over cautious, or is there a real risk in using the worms from the drive? At the moment I am considering moving my newts over to my boyfriend's weedkiller-free home (luckily he is mad about pets too)
 

peter5930

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These are the active ingredients in Pathclear:

2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
DCMU - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
3-Amino-1,2,4-triazole - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I wouldn't feed my animals worms that had been anywhere near that stuff:

Owing to the longevity and extent of use, 2,4-D is among the most thoroughly studied herbicides with respect to environmental properties. 2,4-D applied at 1.16 lb/acre to bluegrass turf in a laboratory experiment had a half-life of ten days.

The company that sells it advertises it as being able to kill weeds for up to 3 months after application, so it definitely sticks around in the soil for a fair while.

Dioxin impurities

Some preparations of 2,4-D are contaminated with dioxins due to the manufacturing process.[6] Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is classified as "carcinogenic to humans" by International Agency for Research on Cancer.[7]
Contamination is predominantly of the type with 2 or 3 chlorine atoms. Another form of dioxin, 2,7-dichlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (DCDD) was found to be equipotent to dioxin TCDD in its toxic effect on the immunity of mice. TCDD received all the publicity while the DCDD component was largely forgotten. To this day, DCDD is not regulated or monitored by the EPA and PMRA, even though DCDD levels could be at much higher levels than TCDD.[citation needed] The typical smell of 2,4-D is the break-down product 2,4-dichlorophenol. 2,4-D is toxic to the liver at small dosages. Increases in liver function tests, jaundice, acute hepatitis, lobular and portal inflammation indicative of a toxic reaction, as well as permanent damage leading to cirrhosis in exposed golfers [8][9][10]
The defoliant and herbicide Agent Orange, used extensively throughout the Vietnam War, contained 2,4-D. The controversies associated with the use of Agent Orange were associated with a contaminant (dioxin) in the 2,4,5-T component.[11]
The LD50 determined in an acute toxicity rat study is 639 mg/kg.[19] Single oral doses of 5 and 30 mg/kg body weight did not cause any acute toxic effects in human volunteers. This chemical has been associated with the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.[20]
The amine salt formulations can cause eye damage (blindness) on contact; ester formulations are considered non-irritating to the eyes.
One study found that occupational exposure to 2,4-D caused male reproductive problems, including dead and malformed sperm.[21]
Concerns regarding neurotoxicity have been voiced with increased sensitivity to amphetamine and thus concerns of increased risk of drug addiction among those exposed.[22]
3-AT is also is a nonselective systemic triazole herbicide used on nonfood croplands to control annual grasses and broadleaf and aquatic weeds. It is not used on food crops because of its carcinogenic properties. As an herbicide, it is known as aminotriazole, amitrole or amitrol.
Amitrol was included in a biocide ban proposed by the Swedish Chemicals Agency [4] and approved by the European Parliament on January 13, 2009.[5]
1959 cranberry contamination


On November 9, 1959, the secretary of the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare Arthur S. Flemming announced that some of the 1959 crop was tainted with traces of the herbicide aminotriazole. [6] The market for cranberries collapsed and growers lost millions of dollars. [7]


Also, driveways in general aren't great. I dug up some clay from a strip of ground between my garage and the neighbour's driveway when I was putting a fence up, and I'd hoped to use the clay in my tanks, but the stuff stank of oil and petrol that had dripped out of the neighbour's car over the years as it was going up and down their driveway, and the rocks I dug up from that area all produced an oil sheen in the water when I washed them.
 

AngieD

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One more question on the subject - is there some sort of time frame I could allow for that would make the worms safe again? If the chemicals are active for up to 3 months, then would the worms be safe after 6 months or more? If not, I'll have to keep my newts at my boyfriend's house permanently.
Also, I forgot to mention before that the weedkiller sprayed was old dregs in an old bottle, and it doesn't appear to have affected the foliage it was sprayed on. I still wouldn't dig for worms there without being sure of safety.
It's only the weedkiller that poses a threat in this instance, as the drive is not actually used as a drive at all, due to it being too narrow to fit a car without bumping or scratching it
 
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