Conversation

Bat die-offs in the U.S. led to increased use of insecticides,
which in turn led to greater #infant #mortality, according to a "seminal" study published Thursday that shows the effects of biodiversity loss on human beings.
Eyal Frank, an environmental economist at the University of Chicago, authored the study, which was published by Science, a leading peer-reviewed journal.

✅ Bats can eat thousands of insects per night and act as a natural pest control for farmers,
💥so when a fungal disease began killing off bat populations in the U.S. after being introduced in 2006, farmers in affected counties used more insecticides, Frank found.
🔥Those same counties saw more infant deaths, which Frank linked to increased use of insecticide that is harmful to human health, especially for babies and fetuses

https://www.rawstory.com/astonishing-study-shows-infant-deaths-rise-in-u-s-when-bat-populations-fall/