Florida Study Concludes That Common Fungicide Is Deadly To Frogs

"Two years ago some University of South Florida researchers began studying the effects of the most widely used fungicide in the country to see if it might kill more than just fungus.

Turns out it's also a pretty effective frog-icide.

"We were completely surprised to see it basically killed everything," said Taegan McMahon, the lead researcher on the study, which was published this week in a scientific journal called Environmental Health Perspectives. Frogs on farms with treated fields, frogs in ponds on golf courses, frogs in the back yard — the fungicide could be lethal to any of them, the study suggests.

"We don't know what the effect on humans could be," she added. "And we use it heavily in Florida.""

Craig Pittman reports for the St. Petersburg Times April 8, 2011.