"..Of the many pesticides that American farmers have embraced in their war on bugs, neonicotinoids are among the most popular. One of them, called imidacloprid, is among the worlds best-selling insecticides, boasting sales of over $1 billion a year. But with their widespread use comes a notorious reputation that neonics, as they are nicknamed, are a bee killer... ..on Wednesday, a team of chemists and engineers at the U.S. Geological Survey and University of Iowa reported that they found neonicotinoids in treated drinking water. It marks the first time that anyone has identified this class of pesticide in tap water, the researchers write in Environmental Science & Technology Letters. ...."
Read more here: The Washington Post
Also here: BBC News