Chemical Controversies
Pesticides are substances that prevent, destroy, repel, or reduce the severity of pests. Pests are living things that occur where they are not wanted or that cause damage to humans, crops, or animals. Pests can be insects, rodents, unwanted plants, bacteria, viruses, or different types of fungus. Pesticides can vary in how toxic they are to humans and the environment. Some are persistent in the environment, animals, and birds, lasting for years; others break down soon after they are released. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grants licenses, or registrations, to pesticides that it has found do not pose unreasonable risks to human health and the environment; it has registered at least 865 pesticides, which are used in thousands of pesticide products.
Below is the complete archive of related articles sorted by date.
Why neonicotinoid pesticides don’t deserve a ‘deadly to bees’ label
While some activists blame the popular class of pesticides for bee deaths, research suggests there are many contributing factors. And ...
Video: How Bt insect-resistant eggplant helped farmers in Bangladesh beat back an invasive pest
A new study confirms that genetically modified, pest-resistant Bt eggplant (brinjal) has helped smallholder farmers in Bangladesh greatly reduce their ...
Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer boosts cancer risk? New analysis challenges scientific consensus on glyphosate
Researchers at the University of Washington (UW) have published a new scientific analysis of glyphosate (PDF), the active ingredient in Monsanto’s ...
Viewpoint: How ‘lazy journalists’ helped anti-pesticide biologist Tyrone Hayes needlessly scare the public
What do you do when....someone asks to see the raw data that your dubious claims are based on? This was ...
Viewpoint: Here’s why we don’t have to worry about a world without insects
Recent headlines about the coming collapse of the insect world are another case of extrapolation from inadequate data ...
Monsanto weed killer Roundup harms beneficial gut bacteria, lawsuit claims
Monsanto Co. has been sued by thousands of farmers and others who blame their cancers on its massively popular Roundup ...
New Hampshire considers ban on pesticides some claim are toxic to bees
New Hampshire lawmakers on [February 12] will take up a proposal to ban most uses of pesticides that are toxic ...
Another 2-year GMO corn and Roundup study finds no evidence of increased cancer, again repudiating Séralini’s retracted 2012 study
In 2012, a controversial study on the long-term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and the glyphosate-tolerant genetically modified (GM) maize ...
Talking Biotech: How AAAS, world’s largest science organization, promoted ‘data-less conspiracy’ linking glyphosate to kidney disease
There is no evidence that glyphosate causes kidney disease. Why does the AAAS say otherwise? ...
Neonicotinoid insecticide clothianidin unlikely to harm healthy honeybee colonies
Interactions between multiple stressors have been implicated in elevated honeybee colony losses. Here, we extend our landscape-scale study on the ...
20 plus years of data show Bt insect-resistant crops to be ‘powerful,’ sustainable pest management tools
Genetically engineered (GE) crops producing insecticidal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) (mainly Cry proteins) have become a major control tactic for a ...
Modern farming isn’t driving insect declines, agricultural industry says
A new piece of research, carried out by Francisco Sánchez-Bayo and Kris Wyckhuys, reviewed 73 historical reports of insect declines from ...
Deep dive into the science and history of Monsanto’s glyphosate-based weed killer
The science behind the product, the fight over glyphosate, and the research behind the formulations ...
Monsanto wins arbitration ruling against Indian seed company in dispute over GMO cotton patent
German drugmaker Bayer AG’s Monsanto unit has won proceedings against Indian seed maker Nuziveedu Seeds Ltd (NSL) in a royalty ...
Viewpoint: A closer look at Friends of the Earth’s study that found ‘toxic’ pesticides in food
Friends of the Earth....teased us in a media kit with the promise of a science study about finding various weedkillers ...
Federal judge dismisses ‘key’ claims against Monsanto in dicamba drift lawsuit
A federal judge in Missouri dismissed several claims in a class action brought by farmers claiming agrochemical giant Monsanto sold ...
Viewpoint: Do organic farms really produce ‘chemical free, healthier food’?
The multi-billion-dollar organic industry is thriving in large part because of dishonesty ...
Brazilian case study highlights dramatic sustainability and economic benefits of GMO Bt insect-resistant cotton, corn and soybeans
Without access to insect resistance technology, inserted into Bt cotton, corn and soybean seeds, Brazilian farmers could lose [approximately $23 ...
Monarch butterfly, milkweed declines not driven by GMO crops, study shows
To get a better understanding of the monarch butterfly’s future, Jack Boyle built a time machine. Boyle, a Mellon Postdoctoral ...
Viewpoint: Michelob’s ‘Pure Gold’ organic beer won’t preserve your health or the environment
Beer companies often use sex to sell their beers, but Michelob Ultra is reinventing the beer commercial by advertising something ...
AAAS fiasco just got messier—After member revolt, data-less news release linking glyphosate to kidney disease pulled, Freedom and Responsibility award will not be presented, for now
Editor's note: After this blog was posted, on February 6, the American Association for the Advancement of Science tweeted that ...
Russia threatens to restrict soy imports from Brazil over use of controversial weed killer glyphosate
The Russian government has informed Brazil that it may adopt temporary import restrictions on soybeans if Brazilian producers do not ...
AAAS fumble? Prestigious scientists’ organization endorses ‘data-less’ study suggesting links between glyphosate and kidney disease in Sri Lanka
I humbly ask this question. What am I missing? I just read the press release from the AAAS about the 2019 Scientific ...
Inside Nigeria’s efforts to protect its cowpea harvest with nation’s first genetically engineered seeds
The release of the GM cowpea will significantly improve livelihoods. But not everyone is happy ...
Non-GMO vegetable seeds? Capitalizing on consumer fears to sell overpriced seeds
Niki Jabbour....recently shook a hornet’s nest. The talented gardener, book author, and radio host said on Facebook that she’d been ...
US farmer groups urge UK to ‘break’ with EU’s biotech crop rules
America’s farmers and ranchers are eager for a U.S. free trade agreement with the U.K., but only if the British ...
Viewpoint: New York Times’ mixed record on science literacy—botched reporting on GMOs and chemicals while challenging anti-vaxxers
The New York Times has done something that it very rarely does: It wrote an editorial in support of biotechnology. The piece, ...
