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.ย 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.ย 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.
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Australia imports over 60 GMO food cropsโbut farmers can only grow one
Food derived from 60 genetically modified crops can be imported into Australia, but local growers can only grow one GM ...
Viewpoint: Anti-GMO activist Doug Gurian-Sherman’s Food Evolution review misrepresents Uganda banana research
[Editor's note:ย Patricia Nanteza is a science communicator at Uganda'sย National Banana Research Program. The following is excerpted from her letter to ...
Two US Congressional committees ask IARC cancer agency to testify, citing ‘scientific integrity’ concerns
Two influential U.S. Congressmen have asked the World Health Organizationโs cancer agency to get ready to testify about its work ...
How one farmer stood up to anti-GMO activists and the Italian stateโand won
As chair of the local farmers federation [Giorgio Fidenato,ย a small-holder farmer growing corn, tomatoes and soybeans in Italy] pushes for ...
Video: How glyphosate herbicide enables no-till, environmentally friendly farming
[Editor's note: Jake Freestone is the manager of an arable and sheep LEAF Demonstration Farm inย Tewkesbury, England.] [N]o-till or zero-till, ...
Could we protect bees from neonicotinoid insecticides by planting trees?
[I]t's unlikely farmers will give up or limit pesticide use, so instead, a team of researchers at the University of ...
Disease-resistant GM potatoes that reduce pesticide use ‘worked brilliantly’ in UK field trial
A genetically-modified (GM) potato designed to resist a devastating plant disease has worked โbrilliantlyโ during the first year of field ...
Can any GMO documentary, pro or con, get the issue right?
Both films [Food Evolution andย Island Earth]ย were fun to watch. They both also get a lot of the facts right. But ...
EU ban of globally used glyphosate would disrupt agricultural and food markets
Some of Europeโs biggest trade partners fear a potential EU ban on glyphosate could hit exports of crops ranging from ...
Viewpoint: IARC glyphosate cancer advisor Christopher Portier’s history of lying about conflicts of interest
In a deposition last month for a court case pending against Monsanto for glyphosate โdamages,โ [Christopher Portier, the scientist who ...
EU votes on 5-year glyphosate extension November 9; France for shorter renewal
The European Commission has proposed extending the license for weed-killer glyphosate by five years after its initial plan for a ...
Glyphosate herbicide ban won’t save anyone from cancer, will harm environment
The widely used weedkiller glyphosate is available in every garden store, but now there are fears it can cause cancer ...
Talking Biotech: Former anti-GMO activist Mark Lynas on how resistance to crop biotechnology hurts small African farms
Mark Lynas, Cornell Alliance for Science: "Moral injustice" of NGOs preventing Africans from adopting GMO crops driven by "green ideology" ...
Video: Why organic and non-GMO labels don’t matter when it comes to eating healthy
[N]on-GMO labels do more than placate people concerned about scientists secretly tinkering with their food.ย They might persuade people to make ...
Neonicotinoid insecticides may hurt honey bee colony health by reducing genetic diversity
[Editor's note: The following is from a study published in the open-access mega-journal PLOS ONE.] Neonicotinoid insecticides can cause a ...
Illegal spraying of off-label dicamba herbicide main cause of crop damage, BASF says
Illegal spraying of a volatile weedkiller may be the cause of unprecedented damage to crops earlier this year, especially for ...
EU delays vote on glyphosate herbicide reauthorization; France ‘ready to accept’ 4-year extension
EU countries failed on Wednesdayย [October 25] to vote on a license extension for weedkiller glyphosate, delaying again a decision on ...
Non-GMO condoms? Label’s proliferation confuses consumers
The National Milk Producers Federation launched a โpeel back the labelโ campaign this summer, aimed squarely at a growing list ...
Glyphosate herbicide may negatively impact beneficial soil bacteria in certain situations, study finds
As farmers battle in their above-ground war on weeds, they may inadvertently create underground casualties โ unintentionally attacking the beneficial ...
Viewpoint: Former US journalist Carey Gillam should stay out of Europe’s glyphosate debate
A former agricultural reporter at Reuters, Gillam now presents herself as "the Rachel Carson of the GMO debate." Belgian-based risk ...
Canada decides not to add further restrictions on dicamba herbicide, as US did
Health Canada will not be further regulating the use of dicamba herbicide sprayed on growing crops, as has happened in ...
European Commission seeks 5 to 7 year renewal of glyphosate herbicideโdown from 10
Theย European Commission willย seek to extend the license of glyphosate โ the active ingredient in Monsantoโs Roundup herbicide โ forย between five ...
Jon Entine podcast: Corruption and secrecy behind IARC’s glyphosate cancer designation?
Glyphosate has been in the headlines for two weeks. Here's a background interview with the GLP's executive director explaining the ...
Glyphosate levels in Californians’ urine increased in last 20 yearsโno adverse health effects shown
Levels of the herbicide Roundup in human urine have increased dramatically among California residents in the past two decades, a ...
Is organic really better for the environment than conventional agriculture?
As the total global population continues to rise and economic growth drives a transition towards more resource-intensive diets, a growing ...
Glyphosate-gate: Policy and science implications of IARC’s ‘predetermined’ cancer finding
Where high-stakes issues involve powerful beliefs, financial reward and opportunities for advancement, neither individuals nor agencies can be assumed to ...
Monsanto sues Arkansas Plant Board for restricting dicamba herbicide use
A major agribusiness company suedย Arkansasย regulators ... for banning its version of an herbicide that's drawn complaints from farmers across several ...
