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.
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Podcast: ‘Consumers don’t have anything to fear’ about pesticide residue, says food scientist
"The research that I've done about the pesticide residues on foods would suggest that, by and large, consumers really don't ...
Winemakers abandoning organic status for sustainability, improved taste
The shift has been more common in France, where wineries have cited concerns about the environment and copper buildup from ...
Debate swirls over yield and bee health impact of neonicotinoid seed treatments
A study by Purdue entomologist Christian Krupke [May 2017] was the latest to conclude that honeybees are widely exposed to ...
New GMO crop: Brazil approves insect resistant sugarcane for commercial use
Brazilian biosecurity agency CTNBio on Thursday [June 8] approved commercial use of a genetically modified sugarcane, setting a milestone for ...
Can consumers rely on the credibility of the USDA organic label?
The reliability of the USDA organic label is under fire by the Washington Post, challenging the practices of some large ...
‘Monsanto gas mask man’ photos distort GMO debate and disrespect farmers
[Editor's note: Terrance Bradshaw is a research associate at the University of Vermont and director of the university's Apple and Grape ...
Americans’ worries about GMOs–and indifference to debate–increasing, polls show
Polls examined here document a general, though not monotonic, decline in confidence that the federal government can ensure the safety ...
Horizon ‘organic’ milk under fire for adding factory-produced algae oil to boost nutrition
Inside a South Carolina factory, in industrial vats that stand five stories high, batches of algae are carefully tended, kept ...
5 ‘game changer’ technologies improving modern agriculture
1. GPS technology GPS may be the biggest game changer in agriculture. While things like autosteer have made driving the ...
Indian agriculture expert: Don’t let GM mustard go the way of GMO eggplant
[Editor’s note: K.K. Narayanan is an agriculture expert and founder of Metahelix Life Sciences.] Seven-and-a-half years ago, BT Brinjal [eggplant], ...
How genetic engineering helped reduce cotton’s environmental footprint
Cotton’s environmental footprint is much less noticeable today than was the case in the early 1960s, thanks largely to science ...
GMO ‘agvocates’ should stop ‘mud slinging’ about organics
[Editor’s note: Terrance Bradshaw is a research associate at the University of Vermont and director of the university’s Apple and Grape ...
Texas corn farmer: GMOs and glyphosate are ‘so much less risky for me and for the public’
GMO in your food is hugely controversial with Americans. … For guidance, I'm relying on this 600-page, landmark report from ...
Can EPA ‘restore science and common sense’ to neonicotinoid insecticide regulations?
[A] federal district court judge has ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency failed to consult with the FWS before approving ...
Organic food imports plagued by ‘corruption, bribery and falsified documents’
Roughly 40% of all organic food sold in America tests positive for prohibited pesticides, according to two USDA studies. And, ...
20-year GMO report card: Biotech shrinks ag’s ecological impact, increased farm income $167 billion
Genetic modification has had a dramatic impact on crop production, agricultural sustainability and the economics of farming, in the 26 ...
Does Consumer Reports mislead readers by promoting Non-GMO Project label?
Consumer Reports claims to provide consumers with unbiased information about products and services. But the site is accused of exploiting ...
Did EPA and Monsanto conspire to downplay potential danger of glyphosate before EU review?
The European Food Safety Authority dismissed a study linking a Monsanto weedkiller to cancer after counsel from a US Environmental ...
What’s driving the wave of agrichemical company mergers?
After a decade without any big deals, since 2015 three mega-mergers, collectively worth around $240bn, have been proposed. When they ...
How to resist health scares: Review of Geoffrey Kabat’s ‘Getting Risk Right’
Public health regulations, particularly as regards to chemicals, are often driven by precautionary fears stirred by sloppy reporting sparked by ...
Unsustainable farming: Why your organic T-shirt might be bad for the environment
The word “organic” is a powerful marketing tool. In clothing—just as in food—brands love to tout their use of organic ...
Video: ‘Weed seed pulverizing machine’ could help combat herbicide resistance
Known by a name seemingly out of a superhero comic book, the Harrington Seed Destructor is a mechanical beast that ...
10 ways Whole Foods misleads consumers about organic food and farming
[Editor's note: Hank Campbell is president of the American Council on Science and Health.] I was at a meeting with ...
Fake food news: Non-GMO Project sets standard for misleading consumers
[Editor's note: Kavin Senapathy is a freelance writer and co-author of The Fear Babe: Shattering Vani Hari’s Glass House.] As a ...
Video: Organic food is a great business but a bad environmental investment
[Editor's note: Bjorn Lomborg is director of the Copenhagen Consensus Center and a visiting professor at Copenhagen Business School.] There are no health benefits ...
Myth busting: Does Monsanto ‘control’ farmers with contracts that bar seed saving?
[Editor's note: Read the GLP's coverage of farmers' responses to Bette Midler criticizing Monsanto’s seed patent contracts here.] [Editor's note: Brian Scott ...
Video: Pest-resistant GE cowpeas could reduce pesticide use, increase yields of African staple
Dr. TJ Higgins discusses a global effort to genetically engineer a pest-resistant variety of cowpea (black-eyed peas) that will help ...
