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 do we need GMOs if we already grow enough food to feed the world?
The world produces enough food to feed everyone, but what does that really mean, considering abundant food in the west ...
Canada codifies new neonicotinoid insecticide rules, allows key agricultural use to continue
Health Canada will restrict some uses of neonicotinoid pesticides because of their impact on honeybees and other pollinators, but the ...
Viewpoint: Do pesticides boost autism risk? New report says ‘possibly’ but correlations are ‘weak’ and ‘misleading’
Recently a study titled “Prenatal and infant exposure to ambient pesticides and autism spectrum disorder in children: population based case-control study” ...
USDA: Vietnam’s glyphosate ban ‘devastating’ to global agricultural production
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on [April 11] criticized Vietnam’s move to ban imports of glyphosate herbicide [Bayer's Roundup], ...
New CDC glyphosate report: “Most studies found no association between exposure to glyphosate-based products and risk of cancer”
A new [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] report on glyphosate’s toxicological effects likely will play a role in the ongoing ...
Plant hormones help battle purple witchweed, major threat to sub-Saharan Africa’s staple crops
Striga hermonthica, also known as purple witchweed, is an invasive parasitic plant threatening sub-Saharan Africa's food production. Striga infects the region's staple ...
Judge dismisses lawsuit alleging Bayer tried to monopolize dicamba-resistant seed market
A federal court has granted Monsanto's move to dismiss a complaint filed by a Missouri farmer alleging a conspiracy to ...
Bayer lawsuits: USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue defends glyphosate before House appropriations subcommittee
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue....defended the use of the weedkiller Roundup after two cases resulted in multimillion-dollar jury verdicts against Bayer ...
Viewpoint: Politico veers again into pseudoscience and politics with another misleading glyphosate infographic
Once again, a website known for its political coverage proves itself unable to report on science-related issues ...
Bayer releases 107 Roundup safety studies as glyphosate-cancer legal battle continues
With recent legal battles, Bayer [has released]....all 107 Bayer-owned glyphosate safety study reports that were submitted to the European Food Safety ...
Neurologist Steven Novella: Here’s what latest science says about glyphosate-cancer link
Glyphosate has been in the news recently because of the recent court case in which a jury awarded DeWayne Johnson ...
Pesticides increase cancer risk for farmers? Rethinking the ‘irrefutable consensus’
Though it may seem otherwise, the term 'irrefutable' is not at all flattering ...
Farm groups challenge petition for tighter EPA insecticide rules, saying restrictions could hamper sound conservation
Nearly 100 organizations recently submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency encouraging the agency to reject a petition related to seeds treated with ...
Viewpoint: Bayer ‘open for looting’ as company battles 11,000 glyphosate-cancer lawsuits
The vagaries of American tort law were on display in San Francisco....as six jurors decided that Bayer AG is liable ...
Avoiding fruits and vegetables because of pesticides is bad for your health, dietitian warns
I wonder why during National Nutrition Month, when we dietitians are encouraging everyone to increase nutritious foods such as vegetables and fruits, ...
Viewpoint: How the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. fails viewers in its misleading coverage of GMO crops and glyphosate
There is no excuse for such misinformation from Canada's ‘National News Agency.' ...
Everything you should know about colony collapse disorder and ‘disappearing’ bee populations
During the winter of 2006-2007, beekeepers around the country began reporting unusually high losses of their hives. Between 30 percent ...
Bayer lawsuit: Plaintiff witness rejects EPA Roundup safety assessment as next glyphosate-cancer trial begins
At the start of testimony in what looks to be a long and contentious trial over whether [Bayer's herbicide] Roundup ...
3 common misconceptions about the ‘dangers’ of genetic engineering and GMOs
Here is the evidence to put these misconceptions to rest ...
Neonicotinoid insecticide ban fuels ‘big rise’ in cabbage stem flea beetle damage to UK oilseed rape crops
Oilseed rape crops across southern England are seeing a big rise in pest damage from cabbage stem flea beetles, with ...
US Roundup-cancer trials spur glyphosate import ban in Vietnam
Vietnam has banned the import of glyphosate-containing herbicides after a U.S. court ruled that a weed killer, produced and sold ...
Glyphosate-cancer legal battle raises investor doubts about Bayer’s purchase of Monsanto
Bayer has to pay out $81 million in damages to a man who claims the Roundup weedkiller caused his cancer, a ...
Controversial weed killer dicamba could have outsized negative impact on consumer perceptions of pesticide safety
For better or worse, the widespread use of dicamba is pushing an entire industry to scrutinize how herbicides behave, how ...
EU bans popular fungicide chlorothalonil, citing ‘high risk’ to amphibians, fish and bumblebees
One of the world’s most common pesticides will soon be banned by the European Union after safety officials reported human health and ...
Viewpoint: Activists hurt farmers by fueling public’s disconnect with modern agriculture
Farmers are increasingly frustrated and dispirited by the demands and unrealistic expectations of food advocacy groups and activists such as ...
Without glyphosate, farmers in seven Asian countries face $1.4-$1.9 billion increase in weed control costs, study finds
A new paper published in the journal Agbioforum points to higher weed control costs, less effective weed control, more difficult access ...
EPA may override state pesticide regulations, including stricter dicamba weed killer rules
State regulators are worried that the Environmental Protection Agency is getting ready to override them on a host of pesticide ...
