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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Bayer’s efforts to convince state legislatures to block glyphosate class action suits that contradict ‘sound science’ run into political buzzsaw
On the merits, Bayer has a strong case: important regulators don’t believe that glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, causes ...
Organically-grown genetically modified crops? Scientists unveil plan to bridge the ideological gap
Highlights Current regulations do not permit GM food be labeled organic or GM content be used in certified organic products ...
‘Tool of major corporations’? CRISPR gene editing and other new breeding techniques are improving yields and climate resiliency, but opposition from environmental advocacy groups slows adoption
While genetically modified crops may still provoke fear and uncertainty, some scientists argue that not only can they help to ...
Viewpoint: Mother Jones takes stand against American Academy of Pediatrics’s misguided case against GM crops and glyphosate
The American Academy of Pediatrics issued new guidelines for doctors fielding parents’ questions about the risks of foods containing genetically modified ...
Organic soil conditioners deadly to beneficial, soil-enhancing worms widely used and unlabeled
Gardeners are inadvertently killing scores of earthworms with soil conditioners marketed as “organic”, experts fear, as they call for tighter ...
Agricultural science and organic farming: Time to change our trajectory
When the term organic farming was first used (ca. 1941; Paull, 2014), it was as a response to the introduction ...
GLP podcast: Exposing nutrition myths and fact-checking Instagram ‘biohacking bros’ with Dr. Andrea Love
Reporters, alt-health gurus and even some scientists warn consumers to avoid so-called "ultra-processed foods." These cheap, convenient products–loaded with sugar, ...
Viewpoint: Aftershocks from American Academy of Pediatrics attack on glyphosate—‘Misinformation about the genetic engineering of crops hinders the development of sustainable agriculture technologies’
Repetition creates belief. And claims about the harms of glyphosate have persisted for decades. Unfortunately, even medical organizations like the ...
Viewpoint: A science-based assessment of glyphosate — risks and benefits
Contrasting perspectives on glyphosate’s use require a risk-benefit analysis. While some focus solely on risks, a closer examination reveals its ...
Missouri follows Iowa and Idaho in exploring legislation to limit lawsuits against makers of glyphosate and other pesticides deemed safe by federal government
The Missouri House gave initial approval to a bill that could protect pesticide manufacturers from some cancer lawsuits ...
Viewpoint: Two independent Vermont agencies determined there is no scientific basis in banning neonicotinoid pesticides to ‘save honeybees’ while some advocacy ‘environmental’ groups contend otherwise. It’s now in the governor’s hands to decide if naked ideology will prevail
Despite Vermont's Agricultural Innovation Board (AIB), created to inform regulatory recommendations using science, flatly stating there was no basis for a ...
Viewpoint: America now has a record number of honeybees. How did we get from ‘beepocalypse’ to bee abundance?
You can relax, everyone: The honeybees are back. As Andrew Van Dorn of the Washington Post reported recently, America suddenly now has ...
Viewpoint: Consumer Reports flunks Chemistry 101 — again — in scientifically illiterate, reckless, data-manipulated claim that conventional produce poses ‘serious pesticide risks’
Headlines about harmful pesticides in conventional foods are lying to you in order to create fear. Another day, another post ...
Counterintuitive agricultural science: Organic farming can lead to increased use of pesticides in neighboring conventional fields
New research adds to the increasingly nuanced picture of organic farming and how well it can meet both our food and ecological ...
GLP podcast: Golden Rice delayed in the Philippines; Ozempic could reshape our food supply? Exposing myths about cancer risk
A court in the Philippines has blocked the release of vitamin-A fortified Golden Rice in the country. What happens next? ...
Viewpoint: The case against banning neonicotinoid pesticides
As Consumer Choice Center, we believe that Bill H.706 – which plans to ban the use of neonicotinoid treated seeds ...
From 72 to 400: US announces expansion of number of agricultural chemicals it will monitor
For several years, biologist Nathan Donley has worried about the future of a pesticide database run by the U.S. Geological ...
Viewpoint: Should you be concerned when you read that a chemical in your food has been linked to cancer? Here’s an epidemiologist’s checklist to detect over-hyped scares
During the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, epidemiology ha assumed an outsized role in the public consciousness. It was pervasive ...
Viewpoint: Disinformation on alleged dangers of chemical residues on fruits and vegetables is not only bad science, it causes consumers to avoid produce
Peer reviewed research and Alliance for Food and Farming (AFF) surveys among consumers and registered dietitians all show the negative impact of misinformation about pesticide ...
Viewpoint: Debunking organic food myths again… and again
Over and over, the term ‘organic’ is used as an umbrella for a variety of qualitative features in food. There ...
Viewpoint: Iowa farmer explains support for state bill to restrict suits against manufacturers of glyphosate and other pesticides that follow federal guidelines
I was proud to join my Iowa Senate colleagues in passing Senate File 2412 this legislative session. As a farmer, I know ...
Forty European health insurers press EU to regulate phase out of agricultural chemicals by midcentury
Forty health insurance mutuals from France, Belgium and Poland have jointly called on the EU not to abandon the goal of ...
Viewpoint: Center for Skeptical Inquiry rakes American Academy of Pediatrics for evidence-free claims that GMOs and glyphosate pose health hazards
The respected journal Pediatrics, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, published a Clinical Report (12/3/23) strongly implying that parents should ...
Viewpoint: Environmental Working Group up to its old trick of misrepresenting science to scare us about chemical traces in its attack on oat products containing micro-levels of chlormequat
So, here we go. Something else to worry about. At least according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit ...
Iowa Senate bill insulating pesticide manufacturers from suits over disputed safety labels moves to House
Pesticide manufacturers would be protected from lawsuits stemming from their products' labeling under a bill advancing through the Iowa Legislature ...
Impact of Environmental Working Group’s ‘Dirty Dozen’: ‘Consumers shy away from purchasing any produce – organic or conventional’
A legacy of the Environmental Working Group (EWG) is that they are the original food bullies. Yes, they began their ...
Bayer announces its Roundup alternative formulated without glyphosate should be ready for sale by 2028
The pharmaceutical and agrochemical company Bayer is making progress in the development of an alternative to the controversial weed killer glyphosate ...
