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.
Headlines claim that almost half of all drinking water contains high-levels of ‘dangerous’ PFAS ‘forever chemicals’. What does the science say?
The headline “New Study Finds PFAS 'Forever Chemicals' in Drinking Water from 45% of Faucets Across US” led many news ...
Viewpoint: Anti-glyphosate rabbit hole — Will the ethically-compromised International Agency for Cancer (IARC) lead Europe to embrace a scientifically-challenged Green Deal?
What chemicals or environmental exposures are likely to cause cancer? That’s a complex question with a wide variance in views ...
Viewpoint: Dark money and tort-lawyer-funded Environmental Working Group (EWG) launches new campaign to scare public about ‘dangerous’ pesticide spraying near schools
On Nov. 2, the EWG (the same folks behind The Dirty Dozen) launched an interactive map created to demonstrate just how ...
Viewpoint: ‘Anti-technology activists unfairly malign genetically modified mustard crop that could drop pesticide use by 40%’
The polarised debate over genetically modified (GM) crops in India is back in the limelight. The advocates and dissenters of ...
GLP podcast/video: BBC corrects botched organic farming report; Happy 41st birthday, GMO insulin! Scientific American a ‘scientific sewer’?
Facing intense criticism from experts, the BBC was pushed to correct a deeply misleading story about the benefits of organic ...
Viewpoint: Agriculture lobby offers evidence of neonicotinoid safety and critical role of pesticides
For the past decade or so, the area of seed treatment has grown in popularity, among ag retailers and their ...
Farmers and seed producers welcome science-based reform to EU gene editing rules
At a Euractiv media event to mark the launch of the Breakthrough Institute/Alliance for Science’s new report on ‘new genomic techniques,’ ...
Anti-chemical activists up in arms as European Union leans toward reauthorizing use of weedkiller glyphosate. Here’s the science EU should consider
Does the controversial weedkiller Roundup, made by Bayer and marketed in generic form by more than 30 companies as glyphosate, ...
Glyphosate on trial: After three straight wins by people claiming weedkiller caused their cancers, large investor urges company to reconsider settlements
A California jury on October 30 found Bayer liable in a case brought by a man who claimed his cancer was ...
Meet the Annihilator: Could this technology rid the environment of PFAS ‘forever chemicals’?
PFAS stands for “per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances,” human-made and incredibly durable chemical compounds that have been used for decades ...
Glyphosate legal update: After winning 9 straight cases in defense of Roundup, Bayer ordered to pay $175 million to former weed sprayer who contracted cancer
A Philadelphia Common Pleas Court jury on [October 27] delivered a $175 million verdict against the maker of Roundup weed ...
Viewpoint: 200 million Africans are chronically malnourished and 5 million die of hunger each year. The continent can’t rely on agroecology alone
A report by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) indicates that despite a decade of pro-growth and ...
GLP podcast/video: Chemophobia brings left and right together; Scientists should fight disinfo on X; Sudafed scandal explained
Why do so many people on the political left and right, who agree on almost nothing, share a deep-seated fear ...
How effective and safe are current-generation pesticides?
it is important to balance risks with the benefits that pesticides provide ...
‘Win for science’ as French court dismisses defamation lawsuit by anti-GMO scientist Seralini
In a major victory for science, a French court on 17 October dismissed a defamation lawsuit by the notorious French ...
EU-banned neonicotinoid sulfoxaflor does not harm bumblebees, concludes field-realistic independent British university study
A pesticide banned for outdoor use by the EU could be less harmful to bees than had been thought. This ...
Viewpoint: How did glyphosate became the target of advocacy groups and tort lawyers — considering no global science organization concludes traces in our food pose cancer risks?
No, Roundup glyphosate sprayed in his garden did not cause Mark McCostlin's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (a rare form of cancer), a ...
Are neonicotinoid seed treatments critical for protecting crops—or unnecessary, with potential to harm bees?
Neonicotinoids, the world’s most popular class of insecticides, have been making headlines for the last decade due to concerns that ...
As the EU ponders glyphosate re-authorization, French national radio site examines claims that glyphosate is harmful
Europe is preparing to re-authorize glyphosate for 10 years and as a preamble to this re-authorization, the media war is ...
Viewpoint: Anti-pesticide hysteria brings together conspiracy theorists and science-illiterate people on the left and right
he list of opponents to pesticides is long and diverse: It includes conservative health nuts and very online paleo types, ...
Viewpoint: Why a glyphosate ban would lead to use of ineffective and more toxic alternatives
A complete ban on the use of glyphosate in agriculture in the short term will lead to farmers more frequently ...
GLP podcast/video: The case for weight-loss drugs; It’s immoral to oppose CRISPR animals? Bad science and ‘forever chemicals’
We don't always know why anti-depressants and obesity drugs work, but that shouldn't discourage patients from taking medications that can ...
GLP podcast/video: Did COVID vaccine mandates work? AI spreads glyphosate misinfo; Africa’s ‘Green Revolution’ has failed? No
Did vaccine mandates slow the spread of COVID on college campuses? A new study says yes. AI-generated articles are already ...
Viewpoint: UK’s The Guardian fearmongers over PFAS ‘forever chemicals’
The Guardian's August 17 headline, “Drinking Water of Millions of Americans Contaminated with Forever Chemicals”, was based on newly released ...
Open letter to New York Governor Hochul: ‘The only thing the Birds and Bees Protection Act would protect are seed corn maggots’
Farmers and their allies in New York State are almost unanimous in their opposition to legislation that would sharply limit ...
Viewpoint: Misguided attacks on glyphosate ‘dangers’ ignore how the weedkiller enables sustainable soil systems in prairies and grasslands
Glyphosate is Canada’s top-selling pesticide, mostly used in agriculture as a herbicide and to desiccate crops for harvest. While it ...
Monsanto wins 9th consecutive court case in glyphosate litigation
St. Louis 21st Judicial Court Judge Brian May granted defendant's motion for a directed verdict at the close of plaintiff's evidence in Barbara ...
