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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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 ...
Reshuffling the deck: How agro-chemical suppliers are repositioning weed-killing products
There is a new king of soybeans on the American farm—for now. ...
Video: Are synthetic pesticides harmful to the environment and human health? Here’s a nuanced review of the science
Starting with the premise that any substance can be poisonous depending on the dose, Josh Gilder, founding partner of Reach ...
‘Industrial’ seed oils are killing you? Here’s the health story behind cooking oils
There’s a new bogeyman in the nutrition world: vegetable oil, especially so-called “industrial seed oils” like canola, corn, and soybean ...
GMOs aren’t increasing food allergies? 10 common misconceptions about genetic modification, debunked
Confused about GMOs? There is no question GMOs (Soy, corn, cotton, canola, sugar beets, alfalfa, papaya, squash, apples, potatoes) are ...
‘It’s now a jungle’: Take a look at what happened after an English seaside town banned glyphosate
Brighton has become the perfect example of how quickly nature reclaims the street if weeds are left unchecked ...
Viewpoint: In debate over ‘dangerous’ chemicals — from aspartame to glyphosate — advocates cash in peddling pseudoscience
What if you were told, on good authority, that drinking a glass of diet Cola is a serious cancer hazard? ...
Insects are disappearing from UK farms. Why, and what can be done?
Insect populations are declining worldwide at a rate of almost 1% per year. This decline is alarming. Insects play a ...
Fertilizers are critical for farming — but they are often environmentally costly. Synthetic biology may offer a solution
Almost everything about synthetic fertilizer sucks. It sucks for the climate, generating 2.5 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, more than ...
