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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[March 30], the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the registration of the use of isoxaflutole on genetically engineered soybeans, ...
Viewpoint: Africa’s battle against locust swarms exposes folly of fearing pesticides and GMOs
This health writer used to fear the ‘Dirty Dozen.’ Here’s why she quit worrying about pesticides on food
95.5% of Europe’s produce below legal pesticide limits, posing little risk to consumers, food safety officials say
Viewpoint: Bees and pesticides—Europe’s precautionary rules neglect science, hinder sustainable farming
Glyphosate and other pesticides pose little threat to soil health, many studies show
Clones, enzymes, stem cells and more: Learn these scientific terms to better understand biotech news
EPA green lights weedkiller for use on GMO soy, helping farmers control herbicide-resistant weeds
Low-toxicity pesticide tricks fungi into ‘committing suicide’, safeguarding key food crops from disease
California grows 90% of America’s fresh strawberries. Does pesticide dependence threaten the industry’s future?
Locust invasion has jeopardized the livelihoods of 20 million Africans—now a second wave is coming
Podcast: Coronavirus and food safety; debunking the ‘Dirty Dozen’; COVID-19 cure worse than the disease?
Bayer settles Roundup weedkiller false advertising lawsuit for $39.5 million
Kenya could stop locust invasion within two months, despite coronavirus pandemic
Fact checking COVID-19 Facebook posts: Philippines, Sri Lanka aren’t killing coronavirus with aerial pesticide spraying
Ultraviolet irradiation could kill mold on strawberries, cutting fungicide use and food waste
Following neonicotinoid insecticide ban, UK canola growers ask government to cover crop losses from pest infestations
French agriculture minister says glyphosate key to sustainable farming, raising doubts about proposed weedkiller bans
Viewpoint: Can pesticides on produce harm you? Not even if you ate 3,624 strawberries in one day
India cancels royalties seed companies pay Bayer for GMO cotton, threatening foreign investment in nation’s biotech crop sector
Viewpoint: Activist campaign against synthetic pesticides, fertilizers and GMOs a pending ‘disaster’ for our food supply
Next-generation insect-resistant crops could beat back pests farmers can’t control with chemicals
Coronavirus boosts likelihood of food shortage in Kenya as farmers battle crop-destroying locust swarms
Can we immunize our food supply the same way we combat deadly diseases with vaccines?
Existing research may downplay environmental benefits of organic farming, new study claims
Activist-led lawsuit alleges EPA glyphosate weedkiller approval violated Endangered Species Act
Viewpoint: Environmental Working Group’s ‘Dirty Dozen’ produce list stokes pesticide fears in an ‘already anxiety-ridden world’
No, we aren’t losing all of our honeybees. And neonicotinoid seed coatings aren’t driving their health problems—here’s why