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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Viewpoint: Ideology not science — Here’s why NBC News’ factually inaccurate reporting on the ‘dangers’ of the weedkiller glyphosate sets a dangerous precedent
What happens when an online information resource leans into clickbait? It’s annoying but generally harmless entertainment. When it’s a resource ...
Challenging ‘green’ wisdom: Why Africa desperately needs more, not less, access to synthetic fertilizers
The European Commission has opposed a plan to support expanding fertilizer production in Africa because it would clash with the European Union’s ...
University scientist challenges UN’s IARC to embrace current science by evaluating chemicals using ‘risk’ not just ‘hazard’ standards
The latest International Association for Research on Cancer (IARC) Monograph Program report on cancer hazards associated with firefighting work, which ...
Fighting herbicide-resistant weeds: Statin molecule found in fungi (and common cholesterol medication) could be ‘as effective as glyphosate’
Farmers are battling increasing weed resistance to common broad-spectrum herbicides such as glyphosate, but Australian research could be a game ...
Winning streak: After losing first 3 glyphosate-cancer cases, here’s how Bayer has convinced juries in 5 recent cases that the weedkiller is not harmful to humans
Bayer is on a winning streak as it battles the remaining cases targeting its Roundup weedkiller, a change after several ...
Mexico’s anti-GMO corn decree threatens relationship with US and promises billions in economic damage
Farmers in the United States are urging their government to challenge a looming Mexican ban on genetically modified (GM) corn ...
‘Shockwaves in the global food chain’: Spain, Poland, Hungary beg European Commission for impact assessment on Farm to Fork plan pesticide cutbacks in face of Ukrainian invasion
EU member states have called for a new impact assessment on the European Commission’s proposal to slash the use and ...
Viewpoint: Lawyers spend hundreds of millions of dollars on pushing ‘inaccurate and baseless claims’ about common products like Roundup and talcum powder
Plaintiffs’ lawyers are relying more and more on traditional and social media to bolster litigation, often pushing inaccurate and baseless ...
62% less pesticides: What could be the consequences if Italy follows Europe’s mandate to cut use of crop protection chemicals in half?
Encouraged by the circle-beating attitude of politics, industries and associations, the European Commission is asking Italy to reduce pesticides by 62 ...
Viewpoint: European farm groups raise alarms about unrealistic and unscientific EU targets to dramatically cut back on pesticides
The draft of the EU plant protection regulation contains two specific reduction targets: The first target is to reduce the ...
Viewpoint: Toxicologist explains why we should be grateful for chemicals — and the safety labels that come with them
Everyone needs to drink dihydrogen monoxide (yep that’s water) or at least drink other fluids that contain a lot of ...
Viewpoint: Count the distortions — Organic industry-funded Carey Gillam misrepresents science and court decision to further obsessive campaign against weedkiller glyphosate
f glyphosate is such a deadly pesticide, why do activist groups have to lie about it? That's the question I ...
EU bans food imports with neonic pesticide residues starting in 2026
The European Commission announced [September 27] that imports of products containing residues of harmful insecticides known as neonicotinoids will be ...
Environmental Protection Agency denies Center for Food Safety petition to ban neonicotinoid pesticides
The Environmental Protection Agency denied a petition September 28 that asked the federal agency to more closely regulate a group ...
Case study: What happens if Europe bans glyphosate? Increased tillage, higher greenhouse gas emissions, less biodiversity — and billions in losses for farmers
Following the introduction of glyphosate in 1974, its efficacy against a vast range of weeds and its low price has ...
Viewpoint: Synthetic fertilizers in ideological crosshairs — Trade-offs between crop productivity and the environment
Want to fight climate change right now? Need to meet short-term targets for reductions in greenhouse gases? Then restrict applications of ...
Crucial misrepresentations about glyphosate continue to threaten agriculture. This scientist explains how the UN agency IARC likely manipulated the data
Glyphosate, the active ingredient in the weedkiller Roundup, was introduced over forty-five years ago and is the most widely used ...
EPA reaffirms conclusion that herbicide glyphosate is safe for humans and environment but pledges updated review by 2026
EPA walked away from a legal battle on its interim determination that glyphosate is likely not carcinogenic to people, telling ...
Viewpoint: Moderating agricultural pesticide use is a good idea — but only if it helps balance environmental and economic realities and is not just an ideological exercise
The EU is going too far in its control of pesticides. The Commission is updating the 2009 Sustainable Use Directive ...
Sandblasting weeds out of the ground? A ‘quick, cost-effective and simple’ way to protect crops without spraying chemicals
Weed hunters? No, it's not a joke. It's a real concept that aims to tackle a serious and costly problem ...
‘You have to prove the dose’: Why courts are rejecting payouts for exposure to alleged carcinogens like talc or actual ones like asbestos
Personal injury lawyers are either revered or reviled. Sometimes purveyors of junk science, they often prey on a vulnerable and ...
Viewpoint: Reassessing the role of crop chemicals in setting an appropriate balance between productive agriculture and saving obscure species
Long-lasting herbicides don’t just control weeds. They also promote no-till farming, which helps farmers save costly tractor fuel and avoid ...
Study addresses coverage of BPA and GMOs: How ideological interests skew interpretation of contested science
When controversies develop around scientific facts or technologies, the potential of science to become a tool in plays of interests ...
Viewpoint: ‘Would they know it if they saw it?’ Judge who ruled glyphosate could be carcinogenic demonstrates ignorance of science
A high-profile judicial decision in a federal appeals case has ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to revisit its finding that ...
Sri Lanka poised to lift glyphosate ban that contributed to country’s food production crisis
The Sri Lankan Minister of Agriculture, Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation Mahinda Amaraweera said the Ministry of Agriculture is ready ...
Podcast: Glyphosate causes seizures? Fatigue and brain toxins; Why parents turn ‘anti-vaxx’
Does the weedkiller glyphosate cause convulsions? A study published last week seemed to support that conclusion, but there's much more ...
Podcast: Time to quit ‘baby’ aspirin? Tobacco-industry science denial; Dutch farmer protests
Is it time to give up low-dose aspirin as a heart-attack prevention tool? New evidence suggests that the risks may ...
