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.
Glyphosate detected in 80% of urine? Reason for alarm or deceptive data distortion?
Vilifying the safe herbicide glyphosate has been a long-time proxy for attacking modern conventional agriculture. Sold under the brand name ...
Viewpoint: Our binary system of classifying what’s ‘cancerous’ fails. Here’s what might replace it
Concern over substances that may cause cancer has led to various classification schemes to recognize carcinogenic threats and provide a ...
Dicamba drift: Court upholds judgement against Bayer but orders new trial to assess damages
Monsanto Co. and BASF Corp. are liable for the herbicide dicamba’s damage to a farmer’s peach orchards, the Eighth Circuit ...
Viewpoint: France’s Le Monde leads media frenzy hyping flawed study claiming trace pesticide residues wipe out benefits of eating fruits and vegetables
A recent study suggested that pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables could counteract some of the nutritional benefits of consuming ...
Should California ban the neonicotinoid pesticide imidacloprid? Here are arguments pro and con
Should imidacloprid be banned? Here's an argument for and against banning the pesticide in California ...
Viewpoint: ‘Farmers don’t need nitrogen fertilizers at all’? — Why easy solutions to cut down on chemical fertilizers don’t work
Clover, it turns out, can be used to fix nitrogen and boost yields in pasture forages for dairy cows. Who ...
Glyphosate: A timeline of the controversial weedkiller’s history and legal troubles
How did we get here? The timeline below includes some of the more significant events, starting with Monsanto's founding ...
GLP Podcast: Epoch Times’ glyphosate hysteria debunked; Paxlovid rebound; Melatonin isn’t for kids?
Paxlovid is the best COVID-19 therapy we have. So why are some patients displaying symptoms after treatment with this anti-viral ...
$87 million judgment holding Bayer liable for cancer allegedly caused by Roundup glyphosate weedkiller upheld by Supreme Court
The US Supreme Court let stand an $87 million award against Bayer AG, rejecting the company for the second time in a week ...
With fertilizer shortage threatening to cripple agriculture, farmers in Niger turn to nutrient-rich human urine
In a bid to revive dying crops in Niger Republic, scientists are using a mineral-rich, low-cost and easily accessible fertilizer ...
Viewpoint: No, trace pesticides do not make fruits and vegetables unhealthy
A recent article in the French daily Le Monde speaks of a study with “impressive” conclusions. Reading it, there is reason to ...
Viewpoint: Rightwing The Epoch Times circulates anti-GMO hysteria and disinformation usually found on the ‘natural’ left
We frequently receive requests to comment on specific news stories. These are usually examples of journalists or pundits commenting on ...
Bayer’s appeal to set aside suits alleging it‘s liable for deaths linked to glyphosate weedkiller rejected by US Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court on [June 21] rejected Bayer AG's bid to dismiss legal claims by customers who contend its ...
Federal appeals court rules EPA must reconsider safety of Bayer’s glyphosate weedkiller under Endangered Species Act
A federal appeals court on [June 17] rejected a Trump administration finding that the active ingredient in the weed killer ...
Viewpoint: ‘Defenders of modern agriculture should vehemently push back against the notion that today’s food model undermines bee health or human health’
Since the introduction of neonicotinoid insecticides – the pesticides blamed for bee death – in the mid-90s, bee populations have ...
GLP Podcast: Teenage psychopaths? Cancer-free smokers; Pesticide propaganda in Europe
Are young people more likely to display narcissistic and psychopathic traits? If so, why? A recent study has proposed intriguing ...
Bayer awaits Supreme Court decision on whether to overturn Monsanto Roundup glyphosate cancer verdicts as it wins third defense case in a row
Bayer won a jury verdict over Roundup on [June 9], the third defense win in a row over Monsanto’s pesticide ...
Viewpoint: Toxic fruits and vegetables? Inspired by Environmental Working Group’s chemical scare fundraising gimmick in the US, Pesticide Action Network brings disinformation to Europe
Would you feed fruits and vegetables to your family after reading these headlines? Many European consumers may not, and they’d ...
Solicitor General’s amicus brief ‘unwittingly makes strong case’ for Supreme Court intervention in latest Monsanto case
The U.S. Supreme Court invited the Solicitor General of the United States to express the government’s views on Monsanto’s appeal ...
Independent European Chemicals Agency is 20th international group to find glyphosate is not carcinogenic
[The European Chemicals Agency, or] ECHA's Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) agrees to keep glyphosate’s current classification as causing serious ...
Viewpoint: Popular Science is the latest ‘mainstream’ news source to fall into the anti-glyphosate disinformation rabbit-hole
“This Roundup ingredient might cause cancer—but the EPA won’t ban it,” Popular Science told its readers in a terribly misleading January ...
Video: RNA technology used to develop COVID vaccines can protect crops from viruses, fungi and insect pests
It’s one of the biggest challenges facing the environment and farmers across the globe – pest control. But now, University ...
Viewpoint: ‘A very curious form of self-sabotage’ — Organic industry rejects crop biotechnology solutions for environmental damage caused by widespread copper sulfate use
Last February, the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (Anses) published a “mapping” on the uses ...
Obesity, stress and chemicals: Do these factors explain why girls are reaching puberty at increasingly younger ages?
Although it is difficult to tease apart cause and effect, earlier puberty may have harmful impacts, especially for girls. Girls ...
GLP Podcast: Once-a-month shot controls opioid addiction; Food waste as energy; Obesity drugs are here
A drug given once monthly as an injection could drastically reduce opioid use in the US. Why is it so ...
Are 9000 ‘forever chemicals’ used in stain-resistant fabrics, cosmetics and cookware harmful — as activists claim? Evidence is ambiguous
One of the questions I’ve been asked recently with increasing frequency is how to avoid exposure to those “forever chemicals” ...
CRISPR roaches: Gene editing shown to work in insects, opening doors for advanced pest control
Researchers have developed a CRISPR-Cas9 approach to enable gene editing in cockroaches, according to a study published by Cell Press ...
