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 on trial: California Supreme Court rejects request from Bayer to review first Roundup-cancer verdict
Bayer AG’s Monsanto Co. lost a bid for the California Supreme Court to review the first multimillion-dollar jury award to ...
Replacing pesticides: Expected chlorpyrifos ban spurs development of more sustainable insecticides
A broad-spectrum insecticide that kills all arthropods in its path, chlorpyrifos was used for decades throughout the US .... But ...
Viewpoint: Europe’s pro-organic Farm to Fork policy will ‘cripple’ an already inefficient agriculture system
The EU’s “Farm to fork (F2F) strategy” announced in May, is “the heart of the “Green Deal,” a kind of ...
Podcast: Regulate all food chemicals? Gin and tonics going extinct; GMO pineapple is here!
There are thousands upon thousands of chemicals in food. Should we regulate them all, could we even do it? Gin ...
‘Rethinking Monsanto’: Ex-GMO skeptic explains what he got wrong about Big Ag and the pitfalls of plant breeding
Beginning in 2010, I embarked on a slow-motion conversion from GMO skeptic to advocate as I began developing a more ...
Despite federal court ruling, California may put Prop 65 cancer label on glyphosate weedkiller
On October 6, 2020, the California Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee (DARTIC) announced it will be meeting on December 11, ...
Insect-resistant GM eggplant could boost Philippines’ crop yields 192%, reduce pesticide use 48%
Eggplant is an economically important vegetable in the Philippines, where its production accounts for nearly one-third of the total volume ...
Bayer, BASF claim new chemical mixed with drift-prone dicamba weedkiller can minimize off-target damage
Chemical makers Bayer AG and BASF are pushing to keep a controversial weedkiller on the market after a federal court ...
GM insect-resistant Bt cotton boosted India’s crop yields? Activist study says no, but crop biotech experts say yes
Was the introduction of transgenic (GMO) cotton seeds to India in 2002 the beginning of the renaissance of the country's ...
Judge dismisses lawsuit alleging that ‘natural’ apple juice shouldn’t contain trace pesticides
On October 6, 2020, a California judge dismissed an amended complaint alleging that apple juice and applesauce products sold by ...
Philippines poised to embrace gene-edited animals? Lawmakers debate rules for ‘safe’ use of modern biotech
Masbate Rep. Elisa “Olga” Kho has cited the importance of animal biotechnology in improving the health and welfare of animals ...
Nitrogen fertilizers are jeopardizing climate goals, new study finds
The expanding use of nitrogen fertilizers in agriculture is pushing nitrous oxide emissions to levels that jeopardize climate goals and ...
European countries can ban pesticides even if approved by EU, continent’s highest court rules
Europe’s highest court [European Court of Justice, ECJ] has concluded that member states have the right to ban pesticides even ...
France enacts more glyphosate weedkiller restrictions as it moves toward full ‘phase out’ by 2021
France’s health and environment agency announced restrictions on weedkiller glyphosate in farming, but stopped short of a full ban in ...
GM crops can slash Africa’s pesticide use: Insect-resistant cowpea field trial shows farmers how
A team of scientists developing Bt Cowpea at CSIR-SARI organized a field day at its confined field trial site in ...
France poised to suspend neonics pesticide ban to help farmers, over objections from Greenpeace
French lawmakers on Tuesday (6 October) approved a draft bill allowing sugar beet growers to use pesticides that are banned ...
Regulate all chemicals in food? Two experts say that’s an ‘absurd (and impossible) exercise’
A recent CNN article about the FDA oversight of chemicals in foods is puzzling. Author Sandee LaMotte regurgitates a ludicrous demand by ...
Pesticide safety basics: How does the EPA protect consumers from harmful chemicals?
In our blogs, we often reference Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) safety levels or “tolerances” when discussing [pesticide] residues. But how ...
Viewpoint: EU approves new herbicide resistant GMO soy for human and feed consumption, but won’t allow its farmers to grow it
[EU regulators recently] approved Bayer’s new XtendFlex soybeans for food and animal-feed use. Bayer’s latest GMO is resistant to three ...
Viewpoint: Pesticide residues on food could be 100,000 times higher—and still wouldn’t harm your health
The idea that “nonorganic” produce, typically referred to as “conventional” produce, is unsafe to eat is pervasive, and it largely ...
Neonicotinoids pesticide ban decimates UK canola yields—encouraging imports of neonics-treated canola
UK oilseed rape yields and crop area have declined dramatically after a year of extreme weather and uncontrollable crop decimation ...
GM insect-resistant Bt eggplant could help Philippines prevent as much as 73% crop losses, cut ‘almost daily’ pesticide use
Eggplant production in the Philippines suffers severe yield losses from insect pests, diseases, and extreme environmental conditions. The most destructive ...
Natural is better? Fungus used in organic pesticides may cause ‘severe rot’ in corn, study finds
Protecting crops against pests and diseases is essential to ensure a secure food supply. Around 95 percent of food comes ...
GM insect-resistant Bt corn boosts crop yields over 30%, cuts insecticide use 78% in Vietnam, study finds
This study assessed the farm-level economic and environmental impacts from the use of genetically modified (GM) corn in Vietnam (resistant ...
Medicine for plants: Stomach infection drug protects vital food crops from deadly pathogens
Scientists from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and the University of the State of Paraná in Brazil have discovered that ...
Bayer faces fast-approaching deadline to settle glyphosate-cancer litigation before new trials begin
Bayer AG is up against a fast-approaching deadline to settle remaining lawsuits over its Roundup weedkiller or face the prospect ...
GMO insect-resistant Bt cotton ‘as safe as’ conventional counterpart, study finds
Genetically engineered crops expressing insecticidal and herbicide-tolerant traits offer a new strategy for crop protection and enhanced production; however, at ...
