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.
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 ...
Bayer settles 45,000 of 125,000 glyphosate-cancer suits, bringing litigation closer to $11 billion end
Attorneys for Bayer AG and consumers suing the company over allegations its Roundup weedkiller caused cancer told a judge on ...
Viewpoint: GMOs don’t boost crop yields? Yes, they do. Here’s the evidence
[A]doption of GMOs does, in fact, increase ultimate crop yield. The myth that they don’t is mostly due to the ...
Judge dismisses activist lawsuit to block GMO crop, pesticide use in wildlife refuges
Conservation groups failed to show they would be harmed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s reversal of a previous ...
GMO and gene-edited biofortified crops weaken case for organic agriculture
A new lineup of GMO and gene-edited crops with nutrient content organic growers simply can't replicate ...
Self-limiting ‘Friendly’ technology offers hope for controlling fall armyworm without pesticides
Oxitec, the Oxford University spinoff company that produces environmentally-friendly insect control solutions, [September 24] announced a collaboration with the life ...
Replacing fossil fuels? Gene-edited algae could help cut biodiesel production costs
Hiroshima University researchers developed a highly efficient genome editing system for microalga Nannochloropsis oceanica, which is a potential source of ...
Frustrated by delayed GMO approvals, Indian farmers press forward with illegal insect-resistant eggplant cultivation
The second decade of the 21st century, 2011 to 2020, has turned out to be the lost decade for India, ...
‘Why use dangerous pesticides when GM maize can help us fight fall armyworm?’ Ugandan farmers ask government
Upon learning that one of the ways they could effectively deal with the challenge of the fall armyworm was using ...
Viewpoint: ‘Toxic-free EU’? Why Europe’s naive Green Deal is scientifically illiterate and could cripple innovation for years to come
July is usually a good month for environmental activism in Europe. Many people are on holiday and nobody feels like ...
Glyphosate-tainted honey? New Zealand honey industry rejects ‘sensationalized’ coverage of pesticide safety report
The New Zealand honey industry has refuted recent claims of its products being unsafe for consumption in the wake of ...
Anti-glyphosate cancer plaintiff attorney gets two-year prison sentence for $200 million extortion scheme
A federal judge on [September 18] sentenced Virginia attorney Timothy Litzenburg, 38, to two years in prison for attempting to ...
Viewpoint: Why grow GMOs? To prevent cancer, pesticide poisoning and farmer suicides
Activists who desperately cling to lies about the risks of GM crops are now the ones who look 'very stupid.' ...
Should you worry about pesticides in fruits and vegetables? 96.8% of domestic food below legal residue limits, FDA reports
The vast majority of foods sampled for pesticides in the 2018 fiscal year contained residues within EPA tolerances, the Food ...
Bayer settles 15,000 more cancer suits, a ‘huge step’ toward ending glyphosate litigation
Bayer AG settled thousands more U.S. lawsuits over its Roundup weed killer after criticism that the company was failing to ...
Neonicotinoid insecticide ban, dry weather threaten Europe’s ‘fragile’ sugar industry
The European Union is heading for a significant drop in sugar output this year after fields were devastated by pests ...
Podcast: CRISPR-edited weed; opioid addiction vaccine; Africa’s neglected diseases
An opioid-blocking vaccine could spare many people a lifetime of drug addiction, if and when it's developed. COVID-19 exposed Africa's ...
Philippines rollout of insect-resistant Bt eggplant expected to dramatically increase farmer profits
Eggplant farmers suffer significant yield losses at 51-73% annually due to the eggplant fruit and shoot borer (FSB). To address ...
