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.
Have GMO crops cut herbicide use? A tale of two conflicting studies
We have planted millions of acres of genetically-engineered (GE) crops, a vast majority of which are resistant to herbicides. In ...
French regulators launch re-evaluation of glyphosate products
The National Health Security Agency (ANSES) is tightening [its] grip around the herbicide king [glyphosate]. On December 15, it will withdraw ...
This mom and gardener doesn’t fear glyphosate—and says we shouldn’t either
One of the perpetual battles I’m fighting these days is countering the misinformation about pesticides that gardeners like me responsibly ...
Plant scientist Kevin Folta: Claims about glyphosate in orange juice are ‘brilliantly devious’
Since 2013 the science communication community and wacky food activists learned something important — you can fill a table with creepy numbers, ...
Why some Canadian farmers don’t want glyphosate-tolerant GMO wheat
Delegates attending the Keystone Agriculture Producers’ (KAP) advisory council meeting [in Manitoba] Nov. 12 passed a resolution .... to lobby ...
‘Low to non-existent’ safety risks and higher yields support widespread adoption of GMO crops, researchers say
The anticipated world population growth emphasizes a need to produce more food on less land. Cutting-edge technologies, including genetic engineering, can ...
Let’s approach the GMO conversation with ‘cooler heads’ in 2019
As consumers strive to become more aware of food-production terms and practices, they often bludgeon farmers with a body of ...
Time Magazine’s coverage of glyphosate-cancer trial is ‘crying out for balance,’ biologist says
TIME magazine has a story on DeWayne ‘Lee’ Johnston who took Monsanto to court claiming RoundUp caused his non-Hodgkin lymphoma ...
How crop biotechnology preserves and promotes biodiversity
Experts attending the [recent] United Nations Biodiversity Conference in Egypt say that adopting smart agronomic practices can play a significant ...
Why fears in Nigeria over the safety of GMO cotton are misplaced
Nigeria is moving forward with plans to boost its textile industry through the approval of its first GM crop, BT ...
First federal glyphosate-cancer trial slated for February 2019
A U.S. judge overseeing the federal litigation against Bayer AG’s Monsanto unit over glyphosate-based weed-killers allegedly causing cancer on [November ...
Bayer appeals $78M verdict in landmark Monsanto glyphosate-cancer lawsuit
Agribusiness giant Monsanto on [November 20] appealed a $78 million verdict in favor of a dying California man who said ...
Glyphosate-cancer lawsuits spur farmers to embrace ‘precision farming’ to help reduce chemical inputs
American juries are well known for the generosity of their awards in civil cases .... So Bayer, a German chemicals ...
Podcast: GLP’s Jon Entine on the spread of ‘chemophobia’
Chemicals are used to grow, process, preserve and package our food, and are ubiquitous in many products and in our ...
California judge orders expedited trial for couple alleging glyphosate caused their cancer
A California judge on [November 15] granted an expedited trial in the case of a California couple suffering from cancer ...
Audio: Greenpeace, UK farmers and chemical industry square off over neonicotinoid pesticide ban
The debate over neonicotinoids continued ... during a BBC Radio segment as farmers, environmentalists and the chemical industry weighed in on ...
Claim that Monsanto ‘secretly influenced’ glyphosate research prompts Health Canada to reevaluate Roundup safety
Health Canada [is] reviewing hundreds of studies used during the approval process for glyphosate, the active ingredient in Canada’s most ...
Viewpoint: As global honeybee population increases, activists blame neonicotinoid pesticides for ‘bird-pocalypse’ that’s not happening
Are we in the midst of another bout of unfounded environmentalist-fueled exaggerations—this time about birds becoming extinct because of pesticide ...
Weed killer in your Cheerios? A pesticide expert explains everything you should know about glyphosate
Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the world and is applied to most of the U.S. corn and ...
How western organic food companies are threatening China’s farmers
As Chinese consumers have prioritized food quality, imported organic products have soared in popularity, with some supermarkets following in the ...
Viewpoint: ‘Heritage’ of emotional decision-making fuels EU’s opposition to biotech crops
As Daniel Patrick Moynihan, American politician and diplomat famously put it, “You are entitled to your opinion. But you are ...
Health and environmental dangers of copper-based natural pesticides spark division among French organic winemakers
The vice-president of the CIVB (Conseil interprofessionnel du vin de Bordeaux) Bernard Farges launched a bomb on October 15, announcing that ...
Germany’s environment minister pitches plan to ban glyphosate by 2023
Germany plans new conditions for pesticide approval and will seek an end date for the use of glyphosate-based weed killers, ...
Earth-friendly GMOs: How Bt crops eliminated 6 million tons of pesticides
[W]hen I first heard about genetic engineering when visiting my eventual graduate school home, I was really excited about the ...
UK neonicotinoid ban invites spread of deadly virus yellows disease, sugar beet farmers warn
When I was elected to the role of NFU Sugar vice-chairman, it was foremost in my mind that every grower’s ...
Bayer might seek settlements in some Monsanto glyphosate-cancer suits, but prepares to fight large claims
Bayer AG’s chief executive said .... the company might consider settling lawsuits over Monsanto’s glyphosate-containing weed-killers depending on how high ...
273 Colombian farmers sue government spraying glyphosate to destroy coca plants used to make cocaine
The Colombian government faces 273 lawsuits stemming from damages to crops, land and water caused by the spraying the herbicide ...
