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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Brazilian case study highlights dramatic sustainability and economic benefits of GMO Bt insect-resistant cotton, corn and soybeans
Without access to insect resistance technology, inserted into Bt cotton, corn and soybean seeds, Brazilian farmers could lose [approximately $23 ...
Monarch butterfly, milkweed declines not driven by GMO crops, study shows
To get a better understanding of the monarch butterfly’s future, Jack Boyle built a time machine. Boyle, a Mellon Postdoctoral ...
Viewpoint: Michelob’s ‘Pure Gold’ organic beer won’t preserve your health or the environment
Beer companies often use sex to sell their beers, but Michelob Ultra is reinventing the beer commercial by advertising something ...
AAAS fiasco just got messier—After member revolt, data-less news release linking glyphosate to kidney disease pulled, Freedom and Responsibility award will not be presented, for now
Editor's note: After this blog was posted, on February 6, the American Association for the Advancement of Science tweeted that ...
Russia threatens to restrict soy imports from Brazil over use of controversial weed killer glyphosate
The Russian government has informed Brazil that it may adopt temporary import restrictions on soybeans if Brazilian producers do not ...
AAAS fumble? Prestigious scientists’ organization endorses ‘data-less’ study suggesting links between glyphosate and kidney disease in Sri Lanka
I humbly ask this question. What am I missing? I just read the press release from the AAAS about the 2019 Scientific ...
Inside Nigeria’s efforts to protect its cowpea harvest with nation’s first genetically engineered seeds
The release of the GM cowpea will significantly improve livelihoods. But not everyone is happy ...
Non-GMO vegetable seeds? Capitalizing on consumer fears to sell overpriced seeds
Niki Jabbour....recently shook a hornet’s nest. The talented gardener, book author, and radio host said on Facebook that she’d been ...
US farmer groups urge UK to ‘break’ with EU’s biotech crop rules
America’s farmers and ranchers are eager for a U.S. free trade agreement with the U.K., but only if the British ...
Viewpoint: New York Times’ mixed record on science literacy—botched reporting on GMOs and chemicals while challenging anti-vaxxers
The New York Times has done something that it very rarely does: It wrote an editorial in support of biotechnology. The piece, ...
Activist lawyers challenge Health Canada after agency reconfirms safety of Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer
American lawyers who successfully sued the makers of the glyphosate-based weedkiller Roundup on behalf of a man dying of cancer say Canada ...
‘Reliance on science’ may not help retailers win glyphosate-cancer lawsuits, attorneys say
Glyphosate, the world’s most widely used herbicide, has dominated headlines over the last year as Monsanto has battled thousands of ...
New study hyping health benefits of organic food is more marketing than science, biologist argues
How do you know when a "study" isn't really a study? When the people who performed it wrote up a ...
Judge allows evidence of Monsanto’s alleged ‘corporate misconduct’ in first phase of upcoming glyphosate-cancer trials
A federal judge overseeing lawsuits alleging Bayer AG’s glyphosate-based Roundup weed killer causes cancer on [January 28] tentatively allowed pieces ...
Europe may relax its ban on neonicotinoid pesticides, alleged to harm bees, leaked document suggests
According to a leaked document, the European Commission is considering ditching bee-safety standards that led to a ban of three ...
6 common misconceptions about the ‘dangers’ of genetic engineering and GMOs
Why does the GMO debate have a bit of Groundhog Day aspect to it? The way the issues are framed ...
French president Macron backtracks on proposed glyphosate ban in wake of scientist, farmer protests
French president Emmanuel Macron says that the phasing out of glyphosate-based weed killers in France by 2021, as previously announced, ...
As glyphosate debate rages, French politician urges EU to take ‘science-based’ approach to pesticide regulation
French MEP Angélique Delahaye believes that policymakers must tell citizens what is currently possible and what is not when it ...
Even as public opposition to glyphosate grows, some French winemakers denounce ban of Monsanto’s Roundup Pro 360
On January 15, 2019, the Administrative Court of Lyon [France] banned [Monsanto's] “Roundup Pro 360,” a herbicide containing glyphosate. The ...
Video: Are biotech crops safe? A brief history of the GMO debate
Recent studies show the general public and the scientific community are deeply divided on the perceived safety of GMOs. Ars ...
Bayer asks judge in second glyphosate-cancer case to restrict evidence to be presented against Monsanto
Bayer AG unit Monsanto has asked a California judge in the litigation over its glyphosate-based weed killer Roundup allegedly causing ...
Audio: New FDA pesticide residue study confirms America’s food supply is safe
The FDA recently released its annual Pesticide Residue Report. As pesticides are one of the things people worry most about, I ...
Heated legal battle in India over Monsanto’s Bt insect-resistant cotton ‘far from over’
On January 8, a two-judge Bench of the [Indian] Supreme Court set aside an order of a Division Bench of ...
Canada says Monsanto weed killer Roundup unlikely to cause cancer—should consumers be relieved?
Health Canada has delivered some reassuring news for people worried about glyphosate [Monsanto's Roundup] in their food and the environment ...
Viewpoint: Anti-glyphosate activists are ‘rich, organized, and powerful’—don’t underestimate them
The campaign against glyphosate started a few years ago. The fairly benign herbicide was so closely tied to Roundup Ready ...
Video: Organic food—marketing ‘scam’ or healthier option? Here’s what science says
Organic food is a huge trend: it promises a healthier and better life. But can Organic food really live up ...
Viewpoint: Developing nations face onslaught of ‘fake news’ targeting GMOs
A recent article co-authored by a prominent Malaysian economist propagated several popular myths about GMOs. A Malaysian scientist and communicator ...
