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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Earth’s carrying capacity and why the status quo ‘could be collectively suicidal’
The co-founder of the Breakthrough Institute has a cheery vision of the future. If only that vision were plausible ...
Quaker Foods vice president says breakfast cereals aren’t tainted by weed killer glyphosate
Quaker Oats had an “aha moment” about a year ago, said Robbert Rietbroek, senior vice president and general manager for ...
New environment minister says France will stick to 3-year phase out of weed killer glyphosate
The [French] President Emmanuel Macron has committed to phase out the herbicide glyphosate in three years. The new Minister ...
Bt and other biopesticides might stop fall armyworm advance across India
Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), an invasive insect which had severely affected maize crops in Africa has now spread to fields ...
Viewpoint: America’s courts must keep ‘junk science’ out of legal proceedings
When jurors hear cases, they reasonably expect that they are presented only with reliable scientific information to support their deliberations ...
Despite continued public debate, weed killer glyphosate is safe, EPA says
An EPA official said [September 10th] the agency’s work shows that glyphosate — the herbicide found in Monsanto’s weedkiller Roundup ...
Roundup in breast milk? Disturbing new details in the plot to discredit nutritionist Shelley McGuire
In July 2015, Michelle (Shelley) McGuire, a nutrition professor and lactation expert then at Washington State University (WSU), was targeted ...
Court blocks Monsanto subpoena of glyphosate documents from activist group Avaaz
On September 6th, a New York judge blocked Monsanto's attempt to subpoena documents from the political activist group Avaaz. The biotech firm requested ...
Did Canada overestimate the risks of neonicotinoid pesticides?
On Aug. 16, Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency proposed to ban all outdoor uses of [the neonicotinoids] clothianidin and ...
Talking Biotech: 30-year study confirms environmental benefits of glyphosate use
Anti-GMO activists continue to warn about the dangers of glyphosate, but 30 years of data show the controversial herbicide is ...
New studies questioning safety of GMO corn ‘contain serious flaws,’ experts say
Two -omics studies on genetically modified maize and Roundup-fed rats, recently published in the journal Scientific Reports, contain serious flaws ...
Here’s what electricity can teach us about pesticide safety
Many people may find it difficult to imagine how a pesticide could ever be safe. To understand how that is ...
Farmers say Europe’s neonicotinoid pesticide bans put their crops at risk
In April [2018], the EU introduced a ban on outdoor use of three neonicotinoids – clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam – ...
Roundup on trial: Everything you need to know about the glyphosate herbicide controversy
[A] California jury awarded two hundred and eighty nine million dollars .... to a former groundskeeper for a California school ...
France’s neonicotinoid ban just took effect. How will it impact farmers?
A ban on five neonicotinoid pesticides [entered] into force in France on [August 31], placing the country at the forefront ...
Brazilian judge overturns glyphosate ban, citing ‘serious impacts’ to nation’s economy
A Brazilian court on [September 3rd] overturned an injunction banning products containing the popular weed-killer glyphosate, knocking down a previous ...
Podcast: Why glyphosate-cancer news stories could push consumers away from healthy foods
On [this] episode, we explore one of the most important topics in nutrition: produce and pesticides. Health experts, the government ...
Agricultural drones offer high-tech relief for struggling farms
The next generation farmhand in Japan's aging rural heartland may be a drone. For several months, developers and farmers in ...
10 tips for better communication about pesticide science, risks
One of the biggest challenges for any risk communications professional today is to deliver positive messages on pesticides. Like any ...
Dicamba controversy: EPA’s decision on herbicide’s future expected by end of September
Throughout this year, EPA has been monitoring reports during the application season and it’s expected the agency will announce its ...
Resignation of French environmental minister could be a win for glyphosate supporters
The surprise announcement of the resignation of Nicolas Hulot .... is part of .... a series of .... big differences ...
Video: French anti-GMO activists target agricultural cooperative in dicamba, glyphosate protest
At dawn on Monday, August 27th, [French] GMO protesters rallied in Glomel .... As early as 6 am, they blocked access ...
Lab-grown microbes could reduce agriculture’s dependence on chemical pesticides and fertilizers
There's a potentially huge technology risk on the horizon [for] fertilizer companies .... next-generation biotech products called microbials .... Microbials ...
Caribbean nation St. Vincent suspends glyphosate imports
The Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines has placed an immediate suspension on the importation of pesticides that contain the acting ...
Now facing 8,000 Roundup lawsuits, Bayer says it ‘will vigorously defend’ its herbicide
The number of U.S. lawsuits brought against Bayer’s newly acquired Monsanto has jumped to about 8,000, as the German drugmaker ...
New dicamba application strategies could be key to preventing accidental damage to soybean crops
Using dicamba as a preplant weed-management tool or abiding by state cutoff dates for postemergence applications may be a way ...
Sulfoxaflor: The ‘bee-friendly’ neonicotinoid replacement that could hurt bumble bees
With overwhelming evidence on the risks that neonicotinoids .... pose to bees, phytopharmaceutical companies look towards innovation to replace already ...
