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.
Viewpoint: From Non-GMO to gluten-free, ‘fake transparency’ in food labeling offers little but higher prices
At what point does food labeling become less about transparency and more about marketing strategy? A new federal law mandating ...
Monsanto v. Arkansas: Dispute over dicamba herbicide drift damage moves to the courtroom
A fight over one of the most powerful new weapons against hard-to-kill weeds, developed by agricultural giant Monsanto Co., is spilling into the ...
Trade disruption: Fears grow that EU glyphosate herbicide ban could upend global food markets
A possible glyphosate ban entails the risk of trade disruption to food imports from third countries, in case the EU ...
European farmers: Finding replacement for glyphosate is no easy task
As European politicians move toward blocking the use of glyphosate, farmers there are facing the prospect of using less-effective replacements ...
Partial ban of dicamba herbicide approved by Arkansas Plant Board
An Arkansas regulatory panel voted Wednesday [Nov. 8] to ban the use of an herbicide for part of next year ...
Neonicotinoid, chlorpyrifos insecticides impact bird migration, study finds
"Studies on the risks of neonicotinoids have often focused on bees that have been experiencing population declines. However, it is ...
Brazil farmers group asks court to cancel Monsanto GMO soybean seed patent
Soybean growers in Mato Grosso, Brazil’s largest producing state, have asked a court to cancel Monsanto’s Intacta RR2 PRO patent ...
How glyphosate became the world’s most popular weedkiller
Since it was introduced in the United States in 1974 by pesticides and seed maker Monsanto as Roundup, the use ...
Indian farmers growing unapproved herbicide-resistant GMO soybeans, farmers union says
For the first time, illegal cultivation of a genetically modified (GM) food crop — GM Soyabean — which is herbicide ...
‘We are those farmers’: Why you shouldn’t villainize farmers who use GMOs—or the food they grow
[Editor's note: Kate Lambert and her husband grow corn and soybeans in Brookfield, Mo.] We are those farmers they want you ...
NGO opposition to GMO, gene-edited crops not rooted in emotion and dogma, research suggests
In 2016, 107 Nobel Laureates signed an open letter calling on Greenpeace to desist from campaigning against agricultural biotechnology and ...
UK backs complete EU ban of neonicotinoid insecticides, citing harm to pollinators
The UK will back a total ban on insect-harming pesticides in fields across Europe, the environment secretary, Michael Gove, has ...
Stalemate continues: EU fails to agree on glyphosate herbicide renewal as deadline looms
An EU vote has failed to resolve a controversy over the use of glyphosate, the world's biggest-selling weedkiller. ... The ...
IARC rejects US House science committee’s request to testify on glyphosate cancer report scandals
The International Agency for Research on Cancer will not comply with a House science committee's request related to the agency's conclusions on ...
Scientists warn EU policymakers that farm pesticides could be to blame for insect declines
A recent study showed a 75% decline in Germany’s insect population over a period of almost 30 years but the European Crop ...
Viewpoint: Taxpayer-funded Canadian news agency promotes ‘fake news’ about glyphosate herbicide’s health risks
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation interviewed anti-GMO activist scientist Theirry Vrain and published an article featuring several false and misleading claims ...
France rejects 5-year renewal for glyphosate herbicide; wants 3-year license instead
France will oppose a European Commission proposal to renew authorisation for controversial weedkiller glyphosate for five years instead of 10, ...
Large long-term farm study finds no statistically significant cancer link to glyphosate herbicide
A large long-term study on the use of the big-selling weedkiller glyphosate by agricultural workers in the United States has ...
EU farmers union: Glyphosate herbicide renewal dispute ‘undermines’ Europe’s scientific credibility
EU farmers’ union Copa-Cogeca has rejected the Commission’s revised proposal for a five year re-authorisation of glyphosate, claiming that such ...
Bacteria-armed mosquitos approved for US release in fight against Zika, dengue and yellow fever
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the use of a common bacterium to kill wild mosquitoes that transmit ...
Viewpoint: After Christopher Wild departure, next IARC chief must fix ‘beleaguered’ agency
With the sudden departure of IARC head Christopher Wild, here's a wish list put together by David Zaruk, who offers ...
Ecological Armageddon? Scientists criticize media coverage of insect study that raised questions about farm pesticide use
Results of a study of insects in protected areas across Germany earned dramatic headlines warning of "ecological Armageddon". ... [T]he ...
Will herbicide drift damage push non-GMO farmers to buy dicamba-resistant seeds?
About 4 percent of all soybean crops planted in the United States have been damaged by a weed killer this ...
Closing gap between rich and poor farmers: CRISPR gene editing targets disease, pests and climate
Gene editing technology could revolutionize the way scientists breed high-yielding drought, disease and pest resistant, quality plant seeds, greatly reducing ...
Natural insecticide created with spider venom and genetically modified yeast
Scientists have noticed the powerful punch some spider venoms pack, and have started looking to them for inspiration for all kinds ...
Viewpoint: Challenges to glyphosate, neonic safety shows science under attack from ‘viral misinformation’
The news of scientific prejudice [in the decision by IARC stating that glyphosate was a likely carcinogen, on top of ...
EU glyphosate herbicide ban would make weed control harder for French winegrowers
Bad weather this year has already prompted a steep drop in French wine output, contributing to a 50-year low in global ...
