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.
EU politician says Parliament ‘misrepresents’ its own pesticide safety data
A conservative agricultural spokesperson, has spoken out against a report on pesticides which she says “misrepresents” the findings of the ...
Bayer asks judge to toss ‘flimsy’ $289 million glyphosate-cancer verdict
Bayer on [September 18th] said it wants a California state court judge to overturn the jury’s verdict, order a new ...
Ontario study: Some good news about glyphosate
These days we are exposed to a great deal of negative, one-sided and inaccurate information in the media and online ...
French National Assembly rejects glyphosate weed killer ban for second time
The heated debate lasted all night, but the [French] National Assembly rejected all amendments to include a [glyphosate] herbicide ban ...
Biotech experts open their labs to combat misinformation about GMOs
Scientists are demonstrating the efficacy of plant biotechnology by taking Cornell Alliance for Science Global Leadership Fellows through the process ...
Viewpoint: No, wild bees haven’t been decimated by neonicotinoids, glyphosate
Bees and pesticides (and not just insecticides) have been the focus of activists and scientists alike, particularly since a 2006-2008 ...
New farm bill would stop cities from banning glyphosate and other pesticides
House lawmakers are seeking to halt .... local ordinances to ban or restrict pesticides that opponents say conflict with state ...
Viewpoint: Letting juries settle scientific disputes puts us on ‘a dangerous path’
[In August 2018], Monsanto was ordered to pay American groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson $289 million .... Because a jury determined that ...
Viewpoint: Coffee cancer warning illustrates failure of California’s Prop 65 law
On August 29, the FDA threw its hat into California’s eternal does-or-doesn’t-coffee-cause-cancer fight. “Requiring a cancer warning on coffee, based ...
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 ...
