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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Viewpoint: Pesticide soaked strawberries? Why you shouldn’t pay attention to Environmental Working Group’s ‘fear-mongering’
It’s springtime which means it is time for the Environmental Working Group (EWG) to send the media into a frenzy ...
How synthetic biology can help world meet UN sustainable development goals
The agenda of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) challenges the synthetic biology community—and the life sciences as a whole—to develop transformative ...
Viewpoint: Friends of the Earth ignores organic pesticides harmful to bees
Friends of the Earth Canada is calling on Ontario Minister of the Environment Chris Ballard to investigate the sale of ...
California court rejects challenge of state’s decision to label glyphosate herbicide as possible carcinogen
A state appeals court on [April 19] backed California’s listing of the widely used herbicide glyphosate as a possible cause ...
‘Kenya’s silver bullet’? How GMO insect resistant Bt corn could help farmers fight fall armyworm outbreak
Genetically modified maize, Bacillus Thuringiensis (BT) could be Kenya’s silver bullet in the fight against Fall Armyworm which has so ...
Plant ‘vaccines’, CRISPR gene editing could increase crop yields and reduce pesticide use
When European researchers recently announced a new technique that could potentially replace chemical pesticides with a natural “vaccine” for crops, ...
Video: How GMO bananas could help Ugandan farmers overcome bacterial wilt disease
Uganda's political system holds the key to helping farmers who are struggling with the devastating banana bacterial wilt disease. Read ...
Regenerative agriculture: Can ‘carbon farming’ help battle climate change by improving soil health?
[Regenerative agriculture's] guiding principle is not just to farm sustainably — that implies mere maintenance of what might, after all, ...
Public health breakthrough: US and Indian scientists work together on genetic solutions to food toxins
Genetically engineered peanuts that are immune to aflatoxin contamination, which is associated with an increased risk of liver cancer, would ...
First gene drive developed for crop pest targets invasive fruit fly that damages berries
Biologists at the University of California San Diego have developed a method of manipulating the genes of an agricultural pest ...
Germany planning ‘massive restrictions’ on glyphosate herbicide use in agriculture
German Agriculture Minister Julia Kloeckner on [April 17] said she was finalizing a draft regulation to end use of the ...
Viewpoint: Organic Consumers Association promotes conspiracy theory blaming farm pesticides for school shootings
A crackpot named E. G. Vallianatos has written a blog post that links pesticides to school shootings. He says, "[Pesticides] may have ...
Video: Genetic Literacy Project founder Jon Entine on GMOs and ‘chemophobia’
In this episode of The Dissenter, Ricardo Lopes interviews Genetic Literacy Project founder Jon Entine about bioengineering, GMOs and "chemophobia." Ricardo ...
Agricultural tech startup Indigo uses microbes to improve crops
In humans, a healthy microbiome—the universe of bacteria, fungi, and viruses that lives inside all of us—is increasingly recognized as critical ...
Not just pesticides: Honeybee health impacted by habitat loss, nutrition, pathogens and more
Around 2006, beekeepers and scientists started talking about something called colony collapse disorder. CCD at that time was a new phenomenon; suddenly whole hives of ...
Viewpoint: Why ‘organic’ should be redefined to include GMOs
The challenges of sustainable food production without damaging the environment for a growing human population have increased considerably. The current ...
Video: John Franz invented the herbicide glyphosate—is he a farming hero or villain?
Who's the man behind Glyphosate, and why is he winning some of the highest honors in science if his invention ...
30% of the world’s rice supply is lost to rice blast fungus—this chemical genetic treatment could halt it
Scientists have found a way to stop the spread of rice blast, a fungus that destroys up to 30% of ...
Viewpoint: 6 reasons to reject the Environmental Working Group’s misinformation on food and pesticides
1. It creates a false sense of food risk where next to none exists. They are not a testing organization. They ...
Neonicotinoids, glyphosate may impact honeybees’ ability to taste and learn, ‘field realistic’ lab study claims
Hive-bound young honey bees (Apis mellifera) are being poisoned by insecticide and weed killer gathered by their foraging hive mates, ...
Viewpoint: EWG’s Dirty Dozen foods and pesticides list scares people away from healthy eating
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) on [April 10] released its 2018 “Dirty Dozen” list to showcase the top pesticide-riddled fruits and vegetables. But some argue ...
Viewpoint: Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list highlights ‘meaningless distinctions’ between organic and conventional foods
On April 10, the Environmental Working Group – an NGO funded by big organic marketers – released its annual “Dirty Dozen List” ...
Large-scale switch to organic farming would imperil natural habitats, study finds
Organic agriculture is not as good for the environment as commonly believed, according to a new scientific study reviewing multiple lines of ...
‘Well Fed’: Dutch documentary challenges rich countries’ anti-GMO views
A trip to Bangladesh with your friends might be a great idea, but that won’t be possible for everyone. But ...
US tentatively approves Bayer’s $62.5 billion takeover of Monsanto
The Justice Department has decided to allow BayerAG’s megadeal to acquire Monsanto Co., valued at more than $60 billion, after the ...
Vaccines for plants? RNA spray could help protect crops from pests and disease
Novel technologies are being sought to replace the traditional pesticides used to protect plants, particularly edible plants such as cereals ...
Viewpoint: Why California labels everything a carcinogen—and why it should stop
You may have heard that coffee gives you cancer. Or that everything gives you cancer—if you live in California. The reason: Proposition 65. It’s ...
