pesticides
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 ...
Study shows link between autism and widely banned pesticide DDT
Mothers with high levels of the pesticide DDT in their blood during pregnancy are more likely to bear children who ...
Ancient genetic oddity makes whales and other aquatic mammals deadly susceptible to common pesticides
Over the past 50 million years, a group of small, hoofed mammals gradually evolved into today’s whales and dolphins. In ...
Viewpoint: Jury’s glyphosate cancer ruling doesn’t change fact that all farmers need pesticides to grow food
It may seem like Judgment Day has come for glyphosate, with a California jury slapping $289 million in damages on Monsanto Co ...
Counterfeit pesticides in Kenya threaten crop harvests and farmers’ health
[Kenya] is losing [millions of dollars] in revenue to unregistered agro-chemicals dealers and counterfeit pesticides, according to [the] Agrochemicals Association ...
Viewpoint: Eliminating pesticides from farming isn’t realistic—or desirable
In about 1980, I visited several International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) research sites in Mexico. The trip included ...
‘Environmental progress without organic’: Rachel Carson’s testy relationship with the organic food and farming movement
Rachel Carson, who launched the modern environmental movement with her 1962 book “Silent Spring,” was a highly private person. But ...
Mythbusting gone wrong: How the ‘dangerous’ organic pesticide myth began
One of the things that surprised me in researching this story was that I could not find a single organic-approved ...
A behind the scenes look at pesticide use in organic orchards, vineyards and fresh produce
This is part three of a four-part series attempting to separate fact from fiction regarding pesticide use on organic farms ...
4 things that led to the myth that organic farmers use more pesticides than conventional farmers
This is part two of a four-part series attempting to separate fact from fiction regarding pesticide use on organic farms ...
Do organic farmers really use more pesticides than conventional farmers? Not even close.
This is part one of a four-part series attempting to separate fact from fiction regarding pesticide use on organic farms ...
Viewpoint: How the Environmental Working Group and ‘Big Organic’ manipulate pesticide data to scare people
Consumers have a legitimate desire for transparency when it comes to their food - particularly when it comes to the ...
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” ...
Myth busting: Do farmers ‘drench, douse or slather’ crops in pesticides?
One common belief about modern farming is that farmers use pesticides in excess on their crops. A plant scientist explains ...
IARC cancer agency mounts PR effort as probe of possible corruption grows
The agency was heavily criticized for the methodology used in declaring the herbicide glyphosate a "probable carcinogen." Now IARC is ...
Viewpoint: 12 ways organic activists mislead consumers
Does the organic food industry use deceptive marketing practices to scare wealthy customers away from conventional agriculture and GMOs? The ...
What foods have pesticide residues? When do the chemical traces pose dangers?
Dosage and length of exposure determines whether a compound actually produces toxic effects and could lead to such diseases as ...
Myth busting: Are natural pesticides really safer than synthetic ones?
Both organic and conventional farmers use pesticides, but these chemicals are rampant in nature and many natural ones are more ...
Viewpoint: Former US journalist Carey Gillam should stay out of Europe’s glyphosate debate
A former agricultural reporter at Reuters, Gillam now presents herself as "the Rachel Carson of the GMO debate." Belgian-based risk ...
Viewpoint: Christopher Portier—well-paid activist scientist at center of the ban-glyphosate movement
Christopher Portier, special adviser to the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer, is bringing down the reputation ...
Kevin Folta looks back 5 years after release of controversial Séralini GMO rat study
The heavily criticized and retracted paper linked GMO consumption and glyphosate exposure to cancer in rats. The brouhaha that erupted ...
Viewpoint: ‘Blistering’ USDA organic report suggests ‘movement’ needs major reforms
The USDA report detailing poor oversight by the agency’s National Organic Program challenges the belief that consumers can trust organic ...
9 misdirected arguments against GMOs
When discussing GMOs, many arguments are put forth on why they are “bad” and should be avoided. A molecular geneticist ...
Winemakers abandoning organic status for sustainability, improved taste
The shift has been more common in France, where wineries have cited concerns about the environment and copper buildup from ...
Chemical residues on foods and why dose matters
Dosage is what decides whether a compound actually produces toxic effects in the short-term, or long-term effects, such as cancer ...
Hawaii honey bee die-off points to likely culprits—Not pesticides, but varroa and viruses
Hawaii study may hold the key to the mystery of why honey bees are struggling ...
9 misdirected arguments against GMOs that really reflect modern and organic ag issues
When discussing GMOs, many arguments are put forth on why they are “bad” and should be avoided. A molecular geneticist ...
