Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category
02
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides, January 2, 2026) Texas-based pecan orchard Swift River Pecans is collaborating with local conservation nonprofit Merlin Tuttleâs Bat Conservation âso they could collect more information on the species that visit his 266-acre property, and to show off the batsâ value to his operation,â according to recent coverage by NPR affiliate KCUR. âBats love to munch on insects like stink bugs and moths. Some farmers are now relying on the mammals for pest control â and ditching chemicals,â says Michael Marks, reporter for NPR (Harvest Public Media) and Texas Standard. The orchard operator and nonprofit have been collaborating since 2004, after Troy Swift (orchard owner) employed a chemical-intensive approach since purchasing the land in 1988. Merlin Tuttle, âan ecologist and conservationist who has spent 65 years studying bats around the globe,â has been setting up bat boxes using cypress trees from a lumber mill on-siteâthe researcher has opted for this wood type because it is porous and regulates temperature appropriately. âOur job is to work with Mother Nature instead of against her to make the best pecans money can buy. Thatâs the way we see it,â says Mr. Swift, who also serves as the president of the Texas Pecan […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Bats, Biodiversity, Climate, Ecosystem Services, Fungicides, Herbicides, Insecticides, Pesticide Drift, Pesticide Mixtures, Uncategorized | No Comments »
22
Dec
(Beyond Pesticides, December 22, 2025) After a U.S. Court of Appeals Court decision in October that upheld the U.S. Department of Agricultureâs (USDA) âbioengineeredâ food label language, Beyond Pesticides with people across the country renewed their call for truth in labelingâso that consumers clearly understand when products contain genetically engineered ingredients. The label requirement became law under the National Bioengineered  Food Disclosure Standard in 2016. When USDA proposed the bioengineered label, Beyond Pesticides told the agency in 2017, âSince many consumers may not know or understand the term bioengineering, there should be allowable interchangeable terms for the disclosure standard. These include the terms: genetically engineered, genetically modified organism, and GMO.â Beyond Pesticides issued an action to: âTell USDA to require full disclosure of genetically engineered ingredients, using terms understandable to consumers.â At the same time, the court ruled that USDA had failed to properly implement the law in allowing manufactures to provide label ingredient with a reference to the availability of electronic information. After a 2024 decision by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California overturning rules issued under the first Trump administration that, according to the Center for Food Safety (CFS), âpractically eliminate oversight of novel GE technology and instead let industry self-regulate,â the […]
Posted in Agriculture, Genetic Engineering, Labeling, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | No Comments »
19
Dec
(Beyond Pesticides, December 19, 2025) While still the exception rather than the norm, a growing movement of Christmas tree farmers across the United States is demonstrating that organically managed systems can also be applied when choosing a tree during this holiday season. Health and environmental advocates across the country are calling for a transition away from toxic pesticide dependency during the holiday season. Beyond Pesticides maintains a webpage, Christmas Trees and Pesticides, and Center for Biological Diversity and Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a âspecial review of pesticides used on Christmas trees.â The groups sent a letter on December 4, the day the National Christmas Tree was lit at the White House, specifically citing the need to review the pesticides chlorpyrifos, carbaryl, dimethoate, bifenthrin, chlorothalonil, glyphosate, hexazinone, imidacloprid, simazine, and 2,4-D, among others. Christmas is one of the most celebrated holidays in the United States, with Christmas trees grown on Christmas tree farms being brought into homes as part of the celebration. On average, Americans purchase 25 to 30 million Christmas trees annually, according to the National Christmas Tree Association; however, certified organic […]
Posted in 2,4-D, Abamectin, Azadirachtin, Bifenthrin, Carbaryl, Chemical Mixtures, Chemicals, Chlorothalonil, Chlorpyrifos, clopyralid, Department of Health and Human Services, Diflubenzuron, Dimethoate, dinotefuron, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), esfenvalerate, flupyradifurone, Fungicides, Glyphosate, Herbicides, hexazinone, Holidays, Imidacloprid, Insecticides, Integrated and Organic Pest Management, lambda-cyhalothrin, Malathion, mancozeb, Oryzalin, oxyfluorfen, Pendimethalin, Permethrin, pymetrozine, simazine, spinosad, spirodiclofen, Sulfometuron methyl, tebufenozide, Thiamethoxam, Triclopyr, Uncategorized | No Comments »
17
Dec
(Beyond Pesticides, December 17, 2025) In a 50-plus page opinion, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled in October for the plaintiffs on providing general public access to information on genetically engineered products, overturning a 2016 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) rule that permitted the use of a âQR codeâ or smartphone labeling for food products made with genetically modified organisms. However, the court rejected the plaintiffsâ argument that the use of the term âbioengineeredâ is misleading, given the general public’s understanding of the common usage of âgenetically engineeredâ or genetically modified.â The case was filed by the Center for Food Safety on behalf of a coalition of public interest organizations and grocers, including Natural Grocers, Citizens for GMO Labeling, Label GMOs, Rural Vermont, Good Earth Natural Foods, Puget Consumers Co-Op, and National Organic Coalition. “We’ve fought for decades for GMO labeling, as required by more than 60 other countries, and today’s decision is a crucial culmination of those hard-fought efforts,â says George Kimbrell, legal director at Center for Food Safety and lead counsel in the litigation. He continues: âQR codes alone do not provide meaningful access to all Americans, and USDA now will have to […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Contamination, Genetic Engineering, Labeling, Litigation, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
15
Dec
(Beyond Pesticides, December 15, 2025) With recent proposals by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to register new pesticides that under international standards are classified as PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances), people and organizations are calling for Congress to reverse the agencyâs action. Beyond Pesticides announced an action to Tell EPA and Congress to eliminate PFAS chemicals, including those used in pesticides. In its action Beyond Pesticides pointed to the long history of allowing pesticides on that market that have long residual lives and bioaccumulate in the environment, causing generations of exposure and adverse effects to health and ecosystems. DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) exemplifies the generational effect of a toxic pesticide whose effects ha endured for decades, even though it was hailed as a miracle solution for agriculture and public health. PFAS, with a wide variety of usesâfrom nonstick pans to waterproofing fabrics to firefighting foams to pesticidesâmight similarly lead to the characterization as a âmiracleâ chemical. PFAS also share the less beneficial characteristics of DDT. Like DDT, PFAS are persistent, leading to the nickname âforever chemicals,â and they are highly toxic. EPA links PFAS to an increased risk of many health effects, including decreased fertility and hypertension in pregnant people; increased risk of prostate, […]
Posted in Biosolids, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Endocrine Disruption, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Fertilizer, PFAS, Sewage Sludge, Take Action, Toxic Waste, Uncategorized | No Comments »
11
Dec
(Beyond Pesticides, December 11, 2025) In an amicus brief published on December 1, 2025, the Office of the Solicitor General (SG) and the White House are calling on the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) to grant certiorari on Bayerâs petition to shield chemical companies that fail to warn people about the potential hazards of their pesticide products. The U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer (former Solicitor General of Missouri, home to Bayer-Monsanto’s U.S. headquarters), in siding with the Germany-based, multinational pesticide corporation, calls for SCOTUS to take on the case, which could lead to a prohibition on state-level failure-to-warn claims based on the arguments laid out in the amicus brief. This move sets the stage for SCOTUS to undermine the main legal argument used to hold pesticide corporations accountable for their harmful products, sending Bayer’s stock price to skyrocket 12 percentage points between December 2 and December 3 after the decision was made public. As of May 2025, Bayer has already paid at least 10 billion dollars in jury verdicts and settlements to cancer victims who have attributed their diagnoses to the use of Bayer/Monsantoâs glyphosate-based Roundup weed killer products, according to Lawsuit Information Center. Two previous petitions […]
Posted in and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), Bayer, Corporations, Failure to Warn, Labeling, Monsanto, Pesticide Regulation, Preemption, U.S. Supreme Court, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
10
Dec
(Beyond Pesticides, December 10, 2025) On November 21, 2025, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a branch of the World Health Organization (WHO), designated the endocrine-disrupting herbicide atrazine (as well as the herbicide alachlor) as âprobably carcinogenic to humans.â Manufactured by the multinational, China-based pesticide corporation Syngenta, atrazine has been linked to various adverse health effects and runoff into waterways across the continental United States for years. Tyrone Hayes, PhD, researcher and professor of Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, who studies the endocrine-disrupting properties of atrazine and other chemicals, has said that atrazine induces cancer by turning on the enzyme aromatase. Dr. Hayes told conferees of Beyond Pesticidesâ 31st National Pesticide Forum that: â[W]hat is concerning about aromatase expression and estrogen in mammals is breast cancer and prostate cancer. With regard to prostate cancer, there is an 8.4-fold increase in prostate cancer in men who work in atrazine factories and bag atrazine. There is at least one correlational study, which I didnât publish, that shows women whose well water is contaminated with atrazine are more likely to develop breast cancer than women who live in the same community, but donât drink the well water. (Kettles, […]
Posted in Atrazine, Breakdown Chemicals, Cancer, hydroxyatrazine, non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Syngenta, Uncategorized, World Health Organization | No Comments »
09
Dec
(Beyond Pesticides, December 9, 2025) In the Journal of Environmental Quality, researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report that a 4-year organically managed corn-soybean-oat system reduces nitrogen (N) loads by 50 percent with corn and soybean yields âequivalent to or higher than conventional [chemical-intensive] in most years.â The findings from a 7-year study comparing nitrate loss in organic and chemical-intensive management found that organically managed perennial pasture reduced nitrogen loads significantly. The study, which focused on nitrate pollution in agriculture that harms biodiversity, threatens waterways, drinking water, and public health, and releases nitrous oxide (an extremely potent greenhouse gas), was conducted at USDAâs National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment. Organic and regenerative organic farmers and businesses posit that if commodity crops can be grown in organically managed systems with competitive yields, then this supports their argument for alternative systems not only feasible but economically sustainable and responsible. Background and Methodology The researchers note that, in the eastern and U.S. Midwest, âsubsurface tile drainageâ (the practice of manually draining fields below the surface soil to assist fields that are otherwise challenging to drain due to wet areas/highly compacted soils) has exacerbated nitrogen and nutrient runoff, ultimately leading to diminished soil health. […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Iowa, Nitrates, soil health, State/Local, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Water | No Comments »
08
Dec
(Beyond Pesticides, December 8, 2025) In response to the Trump administrationâs proposed new rules to limit protections for critical habitats under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), Beyond Pesticides is calling for public action to âTell the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) not to adopt regulations that weaken protection of threatened and endangered species.â According to environmentalists, four new rules will allow an expansion of oil drilling, logging, and mining in critical habitats. A week before Thanksgiving, which honors habitats supporting life, FWS, part of the Department of Interior (DOI), and NMFS, part of the Department of Commerce, announced proposed revisions to the rules implementing ESA that raises serious questions about the future restrictions of the nation’s foundational environmental law. Passed with bipartisan support in 1973, the ESA establishes âa prohibition on ‘take’ of a species, the requirement that all federal agencies ensure that the actions they carry out will not jeopardize the continued existence of a threatened or endangered species, and the drafting and implementation of recovery plans for at risk species,â according to the National Agricultural Law Center. See ESA current regulations. Secretary of DOI Doug Burgum describes the action: âThis administration is restoring the Endangered […]
Posted in Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Uncategorized, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | No Comments »
03
Dec
(Beyond Pesticides, December 3, 2025) Childhood cancers are on the rise globally; in the U.S. cancer is the second most common cause of death in children between one and 14 years old, and the fourth most common in adolescents. A recent study of Nebraska pesticide use and pediatric cancer incidence by researchers from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Idaho Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences found positive associations between pesticides and overall cancer, brain and central nervous system cancers, and leukemia among children (defined as under age 20). The studyâs lead author, Jabeen Taiba, PhD, of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, will discuss the study results on December 4, 2025, at the second session of Beyond Pesticidesâ 42nd National Pesticide Forum, The Pesticide Threat to Environmental Health â Advancing Holistic Solutions Aligned with Nature. The first session recordings and materials are available here. The authorsâ emphasis on evaluating mixtures, and their innovative technical methods for doing so, highlight the direction environmental health research and regulation must take. Studying pesticides singly is an inadequate approach, according to the authors, because pesticides are not applied individually anymore, but very often in mixtures of herbicides, insecticides, and […]
Posted in Agriculture, California, Cancer, Children, Dicamba, Farmworkers, Glyphosate, Paraquat, Pesticide Mixtures, quizalofop, tefluthrin, triasulfuron, Uncategorized | No Comments »
02
Dec
(Beyond Pesticides, December 2, 2025) A personal and heartfelt message from Jay Feldman, executive director, for the holiday season! During this holiday season, Iâm writing on behalf of Beyond Pesticidesâ staff and board of directors to wish you a Happy Holiday. We celebrate with you our shared commitment to the values and principles that protect the well-being of people and the ecosystems on which life depends. In reflecting on the steps we are taking at Beyond Pesticides to confront existential health and environmental threats, I believe we, together, are pursuing a meaningful path forwardâand I am thankful for that.  If you can, and in honor of Giving Tuesday, please consider a gift sometime during this holiday season on our secure website at bp-dc.org/give2025. Your support of any size makes a tremendous difference! Thank you! Before the specifics, I think it is important to say that with the current challenges being endured by the people of our country and around the world, threats to a sustainable future can be overshadowed by the crises that impede daily survival. At Beyond Pesticides, I am thankful we recognize the immediate support needed in this regard, at the same time that we move ahead with the urgent […]
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
01
Dec
(Beyond Pesticides, December 1, 2025) A week before Thanksgiving, and the honoring of critical habitats that support life, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced proposed revisions to the rules implementing the Endangered Species Act (ESA) that environmentalists say will severely weaken the nationâs foundational environmental law. Passed with bipartisan support in 1973, as an update to earlier related statutes, the law establishes a prohibition âon âtakeâ of a species, the requirement that all federal agencies ensure that the actions they carry out will not jeopardize the continued existence of a threatened or endangered species, and the drafting and implementation of recovery plans for at risk species,â according to the National Agricultural Law Center.â See ESA current regulations. FWS and NMFS describe their proposals as a strengthening of the rules implementing ESA, explaining that they âremove regulatory barriers that hinder responsible resource development and economic growth, including expanded oil exploration. However, environmentalists explain that the proposals undermine the basic protections provided threatened and endangered species and narrow the definition of critical habitats. ESA grows out of a history of respect for the earth that is captured in the Thanksgiving Address (the Ohen:ton Karihwatehkwen) […]
Posted in Department of Interior, Endangered Species Act (ESA), Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Uncategorized, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | No Comments »
26
Nov
(Beyond Pesticides, November 26-30, 2025) The Beyond Pesticides team and board would like to thank those working in communities across the country and actively working to protect the health of our soil, air, water, and all life. In the spirit of uplifting the intersection of traditional ecological knowledge and science, we would like to share with you some excerpts from Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plantsâa collection of essays written by Robin Wall Kimmerer, PhD, founder and director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment, professor of environmental biology at the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) in Syracuse, New York, mother, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. As you read these excerpts, we hope that they offer a sense of empowerment to take actions that protect the natural world and advance organic land management systems that respect the ecosystems that support life. The Gift of Reciprocity Know the ways of the ones who take care of you, so that you may take care of them. Introduce yourself. Be accountable as the one who comes asking for life. Ask permission before taking. Abide by the answer. […]
Posted in Environmental Justice, Holidays, Indigenous People, Uncategorized | No Comments »
25
Nov
(Beyond Pesticides, November 25, 2025) Chemical pollution is having a profound impact on menâs overall health and reproductive function. Endocrine-disrupting chemicalsâwhich prominently include pesticidesâare a major factor. The Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) a European organization funded by the European Union (EU) and several private foundations, has issued a strong call for attention to â and action on â the precipitous decline in male reproductive health owing to chemical exposures, including pesticides. In a new report, Chemical pollution and menâs health: A hidden crisis in Europe, the group states, âThe scientific evidence is clear. The costs of chemical pollution â human and economic â are mounting. The solutions exist. What we need now is the political will to act.â The report was written by Rosaella Cannarella, M.D., PhD, an endocrinologist at the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolic Diseases and Nutrition, University of Catania (Italy). HEALâs report details alarming indications of catastrophe in male reproductive health: prostate cancer, testicular cancer, crashing sperm counts, and numerous developmental problems including cryptorchidism, urogenital malformations, and hypospadias. The report highlights pesticides, microplastics, phthalates, bisphenols, PFAS and heavy metals as the likely environmental sources of the crisis. There is evidence that all of these endocrine disrupting chemicals […]
Posted in Agriculture, Belgium, Canada, Cancer, European Union, Glyphosate, Infertility, International, Italy, Prostate Cancer, Rwanda, Testicular Cancer, Uncategorized | No Comments »
24
Nov
(Beyond Pesticides, November 24, 2025) In his article on ecological traps, Professor Danilo Russo, PhD, explains the harm caused to wildlife from well-intentioned efforts to establish habitat on chemical-intensive farms or areas otherwise subject to chemical exposure. Dr. Russo et al., in âTo improve or not to improve? The dilemma of âbat-friendlyâ farmland potentially becoming an ecological trapâ (2024), write, â[W]hen restoring habitats for bats in conventional farmland, potential unintended outcomes must be considered, particularly if restoration actions are not accompanied by mitigation of key threats. These threats include the persistent and widespread use of pesticides. . .â (See also a study in Environmental Entomology, which shows that habitat and open space near agricultural fields become a killing field of pesticides, threatening biodiversity due to contamination from toxic drift.) As this false sense of protection persists, Beyond Pesticides is calling on governors to adopt policies that support organic land management and ecological balance. Organic practices are, by definition, a systems change that is aligned with nature and the biodiversity protection that is needed. Ecological traps are incremental steps that fail to address underlying systemic problems that allow hazards to persist. While they represent an affirmative action in an attempt to adopt restorative measures, the […]
Posted in Agriculture, Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Paraquat, Take Action, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
21
Nov
(Beyond Pesticides, November 21, 2025) âHow do we respond when told that the solution to ubiquitous and hazardous toxic chemicals in our lives (in our air, food, water, soil, on farms, in parks, playing fields, and schoolyards) is a reduction in their use that continues to allow unnecessary toxic chemical dependency and poisoning? Do we accept partial restrictions of pesticide use, despite the availability of cost-effective alternatives that stop the toxic assault and help to prevent the most serious associated diseases that invade and attack our bodies, our loved ones, our families, and our communitiesâwith breast cancer, prostate and testicular cancer, pediatric cancer, infertility, and more?â  These are the questions being asked about the most prevalent cancers in the U.S. and worldwide at the upcoming 2nd Session of the National Forum, The Pesticide Threat to Environmental Health: Advancing Holistic Solutions Aligned with Nature, scheduled for December 4, 1:00-3:30pm (EST). âď¸âĄď¸ Link to register The Forum brings together cutting-edge science and medical experts from Brazil, Italy, Belgium, Rwanda, Canada, and the United States to sharpen the voices of advocates who are saying that the time for action to eliminate the current reliance on petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers is past due […]
Posted in Announcements, Biosolids, Biosolids/Sewage Sludge, Breast Cancer, Cancer, Disease/Health Effects, Endocrine Disruption, Events, Fertilizer, Infertility, Prostate Cancer, Reproductive Health, Sewage Sludge, Uncategorized | No Comments »
18
Nov
(Beyond Pesticides, November 18, 2025) A study published in Horticultural Plant Journal provides additional evidence on the viability of organically managed farmland based on tomatoes cultivated through traditional plant breeding and regional variances. The authors of the research find that, âDespite the positive trend of the organic sector’s development in Europe, the number of tomato varieties bred for organic farming is still limited since efforts have been mainly focused on high input conditions.â They continue: âAs a result, the existing cultivars may not suit to organic production [ ] as cultivars chosen for conventional [chemical-intensive] systems often respond well to chemical fertilizers to improve crop output, but they might not maximize nutrient uptake in organic systems where minor external inputs are provided.â In this context, the marketplace is not maximizing the potential productivity of organic systems due to the limited availability of seeds and plant material best suited to conditions in sync with local ecosystems. The designed methodology, as well as the findings, show that there are opportunities for public investment to support systems that cultivate agricultural products without reliance on petrochemical-based fertilizers, pesticides, and seeds treated with pesticide products and other genetically modified characteristics. For millennia, humans have worked […]
Posted in Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, Biodiversity, Genetic Engineering, National Organic Standards Board/National Organic Program, NOSB National Organic Standards Board, Organic Foods Production Act OFPA, Seeds, Uncategorized | No Comments »
17
Nov
(Beyond Pesticides, November 17, 2025) Beyond Pesticides ramped up its campaign to transition parks, playing fields, and schoolyards to organic land management after the release of a study showing synergistic effects of glyphosate (Roundup) and urea fertilizers on earthworms and soil health. The organizationâs network is asking Mayors nationwide to lead the transition, pointing to the inadequacy of the current system of regulating pesticides based on risk assessments of individual chemicals or individual chemical families. Chemicals interact, causing increased impacts on human, ecological health, and biodiversity. Moreover, humans, other species, and the biosphere rarely experience exposure to single chemicals or chemical families; exposure to multiple chemicals is the rule, not the exception.  Synergistic effects associated with the use of the weedkiller glyphosate have been implicated in several studies showing magnified adverse impact in soil organisms and in mixture with other chemicals: The extensive use of glyphosate is linked to effects on nontarget soil organisms, with the risks to soil ecosystems widely studied. (See here, here, here, here, and here.)  One study shows that frequent application in tropical systems of glyphosate âreduced soil macroarthropod richness by 21% and altered community composition.  âA recent global risk assessment of glyphosate further estimated that 67â93% of soils pose high risks to Collembola [springtails] and 43â67% pose medium to high risks to […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Biodiversity, Fertilizer, Glyphosate, Parks, Soil microbiome, synergistic effects, Uncategorized | No Comments »
12
Nov
(Beyond Pesticides, November 12, 2025) A ballot initiative to repeal a local ordinance in Maine that bans most uses of lawn chemicals was rejected by the voters last week by a 10-point margin. The voters of Falmouth, Maine, 55% to 45%, upheld an updated ordinance that was passed by the town council in February 2025 to protect the communityâs health and the coastal environment from petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers, sending a strong message that ecological land management in conformance with organic standards is the responsible path, given pesticide-related health threats, biodiversity decline, and the climate crisis. The ordinance being challenged by the ballot initiative updated a 2020 rule with more stringent criteria and restrictions and the goal of ensuring a holistic approach to land management. Maine has become the bellwether nationwide for communities seeking to eliminate the use of petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers on public and private property, including parks, playing fields, open spaces, and yards. When applied, pesticides move off the target site through drift, volatilization, runoff, and leaching, creating community-wide poisoning and contamination. However, unlike Maine and five other states, most state laws preempt local jurisdictions from restricting pesticides. These states have adopted preemption language at the behest […]
Posted in Invasive Species, Maine, Nematodes, neonicotinoids, Preemption, Reflection, soil health, State/Local, Uncategorized, Water | No Comments »
11
Nov
(Beyond Pesticides, November 11, 2025) A study published in Cardiovascular Toxicology (July 2025) finds significant associations between Gulf War deployment-related toxic chemical exposure hazards and various adverse health outcomes, including heightened risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVDs), such as âheart attack, coronary heart disease, stroke, transient ischemic attack, and peripheral vascular disease.â While there were no significant associations found directly between pesticide products and these adverse health effects, researchers attribute this to limited sample sizes and wide confidence intervals as part of the study methodology. Further research is necessary to build on this study, given the preponderance of scientific evidence linking pesticide exposure to heightened health risks to the cardiovascular system. On the issue of statistical significance, the authors state the following: âThere may be difficulty [for survey respondents] remembering the[ir] military exposure history since the survey was completed nearly 25 years after the Gulf War.â While it is difficult to pinpoint pesticide exposure as a cause of illness among the toxic mixtures to which service members are exposed, there has been recognition by the Veterans Administration (VA) of diseases that are directly related to military service. Beyond Pesticides previously reported that the VA has established 20 burn pit and […]
Posted in Blood Disorders, Cardiovascular Disease, Chemical Mixtures, Disease/Health Effects, Environmental Justice, Federal Agencies, Uncategorized, Veterans Administraton | No Comments »
10
Nov
(Beyond Pesticides, November 10, 2025) With a small but growing organic beer market, Beyond Pesticides is urging breweries to align with ecological farming practices and to seek out organic sources for their ingredients. In a June 2025 release, the marketing research firm Data Bridge reports that, âThe global organic beer market size was valued at USD 7.24 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 11.90 billion by 2032, at a CAGR [Compound Annual Growth Rate] of 6.4% during the forecast period.â The company attributes the growth to âhealth-conscious and environmentally-aware consumersâ and finds ârising consumer preference for organic and clean-label beverages,â with consumers âactively seeking beer options made with organic hops, malt, and natural ingredients, free from synthetic pesticides or GMOs  [genetically modified organisms].â Harmful pesticides, including glyphosate, 2,4-D, and other toxic herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides, are used in the production of the ingredients of beer. Residues may remain in barley, oats, wheat, and hops used to make beer. Not only do the residues pose a risk to beer drinkers, but growing these crops nonorganically threatens farmworkers, waterways, wildlife, and pollinators.  More than 800 million pounds of pesticides are used each year in U.S. agriculture, with devastating impacts on soil life, pollinators, and ecosystem health. Harm to the soil microbiome and invertebrates like worms and beetles is magnified by synergistic interactions with chemical fertilizers, undermining the foundation of […]
Posted in 2,4-D, Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, Glyphosate, Uncategorized | No Comments »
07
Nov
(Beyond Pesticides, November 7, 2025)Â There is little dispute that modern industrial culture has produced a constellation of related chronic conditions contributing powerfully to human disease. In recent decades, attention has begun to focus on the developmental origins of health and diseaseâprenatal exposures to pesticides, for example, that contribute to diseases in adulthood, such as cardiovascular and metabolic problems, along with the combination, known as cardiometabolic syndrome. Cardiometabolic disorders include obesity, hypertension, cholesterol imbalances, and insulin resistance. The usual suspects blamed for the syndrome are poor diet, physical inactivity, and genetic predisposition. These are all well-established risk factors, but they fail to fully account for the sharp rise in cardiometabolic syndrome globally. Obesity prevalence has doubled and diabetes quadrupled over the last 40 years, according to the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Risk Factor Collaboration. In a study on early life exposure to a pesticide mixture, researchers analyze sex differences in cardiometabolic outcomes from prenatal and early life. The study was conducted by an international team of scientists led by Ana M. Mora, M.D., of the Center for Environmental Research and Community Health at the University of California, Berkeley, using data from the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of […]
Posted in Agriculture, Children, Glyphosate, Malathion, metabolic syndrome, Obesity, organophosphate, Permethrin, pyrethroids, Uncategorized | No Comments »
06
Nov
(Beyond Pesticides, November 6, 2025) The report, Designed to Kill: Who Profits from Paraquat, and accompanying interactive storymap, unpacks the supply chain of the infamous herbicide paraquat and underscores the true costs of pesticide products, from manufacturing to use in the fields. This report is part of a larger initiative, the Pesticide Mapping Projectââa collaborative research series that illustrates the health and climate harms of pesticides across their toxic lifecycle: including fossil fuel extraction, manufacturing, international trade, and application on vast areas of U.S. land.â Top Highlights This report highlights, among other notable points, âthat every stage of the paraquat supply chainâwhich spans the globeâemits greenhouse gases and toxic air pollutants.â With SinoChem as the lead producer and player in the paraquat market, the Chinese government-owned pesticide companyâs supply chain âincludes fossil fuel extraction in Equatorial Guinea and Saudi Arabia, chemical manufacturing in India, Germany, and the United Kingdom, international chemical shipping, and final formulation and distribution in the United States.â Paraquat is not currently manufactured in the U.S., accounting for imports of âbetween 40 and 156 million pounds of paraquat each year, according to the last eight years of pesticide import records available from the private database.â Despite the […]
Posted in Atlantic Methanol Production Company (AMPCO), Environmental Justice, Farmworkers, Nobian, Paraquat, Parkinson's, Pesticide Drift, Pesticide Regulation, Sahara International Petrochemical Company (Sipchem), Saudi Aramco, Syngenta, Uncategorized | No Comments »