Search Results
Wednesday, August 7th, 2024
(Beyond Pesticides, August 7, 2024) Using mass spectrometry techniques, researchers in Luxemburg and France detect 69 biomarkers of pollutants and pesticidesâ12 of which are bannedâin hair samples from over 200 French children. This study, published in Environment International, is the first to target over 150 biomarkers in a single hair sample, which ârepresents the most comprehensive assessment of chemical exposome in humans,â the authors say. All children in the study were 3.5 years old and recruited from the Ătude Longitudinale Française depuis lâEnfance (ELFE) [French Longitudinal Study since Childhood] cohort in the country of France, a major pesticide consumer in Europe. The ELFE survey is a joint project between the French Institute for Demographic Studies (INED) and the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), which provides the first comprehensive national scientific investigation of children in France by following them from birth to adulthood. Through analysis of hair samples from children in the ELFE cohort, this study evaluates pesticide exposure and compares it with prenatal exposure data from their mothers while also, according to the scientists, âinvestigat[ing] the roles of childrenâs biological sex and geographical differences as possible determinants of exposure.â Exposure to pesticides during early childhood poses significant […]
Posted in Azoxystrobin, Carbaryl, Children, Endosulfan, Fipronil, Heptachlor, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), International, Malathion, Metolachlor, organochlorines, Permethrin, Piperonyl butoxide (PBO), Synthetic Pyrethroid, tebuconazole | 1 Comment »
Thursday, July 11th, 2024
(Beyond Pesticides, July 11, 2024) Can the health of pollinator hives serve as a nature-based indicator for pesticide residue drift? Researchers in a study published in Science of the Total Environment in June find this to be the case. Through the BeeNet Project, led by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Forestry (MAFSF), researchers detected the presence of 63 different pesticide residues in hives across northern Italy. Of these residues, 15 are not approved for use under European Union (EU) law. Environmental advocates observe the mounting scientific literature on pollinator decline, in part due to the inadequate regulation of toxic petrochemical-based pesticides, as a call to action to push forward land management, agricultural, and climate policy that aligns with organic principles centering on soil health, biodiversity, public health, worker protections, and economic security. Methodology The study is cowritten by a cohort of ten researchers working in the Research Center for Agriculture and Environment in Bologna, Italyâa research institution within the Council for Agricultural Research and Agricultural Economics Analysis (CREA) at MAFSF. Supported by the BeeNet Project (funded by Italian National Fund), BeeNet is a national monitoring project that tracks the health of honey bee and wild bee populations […]
Posted in Biodiversity, Chemicals, Pesticide Mixtures, Pesticide Residues, Pollinators, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 15th, 2024
(Beyond Pesticides, May 15, 2024) A study published recently in the journal Environmental Research finds a significant correlation between exposure to certain pesticides and an elevated risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a chronic autoimmune condition of the gastrointestinal tract. The study, adding to the body of science on this subject, evaluates self-reported data from licensed pesticide applicators and their spouses exposed to pesticides for over 20 years. In addition, while some of the chemicals found to be most closely associated with incidents of IBD have been banned from use, they are âforeverâ chemicals that persist in the environment for generations. These findings demonstrate once again the failings of the current regulatory process to identify hazards before they are put into the environment. The study found evidence that exposure to several organochlorine insecticides (dieldrin, DDT, and toxaphene), as well as organophosphate insecticides (parathion, terbufos, and phorate) and herbicides (2,4,5-T, 2,4,5-TP, and metolachlor), is associated with elevated IBD risk. IBD is a generic term for diseases that result in chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, such as Crohnâs disease and ulcerative colitis. It is estimated that 6.8 million patients globally suffered from IBD in 2017. IBD may result from an imbalance […]
Posted in Agriculture, Cancer, Carbamates, Cardiovascular Disease, Chemical Mixtures, Chemicals, DDT, Dieldrin, Disease/Health Effects, Environmental Justice, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Farmworkers, Glyphosate, Gut Dysbiosis, Herbicides, Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Iowa, Lindane, Liver Damage, metabolic syndrome, Metolachlor, Microbiata, Microbiome, North Carolina, organochlorines, organophosphate, Parathion, Phorate, soil health, synergistic effects, terbufos, toxaphene, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, February 27th, 2024
(Beyond Pesticides, February 27, 2024) Popular culture and official policy continue to ignore a blatant source of the rise in obesity: chemical exposures, including pesticides. A study, âAssociations of chronic exposure to a mixture of pesticides and type 2 diabetes mellitus in a Chinese elderly population,â contributes to the now-massive trove of evidence linking pesticides to diseases and shows that by the time people reach retirement age they are suffering from a heavy burden of contamination that raises their risk of complex disease. Since the 1960s, obesity in both adults and children has nearly tripled. More than half of U.S. adults were either obese or severely obese by 2018, according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study. The 55-year trend line is decidedly upward. More women than men are obese, and black women suffer the most, but men are racing to catch up. Between 1999 and 2018, Mexican American men shot up from the lowest percentage of obesity to nearly the highest. Obesity is a milestone on the road to Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney failure, joint replacement, and more. The causes of obesity are severely misunderstood. Most people believe that discipline and […]
Posted in Agriculture, Chlorpyrifos, Lindane, metabolic syndrome, Obesity, organochlorines, organophosphate, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Monday, November 27th, 2023
(Beyond Pesticides, November 27, 2023) The waters of the United States are again under attack by the U.S. Congress. After the chemical industry and pesticide users won a major victory in the U.S. Supreme Court that limits the definition of protected waterways in May, 2023, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced legislation that would ease restrictions of pesticides that could contaminate the remaining waterways protected under the Clean Water Act. Capitol Hill watchers expect the billâs supporters will try to attach it to the 2023 Farm Bill. The legislation, the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act, HR 5089, was introduced in the House of by Rep. David Rouzer (R-NC) in July. It would reverse a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirement to obtain a permit before spraying pesticides on or near waterways. This is a repeat of HR 953, which passed the House and failed to pass the Senate in 2017. The House had passed similar legislation in 2011 amending the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Clean Water Act (CWA) to eliminate provisions requiring pesticide applicators to obtain a permit to allow pesticides or their residues to enter waterways. CWA was adopted âto restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological […]
Posted in Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Uncategorized, Water | 1 Comment »
Friday, August 25th, 2023
(Beyond Pesticides, August 22, 2023) A U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and National Park Service collaborative survey report finds a harmful mixture of pollutants, including pesticides, pharmaceuticals, caffeine, methylparaben, algal toxins, and fecal and parasitic bacteria, in Pipestone Creek at Pipestone National Monument in Minnesota, U.S.â adding to evidence of widespread pesticide contamination in waterways across the U.S. Pesticide contamination in waterways is historically commonplace. A 1998 USGS analysis revealed pesticides are commonly found in all U.S. waterways, with at least one pesticide detectable. Thousands of tons of pesticides enter rivers and streams around the US from agricultural and nonagricultural sources, which contaminate essential drinking water sources, such as surface water and groundwater. As the number of pesticides in waterways increases, it has detrimental impacts on aquatic ecosystem health, especially as some pesticides work synergistically with others to increase the severity of the effect. Reports like these are significant tools for determining appropriate regulatory action to protect human, animal, and environmental health. The survey collected water samples from Pipestone Creek, the pipestone quarries, and Winnewissa Falls, all of which are on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencyâs (EPA) list of impaired waters for turbidity (reduced water clarity) and fecal coliform bacteria (E. coli). Turbidity and fecal coliform […]
Posted in Atrazine, Metolachlor, Minnesota, synergistic effects, U.S. Geological Survey, Water | 1 Comment »
Friday, February 10th, 2023
(Beyond Pesticides, February 10, 2023) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced, on February 1, new measures to protect 28 endangered salmon species (including steelhead trout) from the use of four pesticides that threaten them and their critical habitats. Those compounds comprise three herbicides â metolachlor, bromoxynil, and prometryn, and one soil fumigant, 1,3-Dichloropropene. The protections, aimed at salmon populations in Washington, Oregon, and California, are meant to reduce impacts from pesticide runoff and spray drift, and to minimize potential âtake.â (Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), âtakeâ means, essentially, the unintentional harming or killing of an individual of a protected species â in this case, harm or death from exposures to these toxic pesticide compounds.) Beyond Pesticides and other advocates have for years warned that multiple pesticides are threats to Northwest salmon and other species at risk. This EPA announcement is the second of two, recently, that offer slight redress to the agencyâs historical failures to act (see more below). Indeed, advocates have engaged in multiple litigation efforts over the years to try to force EPA to take action; EarthJustice in 2001 noted some early instances. As Chemical and Engineering News says pointedly, âEnvironmental groups, which have been suing […]
Posted in 1, 3-dichloropropene, bromoxynil, California, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Metolachlor, Oregon, Prometon, Telone, Uncategorized, Washington, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | No Comments »
Friday, November 11th, 2022
(Beyond Pesticides, November 11, 2022)Â A paper published in Trends in Ecology & Evolution in late October sounds an unnerving alarm about the globally ubiquitous use of herbicides and the ecological destruction being caused. It asserts that widespread environmental contamination with these herbicide compounds is influencing soil, plant, and animal microbiomes in ways that are not only not well understood, but also, can have significant impacts on the functioning of organisms and their ecosystems â with evolutionary implications. Impacts of herbicides on microbiota in soils include, for example, those on nutrient cycling, and altered organism and plant performance, which can affect pollination and animal consumption of plants. This research reinforces what Beyond Pesticides wrote in covering a 2021 study: âThe popular herbicide glyphosate negatively affects microbial communities, indirectly influencing plant, animal, and human health. Exposure to sublethal concentrations of glyphosate shifts microbial community composition, destroying beneficial microorganisms while preserving pathogenic organisms.â Herbicides are a category of pesticide used to control weeds in agriculture and commercial forests, on managed landscapes, byways, gardens, and lawns, and directly on surface waters to control aquatic weeds. They are designed to kill âtargetâ plant species considered undesirable in any of those circumstances. Herbicide use has exploded […]
Posted in Agriculture, Biodiversity, Glyphosate, Herbicides, soil health, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Friday, May 27th, 2022
(Beyond Pesticides, May 27, 2022) In a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) court document filed on May 16, the agency signaled potential changes to the labeling it requires for âover the topâ (OTT, or post-emergent) herbicides containing dicamba, a very problematic pesticide. The filing â in U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, where EPA currently faces litigation about its 2020 dicamba registrations â comes as a result of Bayer, Inc.âs March 2022 proposed amendments to EPA registration for its XtendiMax herbicide, which contains dicamba and glyphosate. Beyond Pesticides has covered the dicamba saga for years, including the EPA Office of the Inspector Generalâs critical 2021 report citing an abandonment of science and assault on agency integrity for EPAâs dicamba decisions during the Trump years. Dicamba has been linked to cancer, reproductive effects, neurotoxicity, birth defects, and kidney and liver damage. It is toxic to birds, fish, and other aquatic organisms, and is known to leach into waterways after application. Dicamba also causes serious damage to non-GE (genetically engineered), non-target plants, damaging habitat and food sources for various organisms, especially for birds and insects. According to Progressive Farmer, EPA is currently considering some dicamba use restrictions after Bayer submitted them to […]
Posted in Agriculture, BASF, Bayer, Dicamba, Drift, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Litigation, Syngenta, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Thursday, January 13th, 2022
(Beyond Pesticides, January 13, 2022) Insects found in nature preserves are consistently contaminated with over a dozen pesticides, calling into question the ability for these areas to function as refuges for threatened and endangered species. This finding comes from a study published last month in Scientific Reports by researchers with The Entomological Association Krefeld, the team behind the seminal study on the decline of flying insect biomass in German nature preserves, which sparked worldwide discussions about the ongoing insect apocalypse. With pesticide use rampant and contamination ubiquitous, it is imperative that lawmakers and regulators embrace stronger measures to reverse the ominous trajectory society continues to follow. After finding devastating insect declines of nearly 80% over the last 30 years in German nature preserves, researchers set out to analyze what chemicals these insects were being exposed to, whether there were differences in contamination that could be observed between seasons, and how surrounding agricultural areas influenced insect exposure to pesticide residue. Scientists established a series of Malaise traps – large, tent-like mesh nets that will trap flying insects. Between May and August 2020, two insect collection samples each were taken from 21 nature preserves around Germany. Collected insects were immediately placed into […]
Posted in Biodiversity, contamination, International, Uncategorized, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 13th, 2021
(Beyond Pesticides, October 13, 2021) Pesticide use in conventional chemical-intensive farming is so pervasive that weeds are developing resistance to herbicides they have never encountered before. According to research published in Plant and Cell Physiology and New Phytologist, the notoriously difficult-to-control weed waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus) is outpacing commercial crops in its ability to detoxify after herbicide exposure. “This is probably the first known example where waterhemp has evolved a detox mechanism that a crop doesn’t have. It’s using a completely different mechanism, adding to the complexity of controlling this weed,” says Dean Riechers, PhD, study co-author and professor at University of Illinois. Researchers found waterhemp resistant to the chemical syncarpic acid-3 (SA3). SA3 is one of the earliest versions of a 4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) inhibiting herbicide. HPPD inhibiting herbicides, which include herbicides like isoxaflutole and mesotrione, are selective (ie plant-specific) and break down amino acids that are required for plant growth and development. Corn generally tolerates HPPD-inhibiting chemicals, detoxifying them through different channels depending upon the specific type of HPPD herbicide. Weeds that grow in and around corn fields where these chemicals are regularly sprayed, like waterhemp, have likewise evolved the ability to detoxify HPPD-inhibitors, mostly mimicking the process that […]
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Friday, June 4th, 2021
(Beyond Pesticides, June 4, 2021) The release of the most recent U.S. Geological Services (USGS) study of pesticide contamination of rivers on the U.S. mainland finds that degradation of those rivers from pesticide pollution continues unabated. USGS scientists looked at data from 2013 to 2017 (inclusive) from rivers across the country and offered these top-level conclusions: â(1) pesticides persist in environments beyond the site of application and expected period of use, and (2) the potential toxicity of pesticides to aquatic life is pervasive in surface waters.â Beyond Pesticides maintains that ultimately, water quality and aquatic organisms and their ecosystems will be fully protected from pesticides through a wholesale movement to organic land management practices. USGS undertakes periodic assessments of the presence and toxicity of pesticides in the countryâs surface waters under the agencyâs National Water-Quality Assessment Program. Recent news from these studies has not been good. In September 2020, Beyond Pesticides reported on another, related USGS survey, which found that nearly 90% of U.S. rivers and streams are contaminated with mixtures of at least five or more different pesticides. A March 2021 Beyond Pesticides Daily News article noted that USGS research demonstrated that, of 422 water samples taken from streams across […]
Posted in Acephate, Agriculture, Carbaryl, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Glyphosate, Imidacloprid, Lawns/Landscapes, U.S. Geological Survey, Uncategorized, Water | No Comments »
Friday, January 15th, 2021
(Beyond Pesticides, January 15, 2021)Â A study of groundwater that feeds public drinking water supply finds pesticides in 41% of supply wells (and a handful of freshwater springs). Two-thirds of that 41% contain pesticide compounds per se, and one-third contain pesticide degradates â compounds resulting from biotic (or abiotic) transformation of pesticides into other compounds. There is considerable ink (digital and actual) covering the health and environmental impacts of pesticide exposures, and reporting on the issue of pesticide migration into groundwater and waterways. Beyond Pesticides maintains that organic practices in land management, and especially in agriculture, are the solution to the contamination of our waterways and groundwater. Such practices, widely adopted, would have enormous salutary effects on human health and the health of ecosystems and their inhabitants. Published in Environmental Science & Technology, the study paper reports this research as the âfirst systematic assessment of raw [untreated] groundwater used for public drinking supply across the United States to include and provide human-health context for a large number of pesticide degradates.â Samples for the research were gathered across 1,204 sites â at or near the wellheads â in 23 principal aquifers whose groundwater is tapped for drinking water supply used by approximately […]
Posted in Drinking Water, Groundwater, Uncategorized, Water | No Comments »
Thursday, October 15th, 2020
(Beyond Pesticides, October 15, 2020) A review of scientific literature on the correlation between respiratory diseases and pesticides exposureâpublished in the journal Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine (AAEM), âInfluence of pesticides on respiratory pathologyâa literature reviewââfinds that exposure to pesticides increases incidents of respiratory pathologies (i.e., asthma, lung cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD]âor chronic bronchitis). The review by researchers at the Iuliu Hatieganuâ University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, looks at how pesticide exposure adversely propagates and reinforces respiratory diseases in humans. This review highlights the significance of evaluating how pesticide exposure impacts respiratory function, especially since contact with pesticides can happen at any point in the production, transportation preparation, or application treatment process. Researchers in the study note, âKnowing and recognizing these respiratory health problems of farmers and their families, and also of [pesticide] manipulators/retailers, are essential for early diagnosis, appropriate treatment, and preventive measures.â This study results are critically important at a time when exposure to respiratory toxicants increases vulnerability to Covid-19, which attacks the respiratory system, among other organic systems. The respiratory system is essential to human survival, regulating gas exchange (oxygen-carbon dioxide) in the body to balance acid and base tissue cells for normal […]
Posted in Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, Asthma, Carbofuran, Chlorpyrifos, coronavirus, COVID-19, Lung Cancer, Respiratory Diseases, Respiratory Problems, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
Thursday, July 23rd, 2020
(Beyond Pesticides, July 23, 2020) Chronic pesticide use, and subsequent exposure, elevate a personâs risk of developing lung cancer, according to a study published in F1000Research by researchers at the Nakhon Sawan Provincial Public Health Office and Naresuan University, Thailand. Globally, cancer is one of the leading causes of death, with over 8 million people succumbing to the disease every year. Notably, the International Agency for Cancer Research (IARC) predicts new cancer cases to rise 67.4% by 2030. Although there is a vast amalgamation of research linking cancer risk to genetic and external factors (i.e., cigarette smoke), there is increasing evidence that pesticide exposure augments the risk of developing lung cancer, as well. This study highlights the importance of understanding how pesticide use can increase the risk of latent diseases, which do not readily develop upon initial exposure.  Study researchers state, âTo our knowledge, the association between lung cancer and pesticides has never been studied before among [Thai] people. The objective of this study was to investigate associations between pesticide exposure and lung cancer among people [living in Nakhon Sawan province, Thailand]. The results can be used for the prevention of lung cancer, and to support the global literature.â Lung cancer is one of the […]
Posted in Cancer, Carbofuran, Chlorpyrifos, Dieldrin, Fungicides | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, January 23rd, 2019
(Beyond Pesticides, January, 23, 2019) Individuals that have been acutely poisoned by pesticides at some time in their life may be more likely to lose their sense of smell, according to a recent study published in Environmental Health Perspectives. Â Researchers focused on the effect of high pesticide exposure events (HPEE), such as a pesticide spill or other incident, on a farmersâ ability to smell later in life. This is the first study to indicate pesticide exposure may result in olfactory impairment. Farmers from Iowa and North Carolina enrolled in an ongoing U.S. Agricultural Health Study have been asked about their pesticide use roughly every 5 to 6 years since 1993. In the most recent survey, taken from 2013-2015, farmers were asked additional questions about HPEE in their lifetime and whether they had a significantly decreased or impaired sense of smell. âStudying farmers gives us more reliable data on pesticide exposures than if we had studied the general population,â says Honglei Chen, MD, PhD, lead author and professor of epidemiology at Michigan State University in a press release. âBecause they use pesticides more and itâs part of their job, theyâre more likely to remember what pesticides they used and in cases […]
Posted in 2,4-D, Agriculture, Alachlor, DDT, Lindane, olfactory effects, organochlorines, Pendimethalin, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Monday, September 11th, 2017
(Beyond Pesticides, September 11, 2017) Ten of 11 samples of Ben & Jerryâs ice cream tested positive for glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsantoâs dangerous Roundup herbicide. The ice cream brand says its social mission âseeks to meet human needs and eliminate the injustices in our local, national and international communities,â and that its focus is âon children and families, the environment and sustainable agriculture on family farms.â Send a message to B&J CEO now! Behind the iconic ice cream brandâs greenwashed façade is an unfortunate truth: its ice cream relies on a dairy industry that produces contaminated food, poisons Vermontâs waterways, abuses animals, exploits workers, bankrupts farmers, and contributes to climate change. Unless Ben & Jerry’s goes organic, its practices are responsible for: ⢠  Running Vermont family farms out of business. ⢠  Polluting Vermontâs waterways. ⢠  Abusing animals. ⢠  Exploiting farmworkers. ⢠  Contributing to climate change. ⢠  Putting human health at risk. In addition to the above problems, pesticides like Roundup, atrazine, and metolachlor âall carcinogens and endocrine disruptorsâ have devastating effects on human health. And they’re in Ben & Jerryâs ice cream. Yet, the Vermont brand that has used the image of cows […]
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 22nd, 2017
(Beyond Pesticides, August 22, 2017) Streams in the Midwestern U,S. are polluted with complex mixtures averaging over 50 pesticides each, according to a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) report published earlier this month. This is the latest and also most extensive study on pesticide contamination in U.S. streams to date. The shocking results put many aquatic plants and animals at existential risk, leading health and environmental advocates to ask how the federal government can continue to permit U.S. streams to be used as a mixing bowl for toxic pesticide compounds. Each week between May and August of 2013, USGS sampled 100 streams located in 11 Midwestern states for 228 pesticides and their breakdown products. Based on site location, 88 of these streams are considered agricultural, while 12 are considered urban. âAbout 150 million pounds of pesticides are applied annually in the Midwestern U.S.,â said Lisa Nowell, PhD, research chemist and lead scientist on the study. âUnderstanding which pesticides are occurring at levels potentially toxic to aquatic life, and where they occur, is crucial to informing management decisions.â Of the 1,200 samples collected over the studyâs 12 week period, scientists detected 183 pesticide compounds (98 of the 124 herbicides tested, 71 of […]
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 14th, 2017
(Beyond Pesticides, June 14, 2017) Â Oak trees in Iowa may be the latest victim of widespread chemical-intensive agriculture, according reports in the Des Moines Register. The newspaper indicates that the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has received roughly one thousand calls this spring from residents concerned about the state of their oak trees. Leaves are âtatteredâ down to the vein, in an appearance one would first think was related to pest damage, according to the newspaper article. However, foresters with IDNR indicate the cause is likely the use of chloroacetanillide herbicides, which are applied throughout the state and region. Advocates say that this situation contributes to mounting environmental problems associated with chemical-intensive food production that support the need for the adoption of non-toxic weed management strategies. Past research has found associations between the use of chloroacetanillide herbicides, such as acetochlor and metolachlor, and oak leaf tatter syndrome. State officials indicate that the increase in resident complaints is likely related to a colder March, which may have retarded leaf development. By the time leaves began unfurling in early spring, herbicide use was at its height, leading to high ambient concentrations of the chemicals in the atmosphere, according to IDNR officials […]
Posted in Acetochlor, Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, Chemicals, Iowa, Metolachlor, Pesticide Drift, Pesticide Residues, State/Local | No Comments »
Friday, May 26th, 2017
(Beyond Pesticides, May 26, 2017) On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass a bill that would reverse an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirement to obtain a permit before spraying pesticides on or near waterways. The passage of HR 953, The Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act (known by environmentalists as the âPoison Our Waters Actâ), is the latest update in a multi-year string of attempts to rollback commonsense protections for the public waterways all Americans use for swimming, fishing, and other forms of recreation. It will now move forward to be considered by the Republican-majority Senate, where it will most likely pass and be signed into law. HR 953, if signed into law, would reverse a 2009 decision issued by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, in the case of National Cotton Council et al. v. EPA, which held that pesticides applied to waterways should be considered pollutants under federal law and regulated under the Clean Water Act (CWA), through National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. Prior to the decision, the EPA, under the Bush Administration, had allowed the weaker and more generalized standards under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to be followed. This allowed pesticides to be discharged […]
Posted in contamination, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Agencies, Take Action, Water, Water Regulation | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 27th, 2016
(Beyond Pesticides, September 27, 2016)  Multinational pesticide manufacturer Syngenta Crop Protection was handed a  $1.2 million fine last week for multiple violations of federal pesticide law, according a settlement reached with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA charged Syngenta with three major violations of the Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), including: (1) Failure to have repackaging agreement and/or maintain records on registered pesticides; (2) Distributing misbranded pesticides, and; (3) Failure to maintain data submitted for pesticide registration. However, under the consent agreement reached with EPA, the company neither admits nor denies the allegations. The settlement comes at a time of increased scrutiny of Syngenta, as the company is in the process of reregistering the herbicide atrazine, and Chinese National Chemical Corporation (ChemChina) continues its attempts to complete a $43 billion merger. While the plan appears to have cleared U.S. regulatory hurdles, European lawmakers have yet to sign off on the deal. âThe repackaging, sale and distribution of unregistered and misbranded pesticides is illegal and puts people and the environment at risk. Users rely on accurate, up-to-date information about ingredients, directions for use, hazards and safety precautions,â said Anne Heard, Acting Regional Administrator for the Southeast in an […]
Posted in Announcements, Atrazine, Azoxystrobin, Label Claims, Litigation, National Politics, Pesticide Regulation, Propiconazole, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, June 29th, 2016
(Beyond Pesticides, June 29, 2016) A new report published by Regeneration Vermont finds that herbicide and chemical fertilizer use on Vermont dairy farms nearly doubled from 2002 to 2012, increasing from 1.54 to 3.01 pounds of herbicide per acre, respectively. The report, Vermontâs GMO Legacy: Pesticides, Polluted Water & Climate Destruction, by Will Allen, Ph.D. of Regeneration Vermont and Cedar Circle Farm, focuses on the failed promises of genetically engineered (GE, or GMO) crops to reduce chemical inputs required for crop production. While Vermont leads the nation on the GE labeling front, with its  law set to go into effect on July 1, the report, which highlights the flawed exemption on dairy and meat products, is a sobering reminder that this is only a part of the solution to the effects of GE crops and chemical-intensive agriculture. âWhile the law will force mainstream food corporations to label GMOs in products like Cheetos and Spaghetti-os before coming into the state, it turns a blind eye to the GMO-derived dairy that is the primary ingredient in, for example, Ben & Jerryâs ice cream and Cabotâs cheddar cheese,â says Dr. Allen. âThis is about more than the consumerâs right to know. Itâs also […]
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Friday, March 4th, 2016
(Beyond Pesticides, March 4, 2016) Honey bees experience a learning and memory deficit after ingesting small doses of the insecticide  chlorpyrifos, potentially threatening their success and survival, according to a study in  New Zealand. Chlorpyrifos is a highly neurotoxic organophosphate pesticide used worldwide on crops to protect against insects and mites. The study,  Measurements of Chlorpyrifos Levels in Forager Bees and Comparison with Levels that Disrupt Honey Bee Odor-Mediated Learning Under Laboratory Conditions,  published in  Ecology, examines chlorpyrifos levels in  bees collected from 17 locations in Otago, New Zealand and compared doses of the pesticide that cause sub-lethal effects on learning performance under laboratory conditions with amounts of chlorpyrifos detected in bees in the field. Researchers found chlorpyrifos in 17% of the sites sampled and 12% of the colonies examined. Honey bees are found to experience harmful effects to smell memory and learning, and reduction in specificity of memory recall. Chlorpyrifos is just one of many pesticides that have frequently been detected in honey bees. According to a study conducted last year by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 72% of bees tested positive for pesticide residues, raising concerns about  unintended pesticide exposures where land uses overlap or are in proximity […]
Posted in Agriculture, Announcements, Chemicals, Chlorpyrifos, Increased Vulnerability to Diseases from Chemical Exposure, International, Pesticide Residues, Pollinators | 1 Comment »