09
Aug
(Beyond Pesticides, August 9, 2024)ââ A study in the journal Biology and Fertility of Soils has confirmed once again that organic agriculture contributes significantly to soil health, improving ecological functions that are harmed by conventional, chemical-intensive farming practices. Organic soil amendments (fertilizers) that feed soil organisms increase beneficial protistan predators and support sustainable predator-prey relationships within the soil microbiome. [âProtistâ is a catch-all term that describes ancient lineages of eukaryotesâorganisms with a nucleusâthat are neither a true plant, animal, or fungus.] The study shows that organic farming creates a healthy ecosystem able to support a balance of life forms in the soil. Moreover, the study finds that the use of chemical fertilizers for agricultural management disrupt the stable biological relationship between protistan predators and their bacterial prey in soils, adding to the argument for transitioning away from conventional systems that lean on toxic inputs. Â Healthy soil contains millions of living species that form the microbiome. Most of the biodiversity in soil consists of bacteria and fungi, and their number and type are regulated partially by predatory protists and nematodes that feed on bacteria. Akin to the impact of predators keeping a herd of prey healthy by hunting the sick, […]
Posted in Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, Beneficials, Climate Change, Fertilizer, Herbicides, Lawns/Landscapes, Microbiome, Nitrates, Regenerative, soil health, Soil microbiome, Synthetic Fertilizer, Uncategorized | No Comments »
02
Aug
(Beyond Pesticides, August 2, 2024) In a recent study published in Science, a team from the University of Massachusetts and Yale University provides quantitative insight into the significant effects of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on the nationâs water quality. This research highlights the essential role of ephemeral streamsâwater sources that flow temporarily after rainfallâin transporting pollutants, including pesticides, sediments, and nutrients from land to larger water bodies. This comprehensive study underscores the devastating risk to U.S. water quality, stemming from the May 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which dramatically limits the agencyâs ability to protect ephemeral streams as well as critical wetland ecosystems under the Clean Water Act (CWA). As a May 2024 report by Clean Water for All Coalition notes, âThe [Sackett] decision has endangered the drinking water sources of at least 117 million Americans by stripping protections from over half of the nationâs wetlands, as well as up to nearly 5 million miles of rain-dependent and seasonal streams that feed into rivers, lakes, and estuaries.â At a time when an immediate response to the climate crisis and chemical pollution is more urgent than ever, the U.S. Supreme Courtâs judicial decisions are seen […]
Posted in California, Cancer, Clean Water Act, Colorado, contamination, Deleware, Disease/Health Effects, Drinking Water, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Fertilizer, Florida, Herbicides, Litigation, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, New Mexico, Nitrates, Nitrites, North Carolina, Parks for a Sustainable Future, Pesticide Regulation, South Carolina, State/Local, Synthetic Fertilizer, Tennessee, U.S. Supreme Court, Washington, Water Regulation, Wisconsin | No Comments »
05
Dec
Upcoming EPA Review of Nitrates in Waterways Raises Health and Environmental Questions About Synthetic Nitrogen Fertilizer Use. In a quiet reversal of a 2018 Trump administration decision, EPA is resuming an evaluation of the health impacts of nitrate in water, reflecting the long-standing and mounting evidence of synthetic nitrogenâs adverse effects on human health and the environment, particularly in vulnerable communities.
Posted in Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, California, Cancer, Climate, Climate Change, contamination, Disease/Health Effects, Drinking Water, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Fertilizer, Groundwater, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Livestock, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nitrates, Nitrites, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Synthetic Fertilizer, Thyroid Disease, Water, Water Regulation | No Comments »
22
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides, January 22, 2020) About half a million Minnesotans have been subject to drinking water contaminated by nitrate, according to a new report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Synthetic fertilizer and manure runoff from cropland are the leading causes of the toxic water pollutant. Nitrate consumption is linked to cancer and blue baby syndrome, a fatal infant blood disease. As the state begins to address the issue through the newly instated Groundwater Protection Rule, advocates say the reaction may be âtoo little, too late.â EWG analyzed federal and state nitrate test results from all public water systems where groundwater is the main source in Minnesota from 2009 to 2018. The Minnesota Department of Health fulfilled EWGâs public records requests and the group searched the data for contamination code number 1040: nitrate.  Researchers at EWG found that 727 public groundwater systems serving 473 thousand people tested positive for at least 3mg/L of contamination at least once in the 9 years of analyzed data. 124 systems tested positive for ⼠10mg/L, of contamination, serving over 150,000 individuals.  Coarse textured soils, karst geology and shallow bedrock are more vulnerable to groundwater contamination than other types of sediment. The EWG […]
Posted in Nitrates, Uncategorized, Water | No Comments »
20
Oct
(Beyond Pesticides, October 20, 2019) USDAâs National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) should remove nonorganic celery powder from the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances for use in organic food production. It has been long-established that nitrates and nitrites, used to prevent bacterial growth in processed meats, react with protein to create nitrosamines, which are widely considered to be possible carcinogens. The World Health Organization considers processed meat âa known carcinogen.â Tell NOSB to remove carcinogenic nonorganic celery powder from organic processed meat. For too long the meat industry, including organic processors, have engaged in a form of subterfuge by being able, and in fact required, to label meat preserved with celery powder as âno nitrates or no nitrites addedâ or âuncured.â The use of conventional celery powder, with amped up applications of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, creates the same functional and biological impacts as synthetic nitrates/nitrates as a meat preservative. The federal laws governing organics are clear. To legally use a synthetic compound, or a natural or agricultural material that is not certified organic, in the production of certified organic product, it must appear on the list of approved substances. And to do so, proposed materials must not damage the environment or […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Fertilizer, Nitrates, Nitrites, Take Action, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | 1 Comment »
