Archive for the 'Children' Category
04
Jul
(Beyond Pesticides, July 3-4, 2025) On this Independence Day, Beyond Pesticides calls for holistic solutions that, as articulated in the Declaration of Independence, move the nation to ensure âcertain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.â The founders of the United States were aware of the existential threat of corruption to democratic institutions. Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury, warned in Federalist No. 68 of The Federalist Papers that the presidency could be overtaken by a despotic figure without adequate safeguards. James Madison, the fourth president of the United States, in Federalist No. 10 speaks to the danger that factionsâdefined as a group of people or entities â… who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adversed to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the communityââimpose on the general public, if not checked by safeguards in the countryâs political system. The foundational principles in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution have been challenged under the current administration and in the U.S. Congress. Communities are facing a fourfold attack on these principles and the centuries-old promise of the nation: […]
Posted in Bayer, Biodiversity, Cancer, Chemical Mixtures, Children, Climate Change, Congress, Corporations, Disease/Health Effects, Environmental Justice, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Failure to Warn, Health care, Indigenous People, Label Claims, Monsanto, National Politics, Native Americans, Parks for a Sustainable Future, Pesticide Regulation, Preemption, State/Local, Take Action, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | No Comments »
02
Jul
(Beyond Pesticides, July 2, 2025) An article in The New Lede, entitled Seeking answers to a cancer crisis in Iowa, researchers question if agriculture is to blame, documents case studies of cancer diagnoses linked to chemical-intensive agriculture. Current national cancer rates, according to the American Cancer Society, show that two million new cancer cases are projected to occur during 2025 in the U.S. Additional research predicts 618,120 cancer deaths this year as well, highlighting a crisis of great concern. A wide body of science links increased cancer risks with exposure to agricultural chemicals, including petrochemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. Previous coverage from Beyond Pesticides showcases the disproportionate health risks to farmworkers and their families, as well as those living near agricultural fields, associated with exposure to harmful toxicants. Recent research ties pesticide use to cancer diagnoses among farmer populations through a literature review of clinical trials, as well as epidemiologic, case-control, and experimental studies, from not only the U.S. but Brazil, India, France, Egypt, Columbia, Ecuador, Mexico, Italy, and Spain. (See Daily News here.) Additional risks for children, as reported in a study in GeoHealth, are noted in Nebraska as exposure to agricultural mixtures show statistically significant positive associations with […]
Posted in Agriculture, Cancer, Children, Farmworkers, Glyphosate, Iowa, Leukemia, non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, PFAS | No Comments »
23
Jun
(Beyond Pesticides, June 23, 2025) At the close of National Pollinator week, Beyond Pesticides says in an action that all speciesâand their ecosystemâare threatened by the failure of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to perform its statutory duties under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Under FIFRA, EPA is required to register pesticides only when they pose no âunreasonable risk to man [sic] or the environment, taking into account the economic, social, and environmental costs and benefits.â Under ESA, EPA must, like all federal agencies, âseek to conserve endangered species and threatened species and shall utilize their authorities in furtherance of the purposesâ of the ESAâwhich are âto provide a means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend may be conserved, to provide a program for the conservation of such endangered species and threatened species, and to take such steps as may be appropriate to achieve the purposes of the treaties and conventionsâ through which âthe United States has pledged itself as a sovereign state in the international community to conserve to the extent practicable the various species of fish or wildlife and plants facing extinction.â In this context, Beyond Pesticides […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Biodiversity, Birds, Children, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Pesticide Regulation, Pollinators, Take Action, Uncategorized, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | No Comments »
19
Jun
(Beyond Pesticides, June 19, 2025) Juneteenth, officially recognized as a federal holiday since 2021, commemorates the arrival of Union soldiers in Galveston, Texas, to free enslaved people per the Emancipation Proclamation that was issued two and a half years prior. While June 19, 1865, does not mark the legal end of slavery nationwide, it was a crucial moment in the fight for freedom and continues to highlight the ongoing fight for human rights, equality, and environmental justice.  As Beyond Pesticides has previously shared in the Daily News, this commemorative day is a time for individuals and organizations to acknowledge and reflect on their past and current actions or inactions that perpetuate systemic racism. The father of environmental justice, Robert Bullard, Ph.D., defines environmental racism as any policy or practice that unequally affects or disadvantages individuals, groups, or communities based on their race. Dr. Bullard states that, until the 1980s, environmental conservation and pollution were separate. Many environmental organizations prioritized the preservation of âwildernessâ rather than urban areas, predominantly comprised of POC, who continuously experience the disproportionate impacts of pollution and the effects of environmental racism.  Sharing the Science A recent study regarding the intersections of urban planning, wildlife management, […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Children, Diabetes, Environmental Justice, Farmworkers, Microbiome, Reproductive Health, soil health | No Comments »
17
Jun
(Beyond Pesticides, June 17, 2025) Funding cuts in the current budget bill include drastic cuts in research essential to protect farmers, farmworkers, and their families. There are many federal agencies funding research, but among the most important of those funding research affecting farmers, farmworkers, and their families are the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).  >> Tell Congress to restore funding that protects the health of farmers, farmworkers, and their families. EPA funding for the Bioecological Center for Research on Children’s Health (BeRCH) project was cut after almost two years. This project had the potential to address farmworker children’s health. Farmworker children can face many challenges–including poverty, language barriers, inadequate housing, discrimination, fear of family separation, exposure to agricultural chemicals, food insecurity, and migration. BeRCH was designed to identify, understand, and address the cumulative impacts on the health, development, and growth of farmworker children. The project goals were to examine farmworker children’s exposures to environmental toxins (pesticides, heavy metals, particulate matter) and non-chemical psychosocial stressors (poverty, food insecurity, trauma, discrimination, etc).âŻWorking in collaboration with the Florida State University (FSU) health clinic in Immokalee, the project would have examined threats, implemented strategies to improve health outcomes for farmworker children, and collaboratively established […]
Posted in Agriculture, Children, Congress, Disease/Health Effects, Environmental Justice, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Farmworkers, Florida, Occupational Health, Pesticide Drift, State/Local, Take Action, Uncategorized, Women's Health | 2 Comments »
16
Jun
***Featured Art Page submissions for National Pollinator Week, highlighted with the gratitude of Beyond Pesticides: Jesse from Livermore, CA: “Honeybee Pollinating Citrus Blossom”; Yumi from New York, NY: “Birds and the Bees”; Gretchen from Helena, MT: “Butterflies”; Janet from Concord, MA: “Beneath the Big Dipper”; and Trix from Petersburg, NY: “Downy Woodpecker.” (Beyond Pesticides, June 16, 2025) Every year, Beyond Pesticides announces National Pollinator Week to remind eaters of food, gardeners, farmers, communities (including park districts to school districts), civic organizations, responsible corporations, policy makers, and legislators that there are actions that can be taken that are transformative. All the opportunities for action to protect pollinators, and the ecosystems that are critical to their survival, can collectively be transformational in eliminating toxic pesticides that are major contributors to the collapse of biodiversity. This is why Beyond Pesticides starts most discussions and strategic actions for meaningful pollinator and biodiversity protection with the transition to practicing and supporting organic. In launching National Pollinator Week, Beyond Pesticides makes suggestions for individual actions to increase efforts to think and act holistically to protect the environment that supports pollinators. The impact that people have starts with grocery store purchases and the management of gardens, parks, […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Announcements, Bats, Biodiversity, Birds, Children, Children/Schools, Climate, Congress, Ecosystem Services, Environmental Justice, Events, Farmworkers, Habitat Protection, Holidays, Parks, Parks for a Sustainable Future, Pollinators, Reflection, Seasonal, Take Action, Uncategorized, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | No Comments »
02
Jun
(Beyond Pesticides, June 2, 2025) One focus of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission report* is children’s exposure to environmental chemicals and its link to health risks, particularly cumulative risk and chronic disease. With the evidence showing that the current approach to regulating pesticides and other chemicals fails to protect children’s health, it remains to be seen whether next steps will seek an overhaul and reorientation on the United States’ current reliance in chemical-intensive agriculture on hazardous pesticides that have been proven unnecessary by productive and profitable organic food production and land management systems, according to advocates. Beyond Pesticides and advocates are calling on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to promote organic practices and protect children’s health from pesticides through the setting of pesticide tolerances on food, or allowable levels of pesticide residuesâtaking back an authority given to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under a memorandum of understanding. The Food and Drug Administration, under HHS, is authorized to set tolerances under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), and EPA is authorized to register pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). The predictable response from […]
Posted in Children, Department of Health and Human Services, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Pesticide Regulation, Pesticide Residues, Take Action, Uncategorized | No Comments »
30
May
(Beyond Pesticides, May 30, 2025) The Making America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission report, Make Our Children Healthy Again: Assessment, published on May 23, drew criticism from the pesticide industry and agribusiness allies for pointing to independent science that identifies a range of pesticide-induced health hazards.* The Commission, chaired by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is composed of the heads of numerous agencies of the federal government and the White House, from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), to the Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller. The MAHA Commission was established by Executive Order 14212 on February 13, 2025. Despite extensive citations to the science on pesticide hazards, the report includes a section on âCrop Protection Tools,â in which there is a repetition of chemical industry talking points that pesticide residues in food comply with existing tolerances, thus implying that pesticides in food are safe. (See USDA Pesticide Data Program Continues to Mislead the Public on Pesticide Residue Exposure.) However, overall the reportâs introduction sets a tone that seeks to catalogue […]
Posted in Atrazine, Chemical Mixtures, Chemicals, Children, Children/Schools, Chlorpyrifos, Corporations, Corteva, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Farm Bill, Farmworkers, Federal Agencies, Glyphosate, Label Claims, Pesticide Mixtures, Preemption, Uncategorized, United Nations | No Comments »
02
May
* This article was cross-posted with permission from the Ecological Landscape Alliance, which was originally published on April 30, 2025. A link will be shared once it is made available. (Beyond Pesticides, May 2, 2025) With the current existential health, biodiversity, and climate threats, organic land management is a bright spot for the sustainable future envisioned by Beyond Pesticides. Founded in 1981, Beyond Pesticides began tracking the science of pesticide hazards and questioning dependency on toxic, fossil fuel-based pesticides as unnecessary to achieving effective land management, both in agricultural and nonagricultural contexts. The organization, which grew out of a series of site visits and field hearings to document the limitations of labor standards necessary to protect farmworkers, was created to bring together environmentalists, public health practitioners, farmers, land managers, farmworkers, and consumers. Nearly a decade before its founding and less than 20 years after the publication of Silent Spring, many important laws governing clean air, water, food safety, and pesticides had been adopted. However, these statutesâ focus on mitigating risks of harm to health and the environment has fallen short, according to Beyond Pesticides. Instead, the organization pursues a precautionary approach that is codified in organic standards that grow out of […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Biodiversity, Children, Climate, Climate Change, Disease/Health Effects, National Organic Standards Board/National Organic Program, Parks for a Sustainable Future, Uncategorized | No Comments »
21
Apr
(Beyond Pesticides, April 21, 2025)  The first Earth Day, 55 years ago, marked the beginning of a worldwide movement to protect the Earth from threats such as oil spills, raw sewage discharged into waterways, toxic chemical dumps, rampant pesticide use, the degradation of important habitats, and wildlife lossâa movement that led to passage of crucial environmental legislation, which is now at risk. While we try to ensure that the gains of the past 55 years are not lost, we can act locally to improve our local environments. Does your community have a pesticide-free park managed with organic practices? Do you wish it did? The time to take action to protect those parks and create new ones is now. With Beyond Pesticidesâ supporters, including the retailer Natural Grocers in the Midwest and west, the Beyond Pesticidesâ Parks for a Sustainable Future program provides in-depth training to assist community land managers in transitioning two public green spaces to organic landscape management, while aiming to provide the knowledge and skills and experience necessary to transition all public areas in a locality to these safer and sustainable practices. Through this program, Beyond Pesticides has assisted local leaders in converting the following parks and recreational areas exclusively to organic […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Announcements, Children, Climate, Holidays, Parks, Parks for a Sustainable Future, soil health, Take Action, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
10
Apr
(Beyond Pesticides, April 10, 2025) The Los Angeles Board of Supervisors has voted to declare today, April 10, Dolores Huerta Day, honoring the lifelong efforts of social justice activist Dolores Clara FernĂĄndez Huerta on the celebration of her 95th birthday. In the words of Chair Pro Tem Hilda L. Solis, according to Colorado Boulevard, âDolores Huertaâs contributions to Los Angeles County and to Latinos across the country have inspired generations of leaders fighting for justice for all. Now more than ever, we honor Dolores Huerta for her work as one of the most influential labor activists of our time… may her legacy continue to light a fire in us all.â Ms. Huerta, in accepting the recognition, noted, âI accept this on behalf of Los Angelesâ working people, especially our immigrant community, whose labor supports families and children. The Supervisors have gone above and beyond to assist immigrants, and as we face challenges ahead, itâs vital to continue supporting their bold, compassionate leadership for our most underserved communities.â This action follows prior recognition from then Acting Governor of California Eleni Kounalakis in 2024 and the state of Washington in recognizing Ms. Huertaâs decades of leadership. It comes in the wake of […]
Posted in Announcements, California, Children, Environmental Justice, Events, Farmworkers, Holidays, Uncategorized | No Comments »
02
Apr
(Beyond Pesticides, April 2, 2025) In examining prenatal residential proximity of documented pesticide spraying in California to the menstrual cycle characteristics of 273 Latina adolescents, researchers report in the American Journal of Epidemiology a positive association between exposure to the insecticide methomyl and heavy bleeding. Other pesticides appear to influence menstrual symptoms as well. âAdolescentsâ menstrual cycle characteristics can be âvital signsâ of health and impact quality of life,â the authors share. They continue, âTo our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the association between prenatal pesticide exposure and menstrual outcomes in adolescents of any demographic group.â Menstrual cycle characteristics, such as dysmenorrhea (painful or uncomfortable menstrual cramps), irregularity, and heavy menstrual bleeding, can also be indicators of underlying health conditions, including endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), thyroid dysfunction, and bleeding disorders. By associating the pesticide exposure of mothers during pregnancy to impacts on their children, the researchers highlight important health risks for women and young girls that are often disregarded. âThe prenatal period is a critical period of reproductive development that may be particularly sensitive to endocrine disruption,â the researchers share. As previously reported by Beyond Pesticides, endocrine-disrupting chemicals are any synthetic or natural compounds that hinder […]
Posted in Acephate, California, Children, Chlorpyrifos, Diazinon, Dimethoate, Endocrine Disruption, endometriosis, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Glyphosate, Imidacloprid, Malathion, mancozeb, Maneb, Methomyl, Oxidative Stress, Permethrin, Reproductive Health, Women's Health | No Comments »
24
Mar
(Beyond Pesticides, March 24, 2025) In establishing the Make America Healthy Again Commission in February, the President tapped Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to chair the interagency panel. The stated goal, as described in the founding proclamation, is âdrastically lowering chronic disease rates and ending childhood chronic disease.â The commission document states, âOverall, the global comparison data demonstrates that the health of Americans is on an alarming trajectory that requires immediate action.â In this context, on March 10, Secretary Kennedy directed Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Acting Commissioner Sara Brenner, MD to take steps to explore potential rulemaking to revise its Substances Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) Final Rule and related guidance to eliminate the self-affirmed GRAS pathwayâallowing the food and chemical industry to assign GRAS status to food ingredients without oversight. This âpathwayâ to allowing food additives has long been recognized as a loophole that allows unidentified and potentially harmful additives in food, including by the 2010 U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO) report, Food Safety: FDA Should Strengthen Its Oversight of Food Ingredients Determined to Be Generally Recognized as Safety. Beyond Pesticides launched an effort this week to tell FDA to eliminate the self-affirmed […]
Posted in Children, Department of Health and Human Services, Disease/Health Effects, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Take Action, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
04
Mar
(Beyond Pesticides, March 4, 2025) A study in GeoHealth of pediatric cancers in Nebraska links exposure to agricultural mixtures with the occurrence of these diseases. The authors find statistically significant positive associations between pesticide usage rates and children with cancer, specifically brain and central nervous system (CNS) cancers and leukemia. âOur study is the first to estimate the effect of an agrichemical mixture on the pediatric cancer rate in Nebraska,â the study authors share. âOne significant advantage of our study is that we identified the pesticide consistently applied over 22 years in Nebraska counties and then estimated the overall mixture effect of these pesticides on pediatric cancer.â The elevated effect of pesticide mixtures, a reality that is not evaluated in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencyâs (EPA) pesticide registration program, was reported in Oecologia (2008), documenting harm to amphibian populations even if the concentration of the individual chemicals is within limits considered acceptable. (See additional coverage here.) There is a wide body of science highlighting the disproportionate risk of adverse health effects in children with pesticide exposure. Their small size and developing organ systems, propensity to crawl and play near the ground, tendency for frequent hand-to-mouth motion, and greater intake of […]
Posted in Cancer, Chemical Mixtures, Children, Dicamba, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Glyphosate, Leukemia, Nebraska, Paraquat, synergistic effects | No Comments »
28
Feb
(Beyond Pesticides, February 28, 2025)Â It is well established that children are more vulnerable than adults to environmental insults such as pesticides, from conception onward. Children living in agricultural areas are exposed differently from those in urban areas. A study of rural children by researchers at Mexicoâs Universidad AtĂłnoma de Nayarit compared two communities located less than a quarter of a mile from agricultural fields with one control community located more than a mile away. The study shows that children in the field-adjacent towns are clearly exposed to pesticides and are experiencing cellular distress as a result. The state of Nayarit is on the west coast of Mexico near Mazatlan. Rural children encounter aerial application, spray drift, and erosion. If their parents are agricultural workers and especially if they apply pesticides, they bring home residues on their clothes. Residential storage of pesticides and small childrenâs propensity to play in the dirt and put things in their mouths exacerbate their exposure. Urban children get hit by pesticides in their homes, schools, and parks. The researchers took blood and urine samples from 431 children aged six to 12 and collected questionnaires as to pesticide exposures from the parents or guardians. They assayed the […]
Posted in Agriculture, Children, Uncategorized | No Comments »
20
Feb
(Beyond Pesticides, February 20, 2025) Researchers at the University of Oregon found that the rollout of genetically engineered corn in the early 2000s, followed by exponential increases in glyphosate-based herbicides, âcaused previously undocumented and unequal health costs for rural U.S. communities over the last 20 years.â Their results âsuggest the introduction of GM [genetically modified] seeds and glyphosate significantly reduced average birthweight and gestational length.â The conclusions of this study emerge as fossil fuel advocates, including President Donald Trump, are mobilizing to pioneer âenergy dominanceâ despite the market movement toward renewable energy. Just as chemical-intensive farmers and land managers continue to spray synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, a successful rollout of alternatives must rely on feeding the soil rather than the plant. Advocates continue to demand that elected officials and regulators embody the precautionary principle and scientific integrity in decision-making. Given the hostile federal climate on anything relating to holistic solutions, communities are coming together to move beyond input-dependent land management systems and adopt organic criteria of allowed and prohibited substances, mandatory public comment process, independent third-party certification, and a federal advisory board (National Organic Standards Board) consisting of farmers, environmentalists, consumers, scientists, economists, researchers, and other stakeholders, with binding recommendations […]
Posted in Birth defects, Children, Developmental Disorders, Disease/Health Effects, Genetic Engineering, Glyphosate, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | No Comments »
04
Feb
(Beyond Pesticides, February 4, 2025) Adopting a fully organic diet can reduce pesticide levels in urine within just two weeks “by an average of 98.6%â and facilitate faster DNA damage repair relative to a diet of food grown with chemical-intensive practices, according to findings from a randomized clinical trial published in Nutrire. The authors explain that their finding âis likely due to two main factors: the presence of compounds characteristic of [an organic] diet, which may have high levels of antioxidants that can protect DNA and also induce DNA repair [], and the absence or decrease in the incidence of pesticides in this type of diet, which are recognized for their genotoxic effects and have the ability to affect the genetic repair system of organisms [].â Public health professionals and affected families continue to sound the alarm on the unprecedented rates of chronic illnesses, many linked to pesticide exposure, as well as the urgency in developing solutions that acknowledge the connection to policies governing agriculture, nutrition policies, and public health. Background and Methodology The purpose of this study is to identify any relationships in health effects of chemical-intensive versus organic diets in a two week-period. More specifically, the authors say […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Children, Children/Schools, Disease/Health Effects, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Uncategorized | No Comments »
09
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides, January 9, 2025) In a Frontiers in Public Health review article, researchers report on the wide body of science connecting adverse effects to female reproductive system, such as infertility, with exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). The authors call these effects a significant concern for public health, as there has been growing evidence of EDCs with risk factors for decreased fertility.  Infertility âaffects a substantial proportion of the worldâs population with approximately one in six people affected,â the researchers note. They continue: âOver the last 70 years, global fertility has been constantly in decline due to behavioral and societal changes… [E]merging evidence has shown that infertility incidence is linked to exposure to environmental factors such as tobacco, alcohol, and a wide range of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) including pesticides (chlorpyrifos, glyphosate, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane [DDT] and methoxychlor), phthalates, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), dioxins, and bisphenols.â In this review, over 100 studies are summarized to showcase the link between EDC exposure and reproductive effects in women, including infertility and related diseases such as endometriosis, premature ovarian insufficiency (POI), and endocrine axis dysregulation. The studies included investigating the âmechanisms by which EDCs cause ovarian aging, folliculogenesis, decrease of oocyte quality, ovulation disorders, development and receptivity […]
Posted in Atrazine, Children, Chlorpyrifos, DDT, endometriosis, Endosulfan, Glyphosate, Infertility, Reproductive Health, Women's Health | No Comments »
24
Dec
(Beyond Pesticides, December 24, 2024 – January 1, 2025) We wish you a healthy and happy holiday season! The health and environmental challenges that we face as families and communities across the nation and worldwide require us to stay engaged. The stark reality of the challenges ahead energizes us at Beyond Pesticides to strengthen our programânow, more than ever!  And, we trust that you, like us, want to push forward for a livable future. In this context, please see our annual report and summary on the important work that we are doing, and please consider a contribution to Beyond Pesticides during this holiday season. While the threats of health, biodiversity, and climate crises grow exponentially, the solutions we have advocated for decades are now within reach. We know how to produce food and manage land without petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers, as organic food is widely available. Beautiful parks, playing fields, and schoolyards do not require toxic chemical use. At the same time, the regulatory system underperforms, as existential health and environmental problems escalate.  And, we know that individual steps that we take to stay healthy, as important as they are, cannot protect us and the natural world, on which […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Announcements, Biodiversity, Children, Climate, Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Events, Holidays, Parks, Parks for a Sustainable Future, Pollinators, Reflection, Seasonal, Uncategorized, Year in Review | No Comments »
19
Dec
(Beyond Pesticides, December 19, 2024) As The New York Times reported last month, the government in South Africa declared a national emergencyâ23 children died and nearly 900 people were sickened from pesticide poisoning in Johannesburgâs Soweto township. The illnesses and fatalities have been traced to small amounts of highly neurotoxic pesticides, including the insecticides terbufos and aldicarb, found in local food items. These chemicals, described by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa as âstreet pesticides,â are being increasingly used (legally and illegally) for pest infestations in the townships and informal settlements of South Africaâs poorest communities, where poverty and inadequate waste collection exacerbates the pest management challenges. Without formal electricity, running water, or municipal garbage collection, many residents rely on highly toxic pesticides for pest infestations in their homes and makeshift markets, resulting in food inadvertently being contaminated with pesticides. The announcement highlights the dangers of allowing these highly toxic agricultural chemicals to be used in farming, with tragic consequences for vulnerable communities when they are diverted for use in urban settings. This tragic situation also draws attention to the elevated threat that pesticides pose when stringent enforcement mechanisms are not in place to ensure compliance with pesticide restrictions, even with […]
Posted in Agriculture, Aldicarb, Bayer, Children, contamination, Death, Environmental Justice, Farmworkers, Food Borne Illness, Imidacloprid, Monsanto, organophosphate, Paraquat, Pesticide Regulation, Pests, Poisoning, Rodenticide, Rodents, terbufos, thiacloprid, Uncategorized, United Nations | No Comments »
12
Dec
(Beyond Pesticides, December 12, 2024) A literature review of 161 articles in Discover Toxicology finds that pesticides with different mechanisms of action cause memory and learning impairments. These effects are noted in nontarget species including humans. Pesticide â[e]xposure during development, as well as chronic environmental and occupational exposure, can contribute to decreased cognitive performance,â the researchers say. With a focus on organophosphate pesticides, synthetic pyrethroids, and neonicotinoid insecticides, the authors highlight neurological impacts. Both learning and memory are crucial for the survival of many species. “Considering the importance of learning and memory for human and non-human animal behavior and the growing association between pesticide exposure and cognitive impairment, the aim of this review was to describe the studies showing the impact of pesticide exposure on memory and learning abilities in nontarget species, providing evidence of the impact of pesticides in central nervous system function,â the researchers state. The 161 articles included in the review were identified through database searches in PubMed/Medline and Scielo. The authors note, âInclusion criteria for article selection included all articles published in English between 2015 and 2024 containing original studies in animals or humans with single or multiple pesticides exposure.â The articles consist of 132 preclinical […]
Posted in behavioral and cognitive effects, Bifenthrin, Brain Effects, Carbamates, Children, Chlorpyrifos, Clothianidin, Cyfluthrin, cypermethrin, Deltamethrin, Diazinon, Farmworkers, Flumethrin, Glyphosate, Imidacloprid, Learning Disabilities, Malathion, mancozeb, neonicotinoids, organophosphate, Oxidative Stress, Permethrin, Pollinators, pyrethroids, Synthetic Pyrethroid, thiacloprid, Thiamethoxam | No Comments »
26
Nov
(Beyond Pesticides, November 26, 2024) A study in Environment International finds that young children who exhibit higher levels of pesticide metabolites in their urine show more pronounced neurobehavioral problems at the age of ten. Researchers in China document how exposure during early childhood, especially during the sensitive window before the age of two, is linked to hyperactivity/inattention problems such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). While adding to the body of science connecting pesticide exposure to learning and developmental disorders, this study offers a “novel perspective on characterizing the fluctuation in repeated measurements of multiple environmental chemicals and identifying the potential critical windows,â the authors share. (See previous Daily News coverage here, here, and here.) The researchers analyze data from questionnaires and urine samples through the ongoing Sheyang Mini Birth Cohort Study (SMBCS), which is a long-term prospective cohort study that associates environmental chemical exposure during pregnancy and childhood to negative health effects. This data addresses combined pesticide exposures in young children with neurobehavior analyses at the age of ten to determine any correlation. Within the SMBCS, a total of 1303 pregnant women are enrolled. When the children reached ages one, two, three, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten years […]
Posted in ADHD, behavioral and cognitive effects, Body Burden, Carbamates, Children, Learning Disabilities, Metabolites, organochlorines, organophosphate, Pentachlorophenol | No Comments »
05
Nov
(Beyond Pesticides, November 5, 2024) Published in the journal Frontiers in Toxicology, a recent study uncovers serious flaws in the pesticide registration process at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with an in-depth evaluation of the agencyâs failure to protect the public from the harmful effects of five neonicotinoid (neonic) insecticidesâas mandated by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and amendments, including Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996. This coincides with EPA’s ongoing review to renew their approval for the next 15 years (set to be announced in 2025). The report is based on the first comprehensive assessment of unpublished rodent-based Developmental Neurotoxicity (DNT) studies, conducted between 2000-2003 and submitted by pesticide manufacturers as part of the registration process. All five neonicotinoids evaluatedâacetamiprid, clothianidin, imidacloprid, thiacloprid, and thiamethoxamâare associated with significant shrinkage of brain tissue at the highest dosage, according to EPA data reports (see acetamiprid, clothianidin, imidacloprid, thiacloprid, and thiamethoxam). However, with little or no data regarding the chemicalsâ impacts at low and mid-level dosages, EPA has either failed to find a âNo Observed Adverse Effect Levelâ (NOAEL) or, seemingly at random, set the NOAEL at the mid-level dosage. The evaluation suggests that perinatal exposure to […]
Posted in acetamiprid, behavioral and cognitive effects, Brain Effects, Children, Clothianidin, Developmental Disorders, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Epigenetic, Imidacloprid, Learning Disabilities, Pesticide Regulation, Reproductive Health, thiacloprid, Thiamethoxam, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »