Archive for the 'Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)' Category
14
Apr
(Beyond Pesticides, April 14, 2025) The Trump administration has undertaken an unprecedented attack on science in regulatory, research, and educational institutions, with predicted adverse consequences for all people across the country. The Union of Concerned Scientists last week published a list of organizations and their tracking of Trumpâs dismantling of federal science programs, including health research and the impact by Congressional district. And, the Environmental Protection Network estimates that the announced rollbacks at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would erase $254 billion in health and economic benefits. Perhaps it is understandable that those who oppose environmental and health regulations that put limits on industry would favor cuts to regulatory agencies. However, the impacts of the current cuts go far beyond deregulation. >> Tell your U.S. Representative and Senators to reverse Trump Administration cuts to science. The cuts to agencies affect science at every level. Science funding has been slashed at EPA, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). And these cuts have implications for, among other things, clean air and water, protection from wildfires, cures for diseases ranging from Alzheimer’s to childhood cancer, monitoring and protection from lead […]
Posted in Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Interior, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Resistance, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | No Comments »
09
Apr
(Beyond Pesticides, April 9, 2025) On March 12, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the agency would be shutting down the Environmental Justice and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) offices and staff at ten of the regional offices and the headquarters in Washington, D.C. Administrator Zeldin declared that this move implemented President Donald Trumpâs Executive Order, âEnding Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.â In response to this decision, ten Democratic U.S. Senatorsâled by Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) and including Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR)âco-sponsored the Empowering and Enforcing Environmental Justice Act of 2025 to Congress that would codify funding for environmental justice offices in the Department of Justice. (See Sen. Padilla’s press release here.) Senators Duckworth and Bookerâfounding co-chairs of the Senate Environmental Justice Caucusâalso issued the following statement: âUnderserved communities in rural, urban and tribal areas already shoulder the brunt of the climate crisis and environmental injustice. These cuts and reversals will make it even harder for these communities to address some of […]
Posted in Congress, Environmental Justice, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Agencies, Uncategorized | No Comments »
04
Apr
(Beyond Pesticides, April 4, 2025) In March, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) announced the launch of SprayDays California, âa first-of-its-kind statewide system designed to provide transparent, accessible and timely notifications and information about the use of specific pesticides[,]â according to the agencyâs press release. The state says that notification will occur in âadvance of the scheduled use of California restricted material pesticides in production agriculture.â Growing out of the passage of AB 617 Community Emissions Reduction Act in California, passed in 2017, farmworker safety advocates have long been urging an implementation strategy that provides notification of pesticide spraying. In late 2017, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) began implementation of AB 617, a bill enacted with the stated intent of addressing the air quality crisis in many communities of predominantly people of color who are disproportionately harmed by toxic chemicals. While the overall goal of the law is to reduce air pollution in these communities, farmworker advocates have sought to operationalize a pesticide spraying notification system to warn communities when nearby spraying is scheduled to take place. The idea behind notification programs and transparency in government is that it enables those potentially exposed to take precautionary measures to […]
Posted in California, Environmental Justice, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Farmworkers, Pesticide Drift, Pesticide Regulation, State/Local, Telone, Uncategorized | No Comments »
03
Apr
(Beyond Pesticides, April 3, 2025) As highlighted by Beyond Pesticides in recent comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), chlorpyrifos (CPF) has been under scrutiny for decades due to associated adverse health effects, noted particularly in the extensive and consistent scientific evidence of neurotoxic dangers to childrenâs health. The latest research on CPF, published in Environmental Toxicology and Genes & Diseases, reveals additional threats to the immune system and male reproduction that are not captured in current EPA risk assessments of chlorpyrifos and raises serious health questions, given that residues are found throughout the food supply. CPF, a widely used organophosphate insecticide in agriculture, is a cholinesterase inhibitor that binds irreversibly to the active site of an essential enzyme for normal nerve impulse transmission, acetylcholine esterase (AChE), inactivating the enzyme. Many insecticides, including organophosphates and carbamates, target AChE, causing them to be highly toxic to both insects and mammals that have this enzyme as a crucial part of their nervous systems. The history of chlorpyrifos exemplifies the failure of pesticide law and policy, as this chemical, among many others, not only has direct adverse health effects but is contributing to the climate crisis, biodiversity collapse, and disproportionate levels of […]
Posted in Agriculture, Cancer, Chlorpyrifos, Developmental Disorders, DNA Damage, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Immunotoxicity, Infertility, men's health, Oxidative Stress, Reproductive Health | 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 »
18
Mar
(Beyond Pesticides, March 18, 2025) The November 2024 press release by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its Rodenticide Strategy includes the final biological evaluation (BE) of 11 rodenticides. Prior to the finalization of the BE, Beyond Pesticides commented to EPAâs Office of Pesticide Programs in early 2024, disagreeing with the categorical no effect (NE) determinations for all freshwater and marine fish, aquatic mammals, aquatic amphibians, aquatic reptiles, and aquatic invertebrates. (See related Daily News and Action of the Week.) The latest scientific literature highlights the impacts of rodenticides on nontarget organisms, including aquatic organisms that the agency failed to evaluate due to harm that was, as EPA says, ânot reasonably certain to occur.â Many rodenticides, intended to target rats, mice, squirrels, nutria, and more, are anticoagulants and stop normal blood clotting. Active ingredients in these pesticides can include bromadiolone, chlorophacinone, difethialone, brodifacoum, and warfarin. Anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs), contrary to the agencyâs assertions, can be transported to aquatic ecosystems, including both freshwater and marine environments. As mentioned in Beyond Pesticidesâ comments, ARs have been detected in raw and treated wastewater, sewage sludge, estuarine sediments, suspended particulate matter, and liver tissues of sampled fish, demonstrating that the aquatic environment experiences […]
Posted in Aquatic Organisms, Biodiversity, Brodificoum, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Resistance, Rodenticide, Water, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | No Comments »
17
Mar
(Beyond Pesticides, March 17, 2025) When Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced last week that he is directing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to explore rulemaking to review substances in food affirmed by the food companies to be Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS), he said he is âcommitted to promoting radical transparency to make sure all Americans know what is in their food.â The issue of independent review of the food industryâs GRAS declarations has long been the subject of critiques raising public health concerns. As this issue emerged, on another food safety issue, Beyond Pesticides is asking FDA to use its broad authority under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to âensur(e) that human foods and animal feeds are safeâ from residues of pesticide mixtures, in light of new troubling scientific data. Under various memoranda of understanding between FDA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) going back decades, FDA could consult with EPA on food safety issues ignored by the agency, including  recent data published in Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology, which âsuggest that combined [pesticide] exposure may further amplify the toxicity and compromise the intestinal […]
Posted in Abamectin, Carbendazim, Chlorpyrifos, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), fluazinam, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS), Imidacloprid, Intestinal Damage, NOSB National Organic Standards Board, spirodiclofen, Take Action, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | No Comments »
13
Mar
(Beyond Pesticides, March 13, 2025) Study results published in Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology âsuggest that combined [pesticide] exposure may further amplify the toxicity and compromise the intestinal barrier.â The researchers studied the toxic effects of the insecticides abamectin and spirodiclofen, as well as the fungicide fluazinam, individually and in combination. In exposing mice and Caco-2 cells to these pesticides, the results show the disruption of intestinal functions and highlight the need to assess potential synergistic effects of pesticide mixtures as a part of the regulatory review process. Effects on the intestinal barriers of mice represent a threat to âthe first line of defense against the external environment,â the researchers say. The intestinal mucosal epithelial structure plays an important role in preventing harmful substances from entering the intestines and causing damage to cells. [Caco-2 cells represent a human cell line, derived from a colon cancer patientâs tissue, and mimic the small intestine. These cells are vital in research as a model of the intestinal epithelial barrier.] âCurrently, most studies investigating the effects of pesticide residues on the barrier function of Caco-2 cells concentrate on the exposure to a single residue, while the potential toxic effects arising from the concurrent presence of multiple pesticide […]
Posted in Abamectin, Chemical Mixtures, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), fluazinam, Intestinal Damage, Pesticide Mixtures, spirodiclofen, synergistic effects | No Comments »
12
Mar
(Beyond Pesticides, March 12, 2025) Earthjustice filed a lawsuit with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), challenging the Departmentâs alleged illegal purging of datasets, resources, and pertinent information that organic farmers rely on to carry out their operations, according to the complaint filed on February 24, 2025. The deletion of public data compounds the numerous threats facing organic and regenerative organic farmers across the nation. The uncertainty associated with the starting and then stopping of tariffs has led to surges in costs and supply chain challenges. Meanwhile, core organic programs, including the Organic Certification Cost Share Program, Organic Data Initiative, and Organic Certification Trade and Tracking Program, remain unfunded, leaving huge uncertainties for the organic sector moving forward. The administration has canceled the spring meeting of the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), the Congressionally-mandated board established to guide the setting of standards and materials on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances. In theory, organic farmers and public and environmental health advocates align with some of the stated objectives of the Make America Healthy Again Commission (MAHA), established by executive order on February 13, 2025. MAHA’s stated efforts to âdrastically lower….chronic disease rates and end…childhood chronic diseaseâ would be […]
Posted in Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Litigation, NOSB National Organic Standards Board, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | No Comments »
10
Mar
(Beyond Pesticides, March 10, 2025) Following International Womenâs Day, celebrated on March 8, 2025, the poignant findings on women, gender, and hazardous substances in a United Nations report raise critical issues of concern and cause for urgent action to phase out petrochemicals. The Report of the Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, by Marcos Orellana, was delivered to the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in July 2024. Excerpts from the report follow: âWomen make up roughly 60 to 70 per cent of the agricultural labour force in developing countries where pesticides and pesticide handling are especially poorly regulated. In Zambia, for example, two thirds of the labour force is engaged in agriculture, and 78 per cent are women farmers and peasants. Women there play a significant role in pesticide application, often without any or adequate personal protective equipment, especially during activities such as weeding, harvesting, and washing pesticide-laden clothes.â âIn higher-income countries, women who do agricultural work are often poor and/or migrants; pesticides are one of many dimensions of marginalization and damage to their well-being. The European agriculture sector uses many seasonal and […]
Posted in Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, Breast Cancer, Cancer, Endocrine Disruption, Environmental Justice, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Farmworkers, Take Action, Uncategorized | No 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 »
27
Feb
(Beyond Pesticides, February 27, 2025) In analyzing current scientific literature and data on glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs), a research article in Environmental Sciences Europe finds that glyphosate (GLY) persists in bones before reentering the bloodstream. The mechanisms in which GLY interacts with important cells for development, called hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), and breaks and rearranges DNA offer a possible explanation for the heightened risk of cancer, specifically blood cancers like non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), myeloma, and leukemia. âExisting data on GLY/GBH metabolism and genotoxicity provide critical insights into how exposures may be contributing to blood cancers,â according to the studyâs author, Charles Benbrook, PhD. Dr. Benbrook continues: âA significant portion of GLY reaching blood moves quickly into bone marrow and then bone, where it can bioaccumulate and persist… Data reviewed herein suggest that a portion of the GLY excreted by most people on a daily basis can be traced to the shedding of calcium-GLY complexes in bone back into the blood supply.â This allows for near-constant contact between glyphosate molecules and hematopoietic stem cells, which are immature cells that can develop into any type of blood cell. Mutations in hematopoietic stem cells can cause blood cancers to emerge. Those at disproportionate risk […]
Posted in Blood Disorders, Body Burden, Cancer, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Glyphosate, Leukemia, Metabolites, Monsanto, non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma | No Comments »
24
Feb
(Beyond Pesticides, February 24, 2025) The sweeping firing of federal workers, including an estimated 200,000 probationary employees (under one to two years of employment), will have a broad impact on programs to protect health and safety as well as the environment, leaving a critical need for local and state government to fill some of the gaps in critical programs, where possible. A headline in Science magazine warns, âMass firings decimate U.S. science agencies,â and the dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences at Oregon State University told Oregon Public Broadcasting, âWeâve lost half of our teams, and all of these up-and-coming young scientists. . .so itâs like weâve lost the next generation of scientists in agriculture and natural resources.â The same applies to important positions across the federal government, affecting every aspect of work necessary to protect public health and biodiversity and address the climate crisis. In response to President Trumpâs executive orders and actions, there has been, as The New York Times reports, ânew lawsuits and fresh rulings emerging day and night,â raising what experts fear may become a constitutional crisis. With the upheaval in the federal government, attention turns to the importance of state and local policies and […]
Posted in Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, Biodiversity, Climate, Climate Change, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Take Action, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | No Comments »
21
Feb
(Beyond Pesticides, February 21, 2025) The prospects for rational environmental policies in the U.S., including commitments to biodiversity and public health protections, are in disarray as the Trump administration sweeps through the federal government without any evaluation of program importance or effectiveness. At the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the destruction is likely to derail or reverse reasonable decisions to ban or restrict numerous toxic chemicals and to bury concern for ecosystem-wide harms. On biodiversity, President Trump has killed a major report, the National Nature Assessment, that had been due for completion on February 11. The assessment is part of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, which produces the national climate assessment, but it was created by an executive order issued under President Biden rather than by Congress. More than 150 experts, including federal employees and volunteers from academia, nonprofits, and businesses, reviewed the state of the nationâs lands, water, and wildlife. The assessment is a U.S.-specific version of a recent global report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), covered here by Beyond Pesticides. The IPBES details the many steps that can be taken at every level of the problem to preserve the ecosystem services […]
Posted in Agriculture, Biodiversity, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), International, Uncategorized, United Nations | 2 Comments »
10
Feb
(Beyond Pesticides, February 10, 2025) With the shutting down of key federal government programs, Beyond Pesticides is urging the public to speak out, especially on issues that preserve state and local authority to protect public health and safety in the absence of adequate federal standards. In this context, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering a petition with a proposed policy that would, if adopted, prohibit states from issuing warnings of pesticide hazards, like cancer, on product labels. EPA is taking public comment through February 20, 2025, on the petition, filed by the Republican attorneys general (AGs) of 11* states.  The petition asks EPA to prohibit âany state labeling requirements inconsistent with EPA findings and conclusions from its human health risk assessment on human health effects, such as a pesticide’s likelihood to cause cancer, birth defects, or reproductive harm.â [*The 11 states filing the petition include: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, and South Dakota.] According to Beyond Pesticides: âThe only conclusion that can be derived from this petition is that the AGs do not care if the people, including farmers, of their states are harmed by pesticides, and they should not be able […]
Posted in and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), California, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Failure to Warn, Pesticide Regulation, Preemption, Take Action, U.S. Supreme Court, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
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 »
03
Feb
(Beyond Pesticides, February 3, 2025) As a result of executive orders on January 20, 2025 and subsequent actions by the Trump administration, the public airwaves have been flooded with presidential proclamations, some of which have been subject to legal action and outrage. While the president has issued dozens of executive orders dismantling programsâfrom the environment to foreign aid, the impact of the orders on the functioning of an independent government workforce has been raised by those targeted. On January 29, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) filed a lawsuit that âasserts that President Trump illegally exceeded his authority in attempting to unilaterally roll back a regulation that protects the rights of civil servants,â according to an AFGE press release. The release continues, âThe suit also names the Office of Personnel Management for its role in failing to adhere to the Administrative Procedure Act in its attempts to roll back this same regulation.â According to AFGE National President Everett Kelley, âAFGE is filing suit with our partner union today to protect the integrity of the American peopleâs government,â On January 27, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Chair and Commissioner Charlotte Burrows, having […]
Posted in Environmental Justice, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Agencies, Litigation, Take Action, Uncategorized | No Comments »
30
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides, January 30, 2025) A research article in Biology Letters, published by The Royal Society, finds that the neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid disrupts survival and reproductive patterns in Bombus impatiens bumblebees. The study adds to the wide body of science highlighting how exposure to pesticides âcan result in immediate mortality or cause long-term detrimental effects on pollinators‘ health, lifespan and reproductive success,â the authors state. The researchers performed two experiments to assess the effects of various concentrations of imidacloprid, one of which focuses on bees during diapause, a period of dormancy. âWild bees, which provide the majority of pollination services worldwide, undergo an annual life cycle that includes a winter diapause, that can span over 75% of their life cycle and during which their metabolism, growth and development are halted,â the authors note. They continue: âThe time spent in diapause can have lasting effects on pollinator fitness and their ability to establish nests or colonies in the following spring. This period is especially critical for social bee colonies, which are founded by a single queen after diapause and play a vital role in large-scale pollination.â Exposure to pesticides during diapause can occur while bee species overwinter in contaminated soils. In […]
Posted in Beneficials, Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Imidacloprid, neonicotinoids, Pollinators, Reproductive Health | No Comments »
28
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides, January 28, 2025) Beyond Pesticides is urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to move more cautiously in  its proposal for âstreamlined . . . registration review decisions for several biopesticides,â subject to a public comment period through February 10, 2025. The organization is raising EPA review process concerns. The organization states: âAlthough the biopesticides listed in EPA’s proposal for streamlining the registration review process for âlow risk biopesticidesâ can be considered relatively low risk compared to conventional pesticides, the precedent for relying on the original or previous registration data and review is troublesome. EPA’s rationale for registration reviewâthat âscience is constantly evolving, and new scientific information can come to light at any time and change our understanding of potential effects from pesticides,â should guide the agency in its decisionsâespecially when previous decisions have depended on limited actual data, data waiver request rationales, and purported absence of new data or adverse incidents reported.â While Beyond Pesticides advocates for allowance of pesticides compatible with organic standards that are protective of human health, biodiversity, and healthy ecosystems, it urges EPA to establish rigorous standards in its registration review of these materials. The issue of biopesticide review is made complicated by the […]
Posted in Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, Biodiversity, Biological Control, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Integrated and Organic Pest Management, Pesticide Regulation, Take Action, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
27
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides, January 27, 2025) A public comment period ends today, January 27, 2025, on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) proposed critical habitat rule to protect the rusty patched bumble bee under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This proposal is responsive to the agency’s 2024 stipulated settlement agreement resulting from years of advocacy and government review and a 2023 court order (NRDC et al. v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, et al.). The proposal follows a 2017 determination by the agency that lists the bumble bee as an endangered species. (See previous Daily News here, here, here, here, and here.) >> Tell the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to fully protect the endangered rusty patched bumble bee by finalizing its proposed critical habitat rule with strengthening provisions. The FWS proposal grows out of a species status assessment (SSA) conducted by â15 scientists with expertise in bumble bee biology, habitat management, and stressors (factors negatively affecting the species).â University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign insect ecologist Jason Robinson, PhD concludes in his paper, âProject-specific bumble bee habitat quality assessment,â âAs the first social insect listed under the ESA, the listing of RPBB has required new methods for biological assessment. This species has a complex life cycle requiring a mosaic of different habitat types, […]
Posted in Agriculture, Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Pollinators, Uncategorized, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | 4 Comments »
24
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides, January 24, 2025) Based on data collected from government sources and independent monitoring, a multidisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Connecticut finds that 46% of Connecticut waterway samples are contaminated with levels of the neonicotinoid insecticide, imidaclopridâone of the most widely used insecticides in the United States on lawn and golf courses. The authors relied on federal data from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), state-level data from Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT-DEEP), and a small-scale data collection study by the Clean Rivers Project funded by the nonprofit Pollinator Pathway, Inc. In their report, Neonicotinoids in Connecticut Waters: Surface Water, Groundwater, and Threats to Aquatic Ecosystems, the researchers provide the most comprehensive view to date of neonicotinoid levels in Connecticut and offer critical recommendations for future testing within the state and nationally, given glaring data gaps. It is important to note that the authors acknowledged early in the report the “abandonmentâ of Integrated Pest Management in âthe use of neonicotinoids has coincided with and been implicated in the decline of many non-target species of insects, in particular pollinators such as bees () and monarch butterflies.â They point out that […]
Posted in Connecticut, Drinking Water, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Groundwater, Integrated and Organic Pest Management, neonicotinoids, Pesticide Drift, Pesticide Regulation, Pesticide Residues, U.S. Geological Survey, Uncategorized, Water, Water Regulation | No Comments »
17
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides, January 17-20, 2025) Martin Luther King Day recognizes the achievements of a remarkable civil rights leader while asking the nation to assess what more the country must do to ensure equality and environmental justice, as well as protection for those who suffer disproportionately from toxic chemical exposure. Advocates and disproportionately affected communities acknowledge the historic nature of the Biden Administrationâs commitment to elevating environmental justice in the decision-making of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). However, according to Willy Blackmore, writer for Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder (âthe oldest Black-owned newspaper in the state of Minnesota and one of the longest-standing, family-owned newspapers in the countryâ), â[T]he more systemic change that [Administrator] Reganâs EPA tried to bring about was stonewalled by legal challenges that threatened to undermine the agencyâs strongest tool for righting environmental injustices.â Black communities across the nation face disproportionate impacts to petrochemical infrastructure and toxic chemicals, including pesticides and fertilizers. A 2021 study published in BMC Public Health found that biomarkers for 12 dangerous pesticides tracked over the past 20 years were found in the blood and urine of Black participants at average levels up to five times those in White participants. A University of Michigan study found […]
Posted in Breast Cancer, Cancer, Clean Water Act, Climate Change, Congress, Disease/Health Effects, Environmental Justice, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Farm Bill, Farmworkers, NOSB National Organic Standards Board, Pesticide Regulation, President-elect Transition, Reflection, State/Local, Uncategorized | No Comments »
15
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides, January 15, 2025) There is robust scientific literature that unpacks the adverse human health effects of pesticide exposure, however immunological impacts do not receive adequate attention in regulatory review processes, according to an in-depth literature review. In a piece published in Frontiers in Immunology (2024) critiquing recent peer-reviewed scientific studies, as well as unpublished research produced by the Institute of Biology and Experimental Medicine in partnership with the National Scientific and Technical Research Council in Argentina, researchers assess immune system effects of pesticide exposure, which creates the conditions for deadly health conditions including various forms of cancer. The focus of this study, according to the authors, is âto critically review fundamental aspects of toxicological studies conducted on PPPs [Plant Protection Products] to provide a clearer understanding of the risks associated with exposure to these compounds on human health.â PPPs are pesticide products that contain more than one active ingredient, and can include synergistic ingredients that supercharge them alongside inert ingredients that pesticide companies are not legally required to disclose under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), but are often manipulated biologically and chemically active. Most studies analyze the toxicological impacts of active ingredients in isolation rather […]
Posted in Bayer, Cancer, Chemical Mixtures, Chlorpyrifos, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Glyphosate, Immunotoxicity, organophosphate, Pesticide Regulation, Uncategorized | No Comments »