07
Jul
(Beyond Pesticides, July 7, 2026) An analysis of scientific literature on pesticide contamination in infant formula reveals a public health issue of food safety for young children with potential lifelong impacts, as published in Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology. Through a systematic review of research from 1975 to 2025, the authors, from the Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases at the Sapienza University of Rome (Italy), find residues of pesticides that are linked to deleterious health impacts in infant formula, including insecticides such as organochlorines, organophosphates, pyrethroids, and neonicotinoids, and many herbicides. As the researchers share, the results highlight that: â[T]he contamination of infant formula does not concern a single class of substances, but manifests itself as a heterogeneous and simultaneous set of risks: pesticide residues, heavy metals, persistent environmental contaminants, mycotoxins and compounds released from packaging materials can coexist within the same product. This co-presence of contaminants of different origins confirms that the problem cannot be traced back to a single critical point, but reflects a complex supply chain context, in which each stageâfrom raw material production to industrial processes, storage and packagingâcan contribute to the infant’s final exposure.â In confirming the presence of multiple pesticides within infant formula, […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Chemical Mixtures, Children, contamination, Herbicides, Insecticides, Italy, neonicotinoids, organochlorines, organophosphate, Pesticide Mixtures, Pesticide Residues, pyrethroids, synergistic effects, Synthetic Pyrethroid | No Comments »
03
Jun
(Beyond Pesticides, June 3, 2026) A study, published in PeerJ today, by researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the U.S. and the University of Pisa in Italy, finds that the widely used fungicide fludioxonil and its breakdown products, including a âforever chemicalâ per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substance (PFAS), threaten environmental and human health. Through a review of scientific literature (from 2021-2025) of the ecological and health effects of fludioxonil, the authors find evidence of this chemicalâs mechanisms of toxicity, including oxidative stress, that are enhanced as it degrades in the environment. Oxidative stressâŻoccurs when there is a disruption of normal cell-signaling and molecular damage, leading to an imbalance of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and free radicals (unstable oxygen molecules) that the body is unable to detoxify.âŻIn particular, sunlight exposure causes fludioxonil to break down into a PFAS that is linked to adverse health implications for the environment, wildlife, and humans. One of the authors, Warren Porter, PhD, is a board member for Beyond Pesticides and presented at the 2021 National Pesticide Forum. Dr. Porter is an emeritus Professor of Integrative Biology and an Ardath and Robert Rodale Professor of Environmental Toxicology, with previous research showing that combinations of commonly used agricultural chemicals in concentrations that mirror levels found in groundwater can significantly influence immune, endocrine, and neurological health in animals. His research also links pesticide exposure in utero to impaired learning, changes in brain function, and […]
Posted in Agriculture, Breakdown Chemicals, fludioxonil, Fungicides, Italy, Metabolites, Oxidative Stress, Pesticide Regulation, PFAS, Syngenta | No Comments »
25
Nov
(Beyond Pesticides, November 25, 2025) Chemical pollution is having a profound impact on menâs overall health and reproductive function. Endocrine-disrupting chemicalsâwhich prominently include pesticidesâare a major factor. The Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) a European organization funded by the European Union (EU) and several private foundations, has issued a strong call for attention to â and action on â the precipitous decline in male reproductive health owing to chemical exposures, including pesticides. In a new report, Chemical pollution and menâs health: A hidden crisis in Europe, the group states, âThe scientific evidence is clear. The costs of chemical pollution â human and economic â are mounting. The solutions exist. What we need now is the political will to act.â The report was written by Rosaella Cannarella, M.D., PhD, an endocrinologist at the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolic Diseases and Nutrition, University of Catania (Italy). HEALâs report details alarming indications of catastrophe in male reproductive health: prostate cancer, testicular cancer, crashing sperm counts, and numerous developmental problems including cryptorchidism, urogenital malformations, and hypospadias. The report highlights pesticides, microplastics, phthalates, bisphenols, PFAS and heavy metals as the likely environmental sources of the crisis. There is evidence that all of these endocrine disrupting chemicals […]
Posted in Agriculture, Belgium, Canada, Cancer, European Union, Glyphosate, Infertility, International, Italy, Prostate Cancer, Rwanda, Testicular Cancer, Uncategorized | No Comments »
