Archive for the 'International' Category
10
Feb
(Beyond Pesticides, February 10, 2026) Species that are integral to pest management allow for crucial ecosystem services that negate the need for pesticides in agricultural or land management practices. In a study published in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, researchers from France find pesticide-free fields promote carabid beetles and spiders, generalist arthropod predators that consume slugs, aphids, and mites, that in turn support healthy, organic systems. The study findings highlight the importance of utilizing farming practices that promote biodiversity and foster natural enemy populations as a pest management strategy. Â âIn this study, we assessed the assemblages of emerging and circulating ground-dwelling carabids and spiders during four months in a continuous mosaic of pesticide-free winter-sown crops under contrasted tillage regimes (minimum vs. conventional tillage) and sown flower strips bordering fields,â the authors describe. They continue: âWe detected clear patterns, with high in-field carabid and spider overwintering densities than in adjacent flower strips… Our results also demonstrate the key role of pesticide-free fields under minimum tillage, acting both as a high-quality overwintering site for some dominant carabid species and as a source habitat, as several predator species activity-density responded positively to the increased area of minimum tillage fields in the surroundings.â Background […]
Posted in Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, Beneficials, Biodiversity, Biological Control, Ecosystem Services, France, Integrated and Organic Pest Management | No Comments »
06
Feb
(Beyond Pesticides, February 6, 2026)Â The United States, under Donald Trumpâs direction, has withdrawn from 66 international organizations, the most important for health being the United Nationsâ World Health Organization (WHO) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. International organizations committed to the application of the best available science and policy development via consultation and consensus serve as a vital check against rampant personal and industry nest-feathering at the expense of global health. The Trump administration has removed this check while expanding his and his associatesâ self-dealing and dismissing the critical interactions of crises such as climate change and synthetic chemicals. Although Trump announced this move on inauguration day last year, the completion of the process last week puts the stamp of finality on his total abandonment of public health. This in turn threatens the collapse of WHOâand even the U.N.âaltogether, which has wide implications for agriculture, particularly pesticide policies, climate action (and inaction), and infectious disease monitoring, including vaccines and pandemic prevention. [See commentary: On Public and Environmental Health and Worldwide Collaboration.] Other U.N. environmental, health, and agricultural organizations on the list are groups focused on forest degradation, freshwater and oceans, mining, minerals, metals, and sustainable development, biodiversity, and ecosystem […]
Posted in Agriculture, Corporations, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Glyphosate, Pesticide Regulation, Reflection, Uncategorized, United Nations, World Health Organization | No Comments »
03
Feb
(Beyond Pesticides, February 3, 2026) In analyzing the direct and indirect effects of pesticides that act simultaneously upon macrozoobenthos communities (invertebrates living in or on sediment) in standing small water bodies (SWBs) in Germany, researchers find high risks to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Published in Hydrobiologia, the experiment finds high risks to invertebrates and highlights how both direct and indirect effects are vital to comprehensive assessments of pesticides. While typically overlooked in regulatory reviews, SWBs are defined as shallow standing or running freshwaters âwith a surface area of less than 50 hectares (ha),â such as lakes or ponds, including farm ponds, as well as headwater streams, springs and flushes, and ditches. SWBs are biodiversity hotspots that contribute to numerous ecosystem services and are adversely affected by agricultural land use effects such as pesticide contamination. âHolistic assessments of pesticide effects on invertebrate communities in standing small water bodies have, however, not yet been successful,â the authors note. To address this, the researchers developed an indicator for evaluating pesticide impacts on macrozoobenthos communities, populated with aquatic invertebrates, such as snails, worms, crayfish, and clams, through indirect toxic effects on aquatic plants called INPOND: INdirect Pesticide impacts ON Diversity in standing small water […]
Posted in Agriculture, Aquatic Organisms, Beneficials, Biodiversity, Chlorpyrifos, contamination, Ecosystem Services, Germany, pyraclostrobin, tefluthrin, Water | No Comments »
02
Feb
(Beyond Pesticides, February 2 2025) With the Trump administration withdrawing from international organizations that historically advance a shared world view of global sustainability (from health and the environment, to peace and justice), people are calling on the U.S. Congress and state governors to support critical health and environmental programs that link humanity across the globe. Beyond Pesticides is collaborating on an action to: Tell Congress to support and fund international organizations critical to the global health of humans and the biosphere, AND Tell Governors/Lieutenant Governors to join (as well as thank them for joining) the Governors Public Health Alliance and to expand their support for international agencies that protect biodiversity and mitigate the climate crisis (IUCN, IPBES, and IPCC).  Will the U.S. Congress and state government step up to link across national borders when the Trump administration steps back from worldwide existential health and environmental crises? Among the 66 organizations affected by this action are the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). These organizations all support global health, and withdrawing from them is âcontrary to the interests of the United […]
Posted in Biodiversity, International, Take Action, Uncategorized, United Nations, World Health Organization | 2 Comments »
28
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides, January 28, 2026) A study published last year in Science of The Total Environment reports widespread pesticide contamination collected from beehive monitoring across the European Union (EU). âThis study has produced the first EU-wide distribution map of terrestrial pesticide contamination and demonstrates widespread pesticide contamination of EU environments,â the authors write. The study, led by a cohort of citizen-scientists, documents pesticide drift across the European continent. The results found that 188 of the 429 targeted pesticide compounds were detected in noninvasive, in-hive passive samplers (APIStrips) across 27 EU countries between May and August of 2023. This finding emerges at a time when public health and environmental advocates raise concerns about the European Unionâs backtracking on commitments to reduce pesticide use by 2030, although the European Commission announced in July 2025 that âthe use and risk of chemical pesticides has decreased by 58% by 2023 [from the 2015-2017 reference period], while the use of more hazardous pesticides fell by 27% over the same period.â Results The study results reveal that no landscape is safe from pesticide exposure, despite the European Union having better regulations in place than most other countries/regions. The researchers found: âThere was no sample site where […]
Posted in acetamiprid, Azoxystrobin, boscalid, Carbendazim, Chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin, Deltamethrin, difenoconazole, European Union, Fipronil, fludioxonil, fluopyram, fluxapyroxad, Imidacloprid, Metolachlor, Pendimethalin, Permethrin, Persistence, Pesticide Drift, Pollinators, pyraclostrobin, Pyriproxyfen, tebuconazole, thiabendazole, thiacloprid, trifloxystrobin, Uncategorized | No Comments »
15
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides, January 15, 2026)Â âBirds and bats consumed over 87 rice pest species in West African lowland rice fields,â according to a recent study published in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. The authors continue, âOur findings highlight the importance of maintaining and managing a diverse community of bats and birds for network resilience.â In this context, the research distinguishes the âpredator-preyâ as established through the ecological balance of diverse organisms in nature from a âpredator-pestâ orientation that views some organisms as unwanted and targets for control and more subject to human manipulation. Â The authors describe the predator-pest network as a means to quantify the âecosystem servicesâ impact, with the researchers noting that they âinvestigated the role of predator and prey species in the predatorâprey network and compared those roles with that of the predatorâpest network, to further explore their potential as pest suppressors.â Communities across the United States and globally are looking for opportunities to transition to alternative pest management strategies given decades-long increasing reliance on synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, which contribute significantly to looming existential crises of biodiversity collapse, public health decline, and planetary instability of ecosystems, climate, and geopolitics. As evidenced in a recent report by Farm Action […]
Posted in Agriculture, Bats, Biodiversity, Birds, Integrated and Organic Pest Management, International, Pests, Uncategorized | No Comments »
14
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides, January 14, 2026) Adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in children 4â6 years old occur with reported maternal occupational exposure during pregnancy, as published in a study in PLOS One, according to research from Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Tanzania and the Centre for International Health at the University of Bergen in Norway. âOur results show that self-reported maternal exposure to pesticides through direct spraying during pregnancy was associated with lower scores in social-emotional and executive function domains among children,â the authors state. Additionally, the authors note that they found an association between social-emotion scores in children and weeding practices of their mothers during pregnancy, as well as reduced overall neurodevelopmental scores following direct maternal pesticide exposure. The study, conducted through self-reported pesticide exposure from the mothers of 432 motherâchild pairs in three horticulture-intensive regions in Tanzania and development and learning assessments of their children, reflects the âconcerns about maternal occupational exposure during pregnancy and its potential impact on child neurodevelopment,â the researchers describe. Current risk assessments fail to properly capture the disproportionate risks to farmers and farmworkers with various routes of exposure, âparticularly in horticultural settings where women of reproductive age represent a substantial proportion of the […]
Posted in Agriculture, behavioral and cognitive effects, Children, Environmental Justice, Farmworkers, Learning Disabilities, Metabolites, multi-generational effects, Occupational Health, Tanzania, Women's Health | No Comments »
05
Dec
(Beyond Pesticides, December 5, 2025) A study published this month in Environmental Pollution analyzes the role of neonicotinoid insecticide exposure on bird populations, finding a significant negative effect of imidacloprid use on insectivorous bird abundance. In comparing the effects of the insecticide imidacloprid on bird abundance in France before and after the 2018 ban, the researchers show a weak recovery of bird populations after 2018. The persistent nature of imidacloprid, however, as well as the continued use of other petrochemical pesticides that have adverse effects on bird species, continues to impact populations of all types of birds and other wildlife, leading to cascading impacts on biodiversity. Â Â âOur study shows that imidacloprid is a major covariate of the abundance of birds, in addition to other pesticides that are also negatively related to bird populations, and that these effects are not uniform across species,â the authors report. They continue in saying that the relationship between neonicotinoids and bird abundance varied across bird diets, as âthe abundance of insectivorous birds was consistently lower under increasing pesticide use, in particular imidacloprid.â Background As shared in the study and on Beyond Pesticidesâ Birds page, bird species can be exposed to pesticides directly through ingestion […]
Posted in Agriculture, Beneficials, Biodiversity, Birds, contamination, France, Imidacloprid, Insecticides, neonicotinoids, Pesticide Regulation, Seeds, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | No Comments »
04
Dec
(Beyond Pesticides, December 4, 2025) In a news release last week on November 26, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) âissued a comprehensive fact-check addressing dangerous misinformation circulating about EPA’s recent pesticide approvalsâ that, according to health and environmental advocates, continues to deceive the public about the true risks for health and the environment from petrochemical pesticides including, but not limited to, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Also published on November 26, coverage titled The EPA Is Embracing PFAS Pesticides. These Are The Health Risks in Time further highlights EPAâs deficiencies and the threats of PFAS, which Beyond Pesticides has extensively covered. (See here and here.) The controversy erupted as a result of EPAâs latest proposal to allow a new fluorinated pesticide to the list of four other similar compounds now widely available for use in homes and gardens, buildings, and agriculture. The newest pesticide proposed for EPA registration, epyrifenacil (agricultural weed killer), joins cyclobutrifluram (soil fungicide/nematicide), isocycloseram (household and agricultural insecticide), diflufenican (lawn and agricultural weed killer), and trifludimoxazin (agricultural weed killer), making a total of five PFAS pesticide proposals this year that have been associated with national and worldwide contamination of food, land, and water. Two of these, cyclobutrifluram and isocycloseram, have been approved. âInstead of constraining the use of fluorinated pesticidesâpersistent and highly toxic […]
Posted in Agriculture, Cancer, contamination, Developmental Disorders, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Epigenetic, Immunotoxicity, International, Pesticide Regulation, PFAS | 1 Comment »
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 »
29
Oct
(Beyond Pesticides, October 29, 2025) The latest research on bats and beavers, ecosystem services, and biodiversity adds to a wide body of science on the importance of a balanced ecosystem. In both the Bulletin of the National Research Centre and Journal of Animal Ecology, the researchers highlight the interconnectedness not only between wildlife species but to broader ecosystem functioning and human health implications. Researchers in the Journal article add to the growing body of science connecting an abundance of bat species in areas with established beaver dams, highlighting how interconnected wildlife is. The reporting on this recent research coincides with Beyond Pesticidesâ 42nd National Forum, The Pesticide Threat to Environmental Health: Advancing Holistic Solutions Aligned with Nature, scheduled for today, October 29. As the author of the article in the Bulletin of the National Research Centre, entitled âThe complex web between environmental disruption, pesticide use, and human health: lessons from the bat crisis,â states: âThe close relationship between environmental balance, biodiversity, and human health has long been a concern of science and public policy. Disruptions in ecosystems often trigger cascading effects that extend far beyond the original ecological imbalance, affecting agricultural practices, food security, and public health.â Bat Declines and […]
Posted in Agriculture, Announcements, Bats, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Ecosystem Services, Events, International, Pollinators, Uncategorized, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | No Comments »
07
Oct
(Beyond Pesticides, October 7, 2025) Published in Environment International, a study utilizing silicone wristbands provides a snapshot of chemical exposure in over 600 participants across 10 European countries. Using the wristbands as passive and noninvasive samplers, the researchers find that organic farmersâ wristbands contain lower pesticide levels than other groups, offering insight into the benefits of organic and disproportionate risks to farmers using chemical-intensive methods. The results further reveal prevalent environmental pesticide mixtures, in addition to highlighting exposure to current-use pesticides (CUPs) and legacy (banned) pesticides that occurs through multiple exposure routes to workers, residents, and consumers. âOur study offers a comprehensive analysis of non-dietary pesticide exposure patterns among various populations across the EU [European Union], underscoring its widespread prevalence and identifying significant occupational and residential predictors,â the authors explain. As pesticide exposure occurs through both dietary and nondietary routes, such as through dermal (skin) contact and inhalation of contaminated air, there âis a growing need for aggregated [total; combined] exposure estimates across occupationally and nonoccupationally exposed populations.â The study includes testing for 193 pesticides, both legacy pesticides and CUPs, captured in silicone wristbands worn by farmers, residents living close to treated fields (neighbors), and the general population (consumers) in […]
Posted in Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, Biomonitoring, Chlorpyrifos, European Union, Farmworkers, Metabolites, Occupational Health, Permethrin, Pesticide Mixtures | No Comments »
25
Sep
(Beyond Pesticides, September 25, 2025) Reinforcing numerous studies’ findings of widespread environmental contamination with PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), heavy metals, pesticide metabolites, and pharmaceuticals, researchers detected the chemicals in noncommercial backyard eggs laid in Greece, according to a study published in Science of The Total Environment. The researchers found that â[o]nly 9 out of 17 samples were compliant to the limitâŚ.set by the [European Union] for the sum of PFHxS [perfluorohexanesulfonic acid], PFOS [perfluorooctanesulfonic acid], PFOA [perfluorooctanoic acid], and PFNA [perfluorononanoic acid].â They continue: â[A]s regards PFOS, PFHxS, and PFNA, seven, six and one out of 17 samples, respectively, were above the ML (maximum limit) as set by the EU.â With current regulatory standards focused on evaluating exposure to individual chemicals and, in some instances, cumulative risk associated with chemicals that have a common mechanism of effect, this study points out the importance of looking at mixtures of chemicals and the potential synergistic effects. There are some fluorinated pesticides defined as PFAS due to their molecular structure and high toxicity, which makes the chemicals highly persistent in the environment. Center for Food Safety, Center for Biological Diversity, and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility reviewed the full list of active […]
Posted in European Union, Pesticide Drift, Pesticide Mixtures, Pesticide Regulation, PFAS, Uncategorized | No Comments »
23
Sep
(Beyond Pesticides, September 23, 2025) A study published in European Journal of Agronomy, based on a 16-year, long-term experiment (LTE), finds that organic crops (cotton production with wheat and soybean rotations) in tropical climates are competitive with chemical-intensive (conventional) systems when evaluating systems’ resilience (to weather and insect resistance), input costs, and profitability. One of the underlying assumptions of continuous pesticide use is that they will continue to serve as effective weapons in the never-ending war against insects, weeds, and fungal diseases that threaten the economic viability and sustainability of the farming operations. While organic systems faced reduced yields due to pest pressures from pink bollworm infestations, their relative decline was much smaller than that of the chemical-intensive operations. This studyâs findings indicate that a different direction is not only possible, but necessary, for the long-term financial viability of farms. Farmers understand that the health of the soil is a compounding investment that will help or hurt you depending on the actions taken yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The authors state in the study introduction that the long-term study is critical when studying organic productivity and profitability because short-term studies fail to capture. âCritical variables like soil health, pest dynamics, and […]
Posted in Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, Climate, Climate Change, International, Resistance, Uncategorized | No Comments »
11
Sep
(Beyond Pesticides, September 11, 2025) A study published in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment finds organic rice paddies in the Mediterranean region have greater ecosystem biodiversity, including increased presence of aquatic microorganisms and insects, than their chemical-intensive counterparts. While not a “cradle-to-grave” or holistic analysis of organic vs. chemical-intensive agriculture (see a similar example in previous Daily News here), the authors note that there is an increase in greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe) associated with compost use, which replaces synthetic fertilizers. Typically, compost builds biological life in the soil and contributes to a drawing down (or sequestering) of atmospheric carbon. As EPA notes, â[C]omposting lowers greenhouse gases by improving carbon sequestration in the soil and by preventing methane emissions through aerobic decomposition, as methane-producing microbes are not active in the presence of oxygen.” The transition to organically produced rice in the U.S. has come with challenges. One includes thorny debates over the inclusion of copper sulfate on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances, which establishes materials permitted for use in certified organic production under the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA). Under the law, USDA restricts copper sulfate in organic farming as follows: âFor use as tadpole shrimp control in aquatic […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Aquatic Organisms, Beneficials, Biodiversity, Climate, Climate Change, European Union, Pollinators, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
04
Sep
(Beyond Pesticides, September 4, 2025) A review of agricultural neonicotinoid insecticide regulations, published in Pest Management Science, evaluates the varied approaches being taken for bans and exemption-based restrictions in the European Union (EU), Canada, and the United States (U.S.). Despite an ever-growing and overwhelming body of science linking neonicotinoids (neonics) to adverse effects on pollinators and other nontarget species, the regulations fall short in protecting the environment and wildlife. The review, with the history and current status of neonics, lends further support for a full transition to organic agriculture and land management that removes neonicotinoid exposure routes and subsequent health threats. With the application of this widely used class of neurotoxic system insecticides increasing, so too has the concern over the long-term chronic effects on pollinators and other species from exposure. This concern, backed by scientific literature, has âled to increased governmental regulations since the mid-2010s, particularly in agricultural settings,â state the authors from Iowa State University and Washington State University. They continue, âThese regulations have varied in terms of approach, geography, and timeline, starting with a ban implemented by the European Union (EU) and evolving into exemption-based regulations across two Canadian provinces and five U.S. states as of this […]
Posted in acetamiprid, Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, Beneficials, Biodiversity, California, Canada, Clothianidin, dinotefuron, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), European Union, Illinois, Imidacloprid, Minnesota, neonicotinoids, New York, Pollinators, Quebec, Rhode Island, thiacloprid, Thiamethoxam, Vermont | No Comments »
02
Sep
(Beyond Pesticides, September 2, 2025) It did not go without notice to U.S. grassroots environmental and public health advocates that earlier this month, over two million people in France signed a âfirst of its kindâ petition that ultimately prevented the overturning of the countryâs ban on bee-killing neonicotinoid insecticides. The action was widely covered in France, including in Le Monde. This uprising, organized by 23-year-old French masterâs student Eleonore Pattery, emphasizes the importance of individuals in communities mobilizing people to protect the planet from pesticides that are having a devastating adverse effect on health and the environment. The grassroots push in France taps into a deep public concern about health and the environment that is emblematic of the level of public engagement needed to thwart the high level of chemical industry, agribusiness, and allied corporate influence that undermines basic protections. Industry interests have long been embedded in federal environmental and public health laws. For example, federal and state pesticide laws (the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act and similar state laws) allow widespread exposure to toxic chemicals despite the availability of nontoxic alternatives that are both efficacious and cost-effective. Without public engagement, as seen in France, significant improvements in law are constantly […]
Posted in acetamiprid, Alternatives/Organics, European Union, International, neonicotinoids, Pesticide Regulation, Uncategorized | No Comments »
19
Aug
(Beyond Pesticides, August 19, 2025) A new study from Argentina highlights the importance of applying the concept of the exposome (total exposures over lifetime) as a scientific framework, the value of biomonitoring, and findings of adverse pregnancy outcomes. The study documents the presence and effects of pesticides on maternal and fetal health during pregnancy. The results show that pregnant Argentine women are exposed to dozens of pesticides, and that certain mixtures of these chemicals are associated with harm to pregnancy outcomes, especially among rural women. The exposome, the authors write, comprises the ânon-genetic factors that may be involved in the development or aggravation of human disease. The prenatal exposome includes all environmental chemicals that the mother is exposed to during pregnancy (maternal exposome) and those chemicals that reach the placenta and fetus from the maternal circulation (fetal exposome).â The authors emphasize that understanding the exposome almost by definition requires studying mixtures of environmental chemicals rather than analyzing the effects of each in isolation. The second important aspect of the study is its use of biomonitoring. The researchers analyzed urine samples from 90 pregnant women in various gestational stages from rural and urban regions of Argentina. The researchers also collected demographic […]
Posted in Agriculture, Argentina, Atrazine, Fungicides, Herbicides, Propazine, Reproductive Health, triazophos, Uncategorized, vinclozolin | No Comments »
15
Aug
(Beyond Pesticides, August 15, 2025) In analyzing the data present in an article in Data in Brief, concerning levels of pesticide biomarkers are present in the urine of adolescents and young adults that are linked to numerous health implications. The biomonitoring data, collected at two time points from participants in a longitudinal cohort study in the agricultural county of Pedro Moncayo, Ecuador, encompasses a total of 23 compounds used as herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides and their associated metabolites (breakdown products), which include organophosphates, pyrethroids, and neonicotinoids. The results highlight the disproportionate risks to a Latin American population that occur as a result of living in areas with heavy chemical-intensive agriculture. âThis article presents urinary pesticide metabolite concentrations for 665 participants in the âStudy of Secondary Exposure to Pesticides among Children, Adolescents, and Adultsâ (ESPINA), which were collected during two follow-up assessments,â the authors describe. The first sampling period from July to October 2016, referred to as Follow-up Year [FUY]-8b, includes 529 of the participants, while the second sampling period from July to September 2022 (FUY-14a) includes 505 of the participants. All participants are within the agricultural community of Pedro Moncayo. As the authors note, âThe ESPINA study aimed to include […]
Posted in 2,4-D, acetamiprid, Agriculture, Biomonitoring, Children, Chlorpyrifos, Clothianidin, Cyfluthrin, cypermethrin, DEET, Deltamethrin, Diazinon, fenpropathrin, Flumethrin, flupyradifurone, Glyphosate, Imidacloprid, International, lambda-cyhalothrin, Malathion, mancozeb, Maneb, Metabolites, neonicotinoids, Occupational Health, organophosphate, Parathion, Permethrin, pyrethroids, Repellent, Sulfoxaflor, Synthetic Pyrethroid, Synthetic Pyrethroids, thiacloprid, Thiamethoxam, tralomethrin | No Comments »
31
Jul
(Beyond Pesticides, July 31, 2025) A study published in Environmental Advances finds that hundreds of honeybee hives across central and northern Italy are contaminated with various pesticides and their metabolites, including glyphosate and fosetyl. âThere was no significant difference in glyphosate presence between dead/dying and live bees, suggesting chronic exposure rather than acute toxicity. However, higher pesticide concentrations in dead/dying bees indicate potential sublethal effects contributing to colony distress,â according to the authors. This peer-reviewed study builds on the mounting evidence outlined in the literature connecting pesticide residues to nontarget harm to pollinators and other insects and animals that are critical to biodiversity. Background and Methodology âThe primary objectives of this study were to develop and validate a reliable, sensitive method for analyzing polar pesticides [highly soluble in water] in honeybees and to investigate polar pesticides residue levels in honeybees across northern and central Italy,â say the researchers of this study, who conduct research at the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Lombardy and Emilia Romagna âBruno Ubertini”, Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Umbria and Marche âTogo Rosatiâ, and Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Lazio and Tuscany “M. Aleandri.” 314 honeybee samples were gathered voluntarily from local beekeepers in six regions of northern and […]
Posted in Chemical Mixtures, Chemicals, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), glufosinate, Glyphosate, International, Persistence, Poisoning, Pollinators, Uncategorized | No Comments »
28
Jul
(Beyond Pesticides, July 28, 2025) As the problem of antimicrobial-resistant infections continues to escalate to pandemic proportions, Beyond Pesticides is again calling on Congress and the federal government to urgently start to eliminate the use of pesticides that contribute to antibiotic resistance. While data accumulates on antimicrobial resistance, including Daily News reporting of yet another study in June in Environmental Geochemistry and Health, the 79th United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on antimicrobial resistance (September 2024) points to  nearly five million deaths in 2019 from antibiotic-resistant microbial infections and $1 trillion in annual health care costs per year by 2050 globally. According to the UNâs political declaration, â[G]lobally, antimicrobial resistance could result in US$ 1 trillion of additional health-care costs per year by 2050 and US$ 1 trillion to 3.4 trillion of gross domestic product losses per year by 2030, and that treating drug-resistant bacterial infections alone could cost up to US$ 412 billion annually, coupled with workforce participation and productivity losses of US$ 443 billion, with antimicrobial resistance predicted to cause an 11 per cent decline in livestock production in low-income countries by 2050.â These findings grow out of â[G]eneral Assembly resolution 78/269, to review progress on global, regional and […]
Posted in Agriculture, Antibiotic Resistance, Antimicrobial, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Pesticide Regulation, Take Action, Uncategorized, United Nations | No Comments »
24
Jul
(Beyond Pesticides, July 24, 2025) In a sixteen-year field trial based in Central Kenya, researchers have found higher crop yield stability in low-input organic systems with previously degraded soil than in high-input organic and nonorganic agricultural systems. One of the agrichemical industry-fed arguments against organic production is the false belief that, if all agricultural production went organic, then it would lead to a crisis of food security. Proponents of transitioning to organic continually push back, given the steady flow of evidence, backed by decades-long field trials, that organic can competeâand even outcompeteâconventional systems after a transitional period. Background and Methodology This long-term field trial, published this year in European Journal of Agronomy, was conducted at two sites in Central KenyaâChuka (lower soil fertility) and Kandara (higher soil fertility)âbetween 2007 and 2022. Â Both Chuka and Kandara share bimodal rainfall (two wet seasons split up with distinct dry seasons) and consist of two growing seasons in a given calendar year. There were six crop rotation cycles for the maize, which included various legumes, vegetables, and root crops depending on the input level and farming system. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design in agricultural plots, with the fields split up […]
Posted in Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, Children/Schools, Fertilizer, International, Kenya, soil health, Uncategorized | No Comments »
09
Jul
(Beyond Pesticides, July 9, 2025) Policymakers in Tanzania are calling for increased investments in organic agriculture for the 2025/26 fiscal year budget, demonstrating the increase in political will to advance new systems of farming and land management after decades of relying on Green Revolution-style, or chemical-intensive, policies. On June 20, various ministers representing the national government presented speeches to Parliament on the national governmentâs plan and budget recommendations, as well as highlighting the previous fiscal yearâs trends and use of funds. Â Political and popular support for organic agricultural systems has gained momentum across the globe. Worldwide, organic farming practices quadrupled from 2000 to 2018, with over 180 countries supporting a global transition to organic agriculture. Newly published global survey data by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) and International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements â Organics International (IFOAM) reveal global organic agriculture to be at an all-time high, with 71.5 million hectares of farmland in production as of 2020. (See Daily News here). Farmer and agricultural cooperatives around the world, from Brazil to Madagascar and Togo, leverage organic systems to develop competitive business models in regional, national, and international markets. (See Daily News here.) The European Union, with […]
Posted in Agriculture, Aldrin, Chemical Mixtures, Chlordane, Chlorpyrifos, DDT, Dieldrin, Endosulfan, Heptachlor, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), International, lambda-cyhalothrin, organochlorines, Tanzania, Uncategorized | No Comments »