Search Results
Thursday, July 4th, 2024
(Beyond Pesticides, July 4, 2024) In reflecting on recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that reduce federal government powers to restrict hazardous chemicals, including pesticides (see Clean Water Act decision and federal restrictions of toxic hazards under the reversal of Chevron decision), two remaining authorities in state and local governments and in the courts have become the next battleground to protect health and the environment. What is at stake are two major backstops to weak federal controls and chemical company disregard for safety: the critical importance of state and local governmentsâ exercise of authority to restrict toxic chemicals, and the ability of people to sue corporations for their failure to warn about their productsâ hazards. The attack on state and local authority in the Farm Bill The Farm Bill in the U.S. House of Representatives: Prohibits the rights of states and local governments to restrict pesticidesâŻand protect public health and the environment. The language says the Farm Bill will âprohibit any State, instrumentality or political subdivision thereof… from directly or indirectly imposing or continuing in effect any requirements for, or penalize or hold liable any entity for failing to comply with requirements with respect to, labeling or packaging that is in […]
Posted in Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, Congress, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Farm Bill, Holidays, Preemption, Take Action, U.S. Supreme Court, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Thursday, June 27th, 2024
(Beyond Pesticides, June 27, 2024) Earlier this month, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on behalf of a group of ranchers and farmers in Texas harmed by biosolids contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The plaintiffs charge that their health and livelihoods were severely damaged due to contaminated biosolids leaching from neighboring properties onto their land. Despite EPAâs responsibility under the Clean Water Act (Section 405(d) and 40 CFR Part 503) to identify toxic pollutants in biosolids and regulate them to protect human health and the environment, the agency has not effectively addressed the dangers posed by PFAS in biosolid fertilizers. EPAâs failure has dramatic impacts on farmers as well as the public, who are eating or drinking PFAS-contaminated crops, dairy milk, beef, or other meat products. The shortcomings of federal regulations underscore the urgent need for a shift in how federal and state agencies approach these issues, prioritizing precaution to prevent future harm. The persistence of these legacy or “forever” chemicals in the environment illustrates the severe consequences of a historically lax regulatory framework in the U.S. The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) has identified […]
Posted in 3M, Biosolids, Biosolids/Sewage Sludge, Birth defects, Brain Effects, Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Chronic Kidney Disease, Colorado, compost, contamination, Death, Disease/Health Effects, Dow Chemical, Drinking Water, DuPont, Endocrine Disruption, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Fertilizer, Groundwater, Herbicides, Inhance Technologies, Kidney failure, Liver Damage, Liver failure, Maine, Metabolic Disorders, metabolic syndrome, Michigan, Miscarriage, NOSB National Organic Standards Board, Office of Inspector General, Pesticide Regulation, PFAS, Plastic, Reproductive Health, Sewage Sludge, State/Local, Synthetic Fertilizer, Texas, Toxic Waste, US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Water, Water Regulation | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, June 19th, 2024
Calls for Holistic Environmental Justice and a Shift Away from Societal Dependence on Petrochemical Pesticides and Fertilizers (Beyond Pesticides, June 18-19, 2024) Juneteenth (June 19) commemorates the date in 1865 when the enslavement of Black Americans ended in the westernmost Confederate state of Texas, over two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 and the defeat of the Confederacy on April 9, 1865. On June 19, 1865, Union Major General Gordon Granger brought federal troops to Galveston, Texas and finally, and belatedly, implemented the Emancipation Proclamation, which proclaimed on January 1, 1863 freedom from slavery across the nation. Carl Mack, PhD, a historian and former President of the Seattle-King County NAACP, reminds us that there were still 225,000 enslaved Black Americans in Kentucky and Delaware after June 19, 1865 and the end of the Civil War until December 6, 1865 when Georgia became the 27th state to ratify the 13th amendment. “That is the day in which Georgia ratified the 13th amendment,â Dr. Mack goes on to discuss the remaining three former border states on their progress in adopting the 13th amendment. âAs it applies to Delaware and Kentucky, Delaware did not ratify the 13th amendment until […]
Posted in Chemical Mixtures, Disease/Health Effects, Environmental Justice, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Pesticide Regulation, Superfund, Take Action, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | No Comments »
Monday, June 3rd, 2024
(Beyond Pesticides, June 3, 2024)Â Environmental advocates continue to raise concerns about the Farm Bill (H.R.8467âFarm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024) that emerged from the House Agriculture Committee on May 23 with provisions they say will allow the escalation of environmental threats and then insure big agriculture commodity producers for losses attributable to those environmental disasters through an expansion of USDAâs crop insurance program. Through this taxpayer supported program, USDA covers farm revenue losses due to ânatural causes such as drought, excessive moisture [e.g., floods], hail, wind, frost, insects, and disease. . .â Petrochemical pesticide and fertilizer use in chemical-intensive land management and agricultural production contributes to the climate emergency and associated weather, insect, and plant disease threats. Advocates point out that the House Agriculture Committee Farm Bill reduces environmental protections by (i) preempting local and state government authority to allow more restrictive standards at the municipal level, (ii) taking away the right to sue pesticide manufacturers and allied companies for a failure to fully disclose adverse effects of the products they produce or use, and (iii) weakening the regulatory process intended to protect endangered species and biodiversity from pesticides. Â Tell Your U.S. Representative and Senators To Support […]
Posted in Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, Bayer, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Farm Bill, Litigation, Take Action, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | 1 Comment »
Thursday, May 30th, 2024
(Beyond Pesticides, May 30, 2024) The House Agriculture Committee voted 33-21 on May 23 to move the Farm, Food, and National Security Act out of committee after a contentious markup and onslaught of amendments that undermine water health, soil health, and local democratic authority to protect people and the environment from toxic pesticide exposure. One of nearly sixty amendments introduced in the markup last week included the continuation of a decade-long attack on National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit via Clean Water Act (CWA) for pesticide discharge. What was most illuminating however was not the passage of the bill itself, but Big Agricultureâs raucous approval. Advocates see pesticide industry and its alliesâ support for what it isâthe reliance on petrochemical-based pesticides leading to economic instability, ecosystem collapse, and the degradation of democratic institutions. With support for entrenched dependency on petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers, the committeeâs bill requires taxpayers to pay through the governmentâs crop insurance program for escalating losses caused by chemical-intensive farming practices, contributing to yield losses that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says are ânatural causes such as drought, excessive moisture [e.g., floods], hail, wind, frost, insects, and disease. . .â However, the frequency of these […]
Posted in Endangered Species Act (ESA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Farm Bill, Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Habitat Protection, Pesticide Regulation, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, May 8th, 2024
(Beyond Pesticides, May 8, 2024) In an unexpected turnaround, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced at the end of April a Proposed Interim Decision (PID) to discontinue all but one application of the insecticide acephate. Acephate is an organophosphate pesticide, a well-known neurotoxicant, widely banned globally, including in the European Union. Under the proposal, all uses would end except for the injection of trees that do not produce fruit or nuts. In its proposed action, EPA asks the manufacturer to offer the agency a voluntary settlement, a process that typically compromises the health of the public, workers, and the environment. Acephate, an organophosphate (OP) pesticide, is approved for use in both agricultural settings, including crops like cotton and soybeans, and nonagricultural applications, such as injections for forestry trees. Acephate affects the nervous system by inhibiting the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme. Importantly, chronic, low levels of exposure can cause a range of adverse human health outcomes, from cancer to birth defects, reproductive and developmental problems, and learning disabilities. While the proposed April interim decision, if it comes to pass, is welcomed by advocates, some are concerned that EPAâs proposal does not fully critique the scientific documents and conclusions on risk that […]
Posted in Acephate, Malathion, organophosphate | 2 Comments »
Thursday, May 2nd, 2024
(Beyond Pesticides, May 2, 2024) In the midst of a climate crisis and a lack of government recording of atmospheric measurements of sulfuryl fluoride (SO2F2), a study of the estimated emissions of sulfuryl fluoride throughout the U.S. shows elevated levels being released in California. The study, performed by researchers from Johns Hopkins University’s Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, University of Californiaâs Scripps Institute of Oceanography, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrationâs (NOAA) Global Monitoring Laboratory, uses measurements from the NOAA Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network and a geostatistical inverse model. Sulfuryl fluoride is a fluoride compound and pesticide used primarily for the extermination of drywood termites and beetlesâlinked to increased greenhouse gas emissions and having acute exposure consequencesâwith little data collected or reported on the amount of sulfuryl fluoride being used and released into the atmosphere. There is a long history of limited protections for the public centered around sulfuryl fluoride, with regulations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) not addressing both dietary and nondietary exposure to fluoride compounds and the body burden this creates. With the dismissal of aggregate risk exposure, public health and safety and environmental sustainability are not prioritized. Organic alternatives have been left out of the conversation, […]
Posted in California, Climate Change, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), fluoride, Pesticide Regulation, sulfuryl fluoride | No Comments »
Monday, April 29th, 2024
(Beyond Pesticides, April 29, 2024)Â The contamination and poisoning left behind from wood treatment sites, resulting in hundreds of designated Superfund clean-up sites across the country, is the subject of an action by Beyond Pesticides after the release of yet another report criticizing the federal governmentâs inadequate response to the publicâs risk to âresidual contamination in the groundwater and soilâ by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG). The report criticizes EPAâs weak response at the American Creosote Works Superfund site in Pensacola, FL, a problem that reflects the unending dangers of sites contaminated with persistent toxic chemicals associated with wood preservatives. The site was put on the Superfund priority list in 1983 and in 2017 it was estimated that the clean-up would cost $35.3 million. Just last year, EPA Administrator Michael Regan toured another Superfund Site contaminated with creosote and pledged the clean-up of that site, which affects a community of predominantly people of color. Tell EPA to cancel the registration of highly toxic wood preservatives, including creosote, chromated arsenicals, and copper compounds, and the U.S. Congress to ensure the prevention of future site contaminations. As long as dependency on toxic wood preservatives (used on utility […]
Posted in Children, Environmental Justice, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Inspector General, Uncategorized, Wood Preservatives | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 23rd, 2024
(Beyond Pesticides, April 23, 2024) The Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a report last week finding that the agency has failed to establish âinstitutional controlsâ at the American Creosote Works Superfund Site in Pensacola, Florida, leading to continuous groundwater and soil contamination that âleav[es] the public at risk of exposure.â The 1980 Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) established the Superfund program, codified under 42 U.S.C. Chapter 103, to clean up contaminated sites with tax money from polluting industries. The OIG made eight recommendations for the regional EPA administrator and one for the assistant administrator âfor Land and Emergency Management to improve the institutional controls at American Creosote Works Superfund Site.â There are three main determinations found in the results section of the OIG report: first, the institutional controls to prevent potential exposure were either âinsufficient or unimplemented;â second, the EPA missed its mark in communicating associated risks to the public in areas surrounding this Superfund site; and third, the full administrative record for this site was not available at the time of inspection. This report builds on what advocates argue is the sustained legacy of EPA inaction and failure to […]
Posted in CCA, Chemicals, Children, contamination, creosote, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Pentachlorophenol, Uncategorized, Wood Preservatives | No Comments »
Friday, April 12th, 2024
(Beyond Pesticides, April 12, 2024) In honor of Earth Month, Natural GrocersÂŽ is partnering with Beyond Pesticides for its seventh annual Ladybug LoveSM campaign. Natural Grocers, a longtime leader of the organic movement through national advocacy efforts and rigorous product standards, encourages its communities to pledge to protect beneficial insects and further Beyond Pesticides’ critical mission of converting local parks and playing fields to organic landscape management practices.  Natural Grocers’ annual Earth Month fundraising efforts benefit the nonprofit organization, Beyond Pesticides and its Parks for a Sustainable Future program. Cleaner air, water, and land make for a healthier food supply â a principle Natural Grocers has championed since 1955. Click here to see the campaign from last year. April shoppers at Natural Grocers’ 168 stores are also invited to donate to Beyond Pesticides at checkout. Ladybug Love also features in-store promotions! LADYBUG LOVE & BEYOND PESTICIDES Natural Grocers’ Ladybug Love campaign aims to bring awareness to the precious insects that play a crucial role in the stability of our food supply and regenerative farming. The annual Earth Month fundraising efforts benefit Beyond Pesticides and its Parks for a Sustainable Future program, designed to assist communities in transitioning away from pesticide use at local parks […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Announcements, Biodiversity, Events, Natural Grocers, Parks, Parks for a Sustainable Future, Pollinators, Seasonal, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 9th, 2024
(Beyond Pesticides, April 9, 2024) The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, in an opinion authored by Circuit Judge Cory T. Wilson, has vacated an action by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that had ordered the Texas-based manufacturer Inhance Technologies, L.L.C. to stop producing plastic containers that leach toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) into pesticides, household cleaners, condiments, and additional products. EPA has taken action after the agency determined that the PFAS created during the fluorination process âare highly toxic and present unreasonable risks that cannot be prevented other than through prohibition of manufacture.â While the court is not challenging EPAâs authority to determine the hazards associated with PFAS exposure to be unacceptable, on a technicality, it is finding that the agency used the wrong section of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), Section 5, which the court says is focused on new uses. According to the Court, “The EPA is just not allowed to skirt the framework set by Congress by arbitrarily deeming Inhanceâs decades-old fluorination process a âsignificant new use,â even though EPAâs awareness of the PFAS contamination was ânewâ to the agency and not disclosed by the manufacturer. Even if EPA were […]
Posted in Cancer, Drinking Water, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Inhance Technologies, Liver Damage, National Organic Standards Board/National Organic Program, Nervous System Effects, NOSB National Organic Standards Board, Organic Foods Production Act OFPA, PFAS, Plastic, Regenerative, Respiratory Diseases, Thyroid Disease, Uncategorized, Water | No Comments »
Thursday, March 28th, 2024
(Beyond Pesticides, March 28, 2024) Last week, Maine Central reported the first application was filed for Maineâs first-in-the nation PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) Fund. This $70 million federal-state Fund to Address PFAS Contamination (PFAS Fund) provides compensation for commercial farmers whose health, business, and land have been impacted by PFAS contamination. A critical component of this fund enables the state to purchase contaminated farmland at fair market, pre-contamination value, which in the state of Maine hovers at approximately $3,729 per acre when including estimated market value of land and buildings, according to newly released data in the 2022 Census of Agriculture. âMaine became the first state to ban sludge recycling and approve a 2030 ban on PFAS in nonessential products,â according to reporting by Maine Central. The state of Maine has exhibited extraordinary leadership in prioritizing public health, ecosystems, and the environment, setting an example for addressing a widespread contamination problem at the local, state, and national level. However, advocates in Maine are raising warnings after the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, according to reporting by Portland Press Herald, proposed âa compromise plan to regulate the sale of products containing forever chemicals [which] would exempt some federally regulated industries […]
Posted in Agriculture, Breakdown Chemicals, Congress, contamination, Maine, PFAS, Sewage Sludge, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Monday, March 25th, 2024
(Beyond Pesticides, March 25, 2024) Because of their widespread infiltration into the environment and the bodies of all organisms, including humans, plastics contamination requires a holistic strategy to protect lifeâ with consideration given to practices and chemical use that reduce or eliminate harm. Pesticides and other toxic chemicals are adsorbed (adhered) to microplastics, resulting in bioaccumulation and widespread contamination. This adds to the complexity of the problem, which is largely ignored by federal regulatory agencies. While most environmental policies attempt to clean up or mitigate health threats, new data reinforces the need to stop the pipeline of hazardous chemicals, wherever possible. With new data on the harm associated with plastics and related contamination, it becomes urgently necessary for all government agencies to participate in a comprehensive strategy to eliminate plastics and pesticides. Beyond Pesticides points to the evolving science on plastics contamination and their interaction with pesticides as yet another reason to transition to holistic land management systems that take on the challenge of eliminating hazardous chemical use. Organic land management policy creates the holistic systems framework through which plastics can be eliminated. >> Tell USDA, EPA, and FDA to create strong restrictions on plastics in farming, water, and food. […]
Posted in Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Plastic, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 13th, 2024
(Beyond Pesticides, March 13, 2024) A comprehensive study released in Journal of Cleaner Production in August 2023 identifies the potential for organic agriculture to mitigate the impacts of agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the fight to address the climate crisis. In âThe spatial distribution of agricultural emissions in the United States: The role of organic farming in mitigating climate change,â the authors determine that âa one percent increase in total farmland results in a 0.13 percent increase in GHG emissions, while a one percent increase in organic cropland and pasture leads to a decrease in emissions by about 0.06 percent and 0.007 percent, respectively.â This descriptive study affirms the urgency of Beyond Pesticidesâ mission to ban toxic petrochemical pesticides by 2032, given the projected adverse impacts that conventional agricultural dependence on these toxic pesticides will continue to have on people, wildlife, and ecosystems. The study refers to various studies focused on a comparative analysis of conventional to organic farming on energy use, greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe), nutrient leaching, soil quality, and biodiversity. The consensus is that organic farming is more sustainable than conventional agriculture. For example, â[S]everal studies comparing conventional to organic agriculture found that the latter used 10%â70% […]
Posted in Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, Biodiversity, Climate Change, State/Local, Synthetic Fertilizer, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 12th, 2024
(Beyond Pesticides, March 12, 2024) A study released in Science of the Total Environment unpacks the threat of emerging chemicals of concern (CECs), including toxic pesticides, in the groundwater of Tunisia. Researchers highlight that the impact of pesticide drift and leaching into groundwater reserves is not siloed to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, but a key concern for most industrialized countries, including the United States. Authors of this study build on literature of CECs already conducted in the region that have broader implications for the spillover effects of pesticide regulation in broader contexts. This descriptive study and accompanying Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) demonstrate the urgency of Beyond Pesticidesâ mission to ban toxic petrochemical pesticides by 2032 because of the pervasiveness of toxic residues, be it pesticides, antibiotics, or other substances, from groundwater systems to human bodies. The researchers performed the tests in thirteen wells in the Grombalia shallow aquifer, an area of northeast Tunisia that feeds into the Wadi El Bay watershed, which is defined as a âhigh population density [with] intensive agricultural activity [in âone of the most polluted areas in Tunisiaâ].â The researchers gathered data âduring two seasons and were analyzed with two high resolution […]
Posted in Atrazine, Bendiocarb, Carbaryl, Chemical Mixtures, Chemicals, contamination, DEET, Groundwater, Uncategorized, Water | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, March 6th, 2024
(Beyond Pesticides, March 6, 2024) With over 2,500 pet deaths and 900 reports of adverse effects to people, an Office of Inspector General (OIG) report, published on February 29, 2024, reveals multiple systemic failures by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencyâs (EPA) Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), citing inadequate safety reviews of Seresto pet collars. The report, The EPA Needs to Determine Whether Seresto Pet Collars Pose an Unreasonable Risk to Pet Health, concludes, âThe EPAâs response to reported pesticide incidents involving Seresto pet collars has not provided assurance that they can be used without posing unreasonable adverse effects to the environment, including pets.â At the time the animal effects made headlines in 2021, the agency defended the productâs registration, telling the media that, despite these incidents, EPA deemed Seresto collars ââeligible for continued registrationâ based on best available science, including incident data… No pesticide is completely without harm, but EPA ensures that there are measures on the product label that reduce risk.ââŻDespite the scathing criticism, EPA maintains the position that it conducted an adequate review of the two active insecticide ingredients in the pet collarsâthe neurotoxic insecticideâŻflumethrin, and the notorious neonicotinoidâŻimidaclopridâproven to have adverse effects on the endocrine system as […]
Posted in Bayer, behavioral and cognitive effects, Children, Elanco, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Fleas, Flumethrin, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Groundwater, Imidacloprid, Mosquitoes, Pesticide Regulation, Pets, Repellent, Seresto, synergistic effects, Synthetic Pyrethroids, Ticks, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, February 20th, 2024
(Beyond Pesticides, February 20, 2024) With health risks including developmental, metabolic, cardiovascular, and reproductive harm, cancer, damage to the liver, kidneys, and respiratory system, as well as the potential to increase the chance of disease infection and severity, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and their toxic trail of contamination in the environment is wreaking havoc with all life. The use of PFAS in industrial and commercial applications has led to widespread contamination of water and biosolids used for fertilizer, poisoning tens of millions of acres of land and posing a significant threat to the biosphere, public health, gardens, parks, and agricultural systems. Farmers and rural communities, in particular, bear the brunt of this contamination, as it affects their drinking water, soil quality, and livestock health.  Tell Congress that the Farm Bill must include the Relief for Farmers Hit with PFAS Act and the Healthy H2O Act to protect farmers and rural communities from PFAS contamination. Led by Chellie Pingree (D-ME), U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Susan Collins (R-ME), a bipartisan and bicameral billâthe Relief for Farmers Hit with PFAS Actâhas been introduced to provide assistance and relief to those affected by PFAS. A second bill, the Healthy H2O Act,âŻintroducedâŻbyâŻRepresentatives Pingree and David Rouzer (R-NC)âŻandâŻSenators Baldwin […]
Posted in Agriculture, Biosolids, Biosolids/Sewage Sludge, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), PFAS, Sewage Sludge, Take Action, Uncategorized, Water | 8 Comments »
Friday, February 9th, 2024
(Beyond Pesticides, February 9, 2024) EPA is accepting public comments through today, Friday February 9, on its long-held policy of exempting âtreated objects,â including seeds and paint, from pesticide registration. Although EPA does not ask the most important questionââShould pesticide-treated seeds and paint be exempt from the scrutiny given pesticide products?ââthis comment period offers an opportunity to respond to EPA’s questions and express concern about hazards associated with chemical use and product ingredients. Despite exposure patterns associated with the use of pesticides in treated objects that are linked to environmental contamination and human poisoning, EPA is focused on labeling and not regulation. Instead of focusing on the exposure and harm associated with the object’s useâwhether treated seeds poison pollinators, soil, and water or whether paint treated with fungicides poisons people exposed to the paintâEPA takes the position that unless the manufacturer makes a pesticidal claim, the object is not regulated as a pesticide for its pesticidal effects. Beyond Pesticides states: At the very least, if EPA deems the hazards associated with the use of the pesticide in the treated article acceptable, then the agency should disclose the chemical used in the treatment (of the seed or the paint) and require […]
Posted in Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Take Action, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, January 23rd, 2024
(Beyond Pesticides, January 23, 2024) Earlier this month, a coalition of over 140 local and state elected officials from over 30 states sent a letter to ranking members of the House and Senate Agriculture committees to reject the proposed Agricultural Labeling Uniformity Act (H.R. 4288), which would preempt local governmentsâ authority to protect their constituents from toxic pesticides. Members of Congress are negotiating language in the Farm Bill that would preempt local and state authority to restrict pesticides. âWe write to express our strong opposition to any efforts to limit longstanding state and local authority to protect people, animals, and the environment by regulating pesticides,â says the signatories. âAs Congress considers legislation related to agriculture, including the reauthorization of the Farm Bill and Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bills, we urge you to ensure that state, county, and local governments retain the right to protect their communities and set policies that best suit our local needs.â The question of local rights to adopt more stringent restrictions on pesticide use has historically been left to the states. However, after the U.S. Supreme Court (Wisconsin v. Mortier, 1991) affirmed the rights of local communities under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), […]
Posted in Colorado, Farm Bill, Illinois, Pesticide Drift, Pesticide Regulation, Preemption, Uncategorized, West Virginia, Wisconsin | No Comments »
Thursday, January 11th, 2024
(Beyond Pesticides, January 11, 2024) In a move to safeguard public and animal health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned nine manufacturers and distributors in December last year to stop selling unapproved and misbranded antimicrobial animal drugs, with the director of FDAâs Center for Veterinary Medicine, Tracey Forfa, explaining to the public that âinappropriate use of medically important antimicrobials contributes to the development of antimicrobial resistance, which affects both human and animal health.â This action and announcement exhibit a higher degree of concern about antimicrobial resistanceâunderstood as a growing worldwide pandemicâthan the history and ongoing inaction by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)âresulting in the allowance of widespread nonmedical uses of antibiotics in agriculture and on synthetic (or artificial) turf. Contrary to broad scientific understanding, EPA told a federal appeals court last year that, âThere is no data that antibiotic use in agriculture leads to the presence of antibiotic resistance in bacteria of human health concern,â and that â[a]t the present time, there is little evidence for or against the presence of microbes of human health concern in the plant agricultural environment.â The issue of resistance discussed in the scientific literature concerns reduced susceptibility to clinically important antimicrobials, […]
Posted in Agriculture, Antibacterial, Antibiotic Resistance, Antimicrobial, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Chewy, Corporations, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Pets, Resistance | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 10th, 2024
(Beyond Pesticides, January 10, 2024) Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) negatively impacts testicular function and may cause sperm count declines over time, according to a 2022 review published in Endocrine. The findings indicate that this occurs regardless of whether exposure is prenatal (before birth) or postnatal (after birth). More recent work from October 2023 confirms the connection between male reproductive health and exposure to organophosphate and carbamate insecticides and the weed killer glyphosateâas many pesticide products containing these chemicals are classifiable as endocrine disruptors (ED). Just last year, a meta-analysis from researchers at Mount Sinai Medical Center, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the University of Copenhagen, among others, finds that the drop in global sperm count is accelerating, dropping by 51.6 percent from 1973 through 2018. The U.S. regulatory system, under the authority of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has not kept pace with the science and does not fully evaluate pesticides in wide use for endocrine disruption, despite a requirement in 1996 law (the Food Quality Protection Act) to begin that testing and evaluation nearly three decades ago. In 2021, Beyond Pesticides reported that the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for EPA issued a damning report on the […]
Posted in Chemicals, Disease/Health Effects, Endocrine Disruption, Epigenetic, organophosphate, Reproductive Health, synergistic effects | No Comments »
Friday, January 5th, 2024
(Beyond Pesticides, January 5, 2023) The 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) wrapped up in Dubai on December 13 with what some hailed as a breakthrough agreement among almost 200 countries to reduce fossil fuel consumption that signals âthe eventual end of the oil age.â To be successful and assure human survival, eliminating oil, gas, and coal use, Beyond Pesticides is calling for the elimination of petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers and support for organic, regenerative agriculture around the world. Because of the insurmountable crises that are caused or exacerbated by petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers, the adoption of organic land management practices and the need for foundational change in federal, state, and local policies and practices has come into focus. Under organic management, healthy soil can absorb and store 1,000 pounds of carbon per acre foot of soil annually. This translates to about 3,500 pounds of carbon dioxide per acre drawn down from the air and sequestered into organic matter in soil. (It is noteworthy that use of synthetic fertilizers actually compromises the carbon-capture ability of some kinds of terrain, such as salt marshes.) A fact often overlooked by policy makers in generating climate strategies is that carbon-sequestering soil practices […]
Posted in Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, Biodiversity, Climate, Uncategorized, United Nations | No Comments »
Thursday, December 14th, 2023
(Beyond Pesticides, December 14, 2023) It has been reported that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is again considering allowing the use of the highly neurotoxic, carbamate insecticide aldicarb for use in Florida citrus, 13 years after the agency and the chemicalâs manufacturer, Bayer Crop Science, announced that it was being banned (technically voluntarily canceled). A version of the current EPA proposal and the resource-intensive review process in EPAâs Office of Pesticide Programsâall being done at taxpayersâ expenseâwas rebuffed, first by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (April 2021), then by a U.S. Court of Appeals (June 2021). Internal EPA emails, as reported in The New Lede (November 21, 2023), expose the extent to which the agencyâs science and political staff have tried to downplay aldicarbâs adverse health and environmental outcomes in order to meet the EPAâs broad, and often described as loose, risk parameters. This Daily News piece on aldicarb is part of an ongoing story of the politicization of science by political appointees to an agency that is charged with protecting public health and the environment. The degree to which agency scientific staff are complicit in advancing agency positions that are not supported by the scientific […]
Posted in Agriculture, Aldicarb, Bayer, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Florida, Pesticide Regulation, Uncategorized | No Comments »