(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 Pesticides’ 42^nd 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 “The complex web between environmental disruption, pesticide use, and human health: lessons from the bat crisis,” states: “The 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.”

Bat Declines and Human Health

Previous research demonstrates the decline of bat populations in the USA resulting from the spread of white-nose syndrome (WNS), a lethal fungal disease caused by Pseudogymnoascus destructans. This mortality, due to the loss of ecosystem services that bats provide as natural predators, leads to dramatic increases in pesticide use. A 2024 study finds that as a result of these implications, a corresponding rise in infant mortality also occurs.

“This unexpected outcome illustrates how the loss of ecological agents can result in human health impacts through indirect mechanisms,” the current study authors state. “This wildlife epidemic, by decimating local bat populations, abruptly disrupted an invisible yet essential ecosystem service: the biological control of agricultural pests.”

Beyond Pesticides, in covering the study last year by Eyal Frank, PhD in Daily News, highlights how many farmers rely on bats as alternatives to pesticides to protect their crops from insects, but WNS has greatly impacted bat populations since 2006. With the collapse of many bat populations in counties in North America, these farmers turn to toxic chemicals to replace the ecosystem services bats usually provide. These chemicals, however, lead to ripples through the ecosystem and endanger human health. 

WNS is caused by an invasive fungus found in caves that affects bats during hibernation. As highlighted in an article in the New York Times, three species of bats in North America have been decimated by this syndrome, and bats with WNS have been confirmed in 40 states and nine Canadian provinces. According to bat experts, 52% of bat species in North America are also at risk of severe declines over the next 15 years.

Multiple crises impacting biodiversity, human health, and climate change are threatening ecological balance. Bats are one of many beneficial species that provide important ecosystem services, such as mosquito management and pollination, that are underappreciated until their services are no longer available.

As Dr. Frank highlights in his study, “Bats provide biological pest control through their high population size and predation rates on a variety of insects, many of which are crop pests. Insectivorous bats consume 40% and above of their body weight in insects each night.” When fewer bats are available to remove these insects, especially ones known to damage produce and other crops, farmers are left seeking other pest control options.

To determine the impacts on human health from these population declines, Dr. Frank collected data from counties experiencing WNS regarding insecticide use and infant mortality from 2006-2017. In comparing these numbers, “after the onset of bat die-offs, farmers in the county increase their insecticide use by 31.1%, on average,” he states. “Infant mortality rates due to internal causes of death (i.e., not due to accidents or homicides) increased by 7.9%, on average, in the affected counties. This result highlights that real-world use levels of insecticides have a detrimental impact on health, even when used within regulatory limits.” These rates correspond to an additional 1,334 infant deaths, which shows that for every 1% increase in pesticides, there is a 0.25% increase in the infant mortality rate.

This study calls attention to the observable and statistically significant increases in insecticide use in counties that document WNS compared to non-WNS counties, with increased infant mortality also occurring in those areas. This correlation highlights the direct agricultural and health benefits that bats provide, as these effects were not seen in the years preceding WNS detection. For additional information, visit Beyond Pesticides’ resource Benefits of Bats.

The Beaver-Bat Connection

Researchers from Switzerland, in the article published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, state: “As ecosystem engineers, Eurasian beavers (Castor fiber) modify aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, which can benefit the biodiversity and community composition of plant and animal species. However, in contrast to aquatic taxa, beaver engineering impacts on terrestrial taxa, like bats, are so far largely overlooked. While it has been shown that bats prefer beaver-engineered ecosystems, the reason for this choice is poorly understood.” (See scientific literature here, here, here, here, here, and here.)

In seeking to address this knowledge gap, the researchers recorded bat species richness and feeding activity in ecosystems with and without beavers along a stream in Switzerland. Beavers, as one of the most well-known ecosystem engineers working across aquatic-terrestrial habitats, impact biodiversity through direct and indirect mechanisms.

“Directly, ecosystem engineers modify or create habitats, increasing habitat heterogeneity and providing additional niches for plant and animal species,” the researchers state. They continue, “Indirectly, ecosystem engineers change the composition of local communities, which can lead to novel interactions among species.” For beavers, dam construction and tree felling are direct methods of enhancing biodiversity and promoting interactions among animals and plants.

In describing the study, the authors note: “Here, we assessed the effects of beaver engineering on bat species richness, bat activity, and bat feeding activity in eight stream ecosystems ranging from near-natural to heavily human-impacted, located across the Swiss midlands. We studied how beavers affected bats directly (e.g., through modifications of the habitat structure such as volume of standing deadwood or canopy heterogeneity) and indirectly (e.g., via altered food availability).”

Study Methodology and Results

Eight beaver-engineered ecosystems (referenced as “pool” within the study) were paired with control sites without beavers (“control”). Data on food availability for bats, with arthropod flight interception traps, and habitat suitability, with deadwood volume and vegetation surveys, was collected to compare with the bat richness and abundance noted in the areas.

After collecting bat calls during eight full nights in mid-June and eight full nights in late July and performing statistical analyses with the results, the researchers find that the food availability for bats (as arthropod abundance) is positively correlated with bat feeding activity and bat richness. Overall, “bat species richness, activity, and feeding activity were significantly higher in beaver-engineered Pool compared to Control areas.”

The researchers say: “Our models revealed that this higher bat richness, activity, and feeding activity were related to direct beaver engineering effects on standing deadwood density and canopy heterogeneity, as well as indirect effects through arthropod abundance. Notably, and against our expectations, the influence of standing deadwood density and canopy heterogeneity was overall more pronounced than that of arthropod abundance, indicating that habitat characteristics were a better predictor for bat activity than food availability (arthropod abundance).”

Standing deadwood, created by beavers, is a critical resource for bat roosting and foraging. With bat activity increasing 1.6 times and bat feeding activity 2.3 times in beaver-engineered systems when compared to controls, this highlights the relationship between beavers and bats that is underappreciated.

In summary, the study “findings suggest that beaver engineering created structurally diverse habitats that supported a broader range of bat species,” the authors conclude. They continue: “By modifying both habitat structure and prey abundance, beaver engineering affected bat activity, richness, and feeding activity directly and indirectly. These changes operated across aquatic–terrestrial boundaries, highlighting the cross-ecosystem influence and ecological complexity of ecosystem engineering.”

Importance of Biodiversity

Biodiversity is literally the diversity of life. In the most general sense, biodiversity refers to all the species that share a defined habitat to form a community of interdependence. Protecting all organisms that live in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems is imperative to a liveable future. As Beyond Pesticides advocates, environmental contaminants, through their production, use, and disposal, adversely affect the rich biodiversity on which life depends. Wildlife is particularly vulnerable to pesticide exposure as these toxic chemicals can accumulate in the body as well as the environment, threatening ecosystem services and global well-being.

Broad efforts are urgently needed to protect biodiversity. As entomologist Dave Goulson, Ph.D. writes in his book called A Sting in the Tale (2014), “We need worms to create soil; flies and beetles and fungi to break down dung; ladybirds and hoverflies to eat greenfl[ies]; bees and butterflies to pollinate plants to provide food, oxygen, fuel, and medicines, and hold the soil together; and bacteria to help plants fix nitrogen and . . . cows to digest grass. . . .[Yet] we often choose to squander the irreplaceable, to discard those things that both keep us alive and make life worth living.”

Biodiversity creates balance: organisms keep each other in check through systems of support and predation, and the habitat ensures nourishment for all living things. Each species within the diversity of organisms that share a habitat contributes to the integrity and endurance of the community as a whole. More specifically, research strongly indicates that biodiversity promotes productivity, stability, and resilience. In general, communities with greater biodiversity generate more biomass (the combined weight of all organisms) and are more resistant to environmental disturbances (such as drought or extreme temperatures) and regenerate more quickly after disturbances. This is increasingly important in meeting the challenge of the climate crisis.

Practices that protect biodiversity have a direct relationship to the protection of ecosystems, and to the de-escalation of global climate change. The recognition of ecosystem services, which are enabled by healthy biodiversity, requires a respect for the natural processes that support the diverse web of life in the environment. With the elimination of toxic pesticide use, the protection of biodiversity and soil biology supports clean air, water, and land, and enhanced atmospheric carbon sequestration, resulting in a slowing of global climate change and a sustainable future. Learn more about supporting the organic solution and taking action to improve your community.

Call to Action

ATTEND TODAY’S WEBINAR—October 29, 2025, 1:00-3:30 pm (Eastern time, US)—on health protective practices that are cost-effective—Beyond Pesticides’ 42nd National Forum Series. This Forum will focus on aligning land management with nature in response to current chemical-intensive practices that pose a threat to health, biodiversity, and climate while bringing together scientists and land managers working to recognize and respect the ecosystems on which life depends. The virtual Forum is free to all participants. See featured speakers! Register here.

The Call to the Forum states:

We are all affected by how land is managed, food is grown, and nature is protected. Different experiences and perspectives may bring us to care about health and the environment and the devastating adverse effects of pesticides and toxic substances. However, ensuring a livable future requires us to cultivate a collective concern about daily decisions on the management of our personal and community spaces, the practices used to grow the food we buy, and the care that we as a society give to complex and fragile interrelationships that sustain the natural world on which we depend. 

All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.

Sources:

Frank, E. (2024) The economic impacts of ecosystem disruptions: Costs from substituting biological pest control, Science. Available at: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adg0344.

Moser, V. et al. (2025) Habitat heterogeneity and food availability in beaver-engineered streams foster bat richness, activity and feeding, Journal of Animal Ecology. Available at: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2656.70136.

Silva, H. (2025) The complex web between environmental disruption, pesticide use, and human health: lessons from the bat crisis, Bulletin of the National Research Centre. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s42269-025-01370-y.

(Beyond Pesticides, October 28, 2025) A California-based population study published in BMC Public Health finds that “7.5 [percent] of all pregnant people in California who gave birth in 2021 lived within 1 km [kilometer] of agricultural fields where OP pesticides [organophosphates] had been used during their pregnancy. . .” Despite a 54 percent decrease in overall use of the neurotoxic insecticide chlorpyrifos in the state between 2016 and 2021, after a statewide ban on the organophosphate insecticide in 2016, researchers found that in one California county, “more than 50 [percent] of pregnant people lived within 1 km of OP pesticide use.”

Significant disparities were found in terms of elevated exposure to pesticides, “with Hispanic/Latine, young people, and residents of the predominantly fruit and vegetable growing Central Coast region being most likely to live near OP pesticide applications during pregnancy.” The authors suggest that “regulatory changes to limit use or restrict applications in close proximity to residential areas could have a substantial public health benefit on children’s brain development.”

These findings add to the existing scientific literature on perinatal and maternal pesticide exposure associated with adverse long-term health effects for children and mothers. They also serve as a reminder to public health and environmental advocates of the importance of moving beyond individual pesticide bans and toward assessments of alternatives for non-synthetic solutions to pest management, including organic and least-toxic substances, as defined by federal law.

Background and Methodology

The researchers gathered data for agricultural OP pesticide use from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation’s (CDPR) Pesticide Use Reporting (PUR) program for datasets in 2016 and 2021. The OP pesticides for which data were gathered include: acephate, bensulide, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, dichlorvos, dimethoate, disulfoton, ethoprop, fenthion, malathion, methidathion, methyl-parathion, mevinphos, naled, oxydemeton-methyl, phorate, phosmet, tetrachlorvinphos, tribufos, and trichlorfon. OP pesticide spraying events were only recorded if they had a “valid location, application date, agricultural site, amount of active ingredient in the applied pesticide product, and acres treated…included” in the associated reports. PUR program data was cross-referenced with data from California Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) 2020 crop mapping dataset to “more accurately identify where the pesticides were likely applied.”

In terms of data sets for assessing pregnant individuals’ proximity to OP use over the course of their pregnancy, “All pregnancies were treated as 40 weeks long when calculating the date of conception and address on the birth record was assumed to reflect residence throughout the entire pregnancy.” The authors continue: “The 1 km buffer zone around the residence was chosen to be consistent with a cohort study [conducted at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health] which found associations between OP applications within 1 km of maternal address during pregnancy and reduced IQ in the children, and is a distance commonly used in other epidemiologic proximity studies in California [].”

The authors are researchers at University of California, Berkeley, and the Public Health Institute. The funding for data analysis and manuscript writing was provided by Natural Resources Defense Council and Californians for Pesticide Reform, respectively. Additional funding was provided through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) 2022 EH22-2202 cooperative agreement.

The following declaration was made in terms of “[e]thics approval and consent to participate”:

“This study was conducted in compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki’s requirements for secondary research on stored data. The study protocol and data handling were reviewed and approved by the California Health and Human Services Agency’s Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects— an Institutional Review Board (IRB) authorized by the United States Office of Human Research Protections (Federal wide Assurance #00000681). The IRB waived the need for consent to participate and determined that the project qualifies as “Not Research” under the US Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects (the “Common Rule”).”

Results

The main results of this study highlight the power of policy when used effectively and the importance of pairing the prohibition or reduction of toxic chemicals with increased access to alternative chemical and non-chemical pest management solutions that align with natural and organic principles.

Firstly, there is a direct link between prohibition and decreased use of pesticides:

• “In 2016, the San Joaquin Valley region used the largest amount of agricultural OP pesticides (605,116 kg). OP pesticide use in the San Joaquin Valley reduced 9% from 2016 to 2021 following the cancellation of chlorpyrifos, with the largest reduction in Kern County (−87%).
• Large reductions in OP pesticide use were also seen in most other regions of California, ranging from −30.7% to −76.0%. Only the Central Coast region measured an increase (+0.5%) in agricultural OP use during this time. Two of the five counties in the Central Coast region reported an increase in total agricultural OP pesticide use from 2016 to 2021: Monterey County (+26%) and Santa Barbara County (+4%) (See Supplemental Table 2).
• In 2021, the areas with the highest intensity of OP pesticide use were in Monterey County and Santa Barbara County (Central Coast), Imperial County (Southern California), and Kings County (San Joaquin Valley). The OP pesticide use in these counties was highly concentrated with areas reporting an intensity of 6250–13,550 kg per township (9.6×9.6 km).”

The 26 percent increase in OP pesticide use concerns public health professionals in the state, given previous research coming out of Monterey County that links maternal OP pesticide exposure to adverse effects on children. This includes a 2017 study published in Toxics by UC Berkeley researchers who found “residential proximity within 1 km of OP pesticide use during pregnancy was associated with lower IQ in children, with one standard deviation increase in total OP pesticide use near the home (237  kg) being associated with a 2-point decrease (15% of a standard deviation) in Full Scale IQ at age 7.” With more than half of all pregnant people in the county living within the identified elevated risk zone, researchers suggest “that a large population may be at increased risk of IQ decrements, autism, or other adverse neurodevelopmental impacts.”  

The researchers conclude that “OP use and residential proximity remain high [despite a state ban] in the Central Coast region with lettuce, cole crop, and strawberry cultivation.” They also “suggest that agricultural transition to non-chemical production and/or pesticides that are not reproductive toxicants could reduce adverse prenatal exposures for a large population in the Central Coast region of California.”

Previous Coverage + Updates

Organophosphate pesticide use has been linked to numerous adverse health effects highlighted in the scientific literature and recognized by various regulatory and international bodies, including the decision in May by United Nations’ Conference of Parties (COP) for the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) to move chlorpyrifos to Annex A (Elimination) with exemptions on a range of crops, tick control for cattle, and wood preservation, according to the POPs Review Committee. Chlorpyrifos is a highly neurotoxic organophosphate insecticide linked to brain damage in children. (See Daily News here.)

Researchers at UC Berkley, UC Merced, and Stanford University published a study in Environmental Research last year, finding that “early life organophosphate pesticide exposure has been linked with poorer neurodevelopment from infancy to adolescence.” Researchers in this study acknowledge that there is still much more to be done in furthering understanding of “neural mechanisms underlying these associations,” and yet there is “notable consistency” in their Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS) birth cohort study. (See Daily News here.) Studies have also linked organophosphate pesticide exposure to various other health effects, including elevated risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), depression and suicidal ideation, women’s reproductive health dysfunction, rheumatoid arthritis, and disproportionate DNA damage for Latine children from rural farmworker families relative to children in urban, non-farmworker families.

The state of California is taking numerous steps to address the concerns of frontline communities; however, public health and environmental advocates, as well as farmworker-advocacy groups, continue to call for transformational policies and programs rather than mitigation that permits the continuous poisoning of communities living and working near agricultural fields, or who may come in indirect contact with synthetic chemicals through other pathways.

In March, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) announced the launch of SprayDays California, “a first-of-its-kind statewide system designed to provide transparent, accessible and timely notifications and information about the use of specific pesticides[,]“ according to the agency’s press release. The state says that notification will occur in “advance of the scheduled use of California restricted material pesticides in production agriculture.” (See the Daily News here when the program was initially launched earlier this year.) On August 28, DPR updated the program by adding map-based sign-ups and additional visibility to highlight one-square-mile sections after public comments (including from farmworkers), which had at the time identified inadequate notice of pesticide use to those who work in or live in proximity to agricultural fields. (See Daily News here.) At the time, DPR shared that 3,700 users signed up for notification alerts; on the six-month anniversary of SprayDays, DPR issued a public release boasting a near identical figure in terms of total text and email sign-ups. This has been characterized as a lack of engagement by advocates who say it underscores the need to think about upstream solutions that get at the heart of the problem—a transition away from chemical-intensive practices.

Rather than focusing on individual responsibility to keep track of when chemicals are sprayed, frontline advocates are calling for more systemic change. In a recent interview published in The Urban Activist, Adam Scow—a music teacher in a school located near pesticide-intensive agricultural fields and lead organizer with the Campaign for Organic and Regenerative Agriculture—shares the importance of moving beyond toxic chemical reliance in addressing pesticide drift from Driscoll’s non-organic fields in Watsonville, California:

“There has been ongoing pressure for better notifications from Driscoll’s and farmers regarding the use of pesticides, along with certain restrictions—such as limiting applications to weekends at night. However, these measures do not adequately address the larger issue. The significant problem is the presence of these invisible gases in the environment. They can drift across the valley and remain in the air for up to 72 hours, or three days,” explains Scow. “There is no specific season; it is a continuous issue.” 

Call to Action

ATTEND TOMORROW’S WEBINAR—October 29, 2025, 1:00-3:30 pm (Eastern time, US)—on health protective practices that are cost-effective—Beyond Pesticides’ 42nd National Forum Series. This Forum will focus on aligning land management with nature in response to current chemical-intensive practices that pose a threat to health, biodiversity, and climate while bringing together scientists and land managers working to recognize and respect the ecosystems on which life depends. The virtual Forum is free to all participants. See featured speakers! Register here.

The Call to the Forum states:

We are all affected by how land is managed, food is grown, and nature is protected. Different experiences and perspectives may bring us to care about health and the environment and the devastating adverse effects of pesticides and toxic substances. However, ensuring a livable future requires us to cultivate a collective concern about daily decisions on the management of our personal and community spaces, the practices used to grow the food we buy, and the care that we as a society give to complex and fragile interrelationships that sustain the natural world on which we depend. 

All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.

Source: BMC Public Health 

(Beyond Pesticides, October 27, 2025) With the confluence of science and law, the spotlight is on sewage sludge fertilizer and its contaminants, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Sewage sludge (biosolids) is a byproduct of sewage treatment and is used as a source of organic matter for amending soil in nonorganic agriculture and landscaping. In light of a recent settlement in a lawsuit filed by Beyond Pesticides against ScottsMiracle-Gro, ongoing litigation against GreenTechnologies, LLC, and a major study identifying 414 contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), Beyond Pesticides’ network is calling on Governors and local officials to ban the use of biosolids on farms and parks, until there is adequate testing of toxic residues—which does not currently exist.  

The lawsuits against producers of sewage sludge fertilizer cite test results showing PFAS residues in the companies’ products and numerous scientific studies on the adverse effects of PFAS to public health, wildlife, and pollinators. (See settlement statement recently reached with ScottsMiracle-Gro.) 

A literature review published in Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry identifies CECs in soils, untreated and treated sewage sludge (biosolids), and dust, across 151 peer-reviewed studies released between 2018 and 2023—emphasizing the range of potential exposure pathways across various products, including classes of pesticides like neonicotinoid insecticides. In Scientific Reports, researchers report their test results of biosolids-treated farmland in southeastern Pennsylvania that detected 14 different PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) above the limit of quantification (LOQ). This means that not only were they detectable, but also high enough in concentration to confirm contamination at a significant concentration.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)  has published a list of 726 chemicals found in biosolids in the National Sewage Sludge Surveys. This list does not include PFAS, which are emerging contaminants of biosolids. Sewage sludge (biosolids) is prohibited from use in certified organic agriculture under the Organic Foods Production Act.  

Despite dramatic findings of contaminants, EPA classifies the biosolids typically used by gardeners, municipalities, golf courses, and farmers as Class A, “virtually free of pathogens and can be applied without any site-specific restrictions.” Class B biosolids, used in agriculture and land reclamation, may contain pathogens, thus EPA stipulates restrictions on use. 

In addition to PFAS, persistent toxic pollutants found in biosolids include inorganic chemicals such as metals and trace elements; chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs, dioxins, pharmaceuticals, and surfactants; and pathogens including bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Regulation of biosolids by EPA has been found by the EPA Office of Inspector General (OIG) to be inadequate. Lacking sufficient oversight at the federal level, states and local jurisdictions must act to eliminate the hazards created by these contaminants. 

Land application of biosolids to farms and landscapes is considered the standard means of “disposal.” Chemicals such as PFAS have been found to migrate into food when grown on farms using contaminated biosolids. Over 60% of biosolids are used in crops, and the contaminants in them make their way into food and water. If biosolids are used in landscaping, the contaminants pose a hazard to landscapers and those using athletic fields and parks. In view of EPA’s failure to provide comprehensive identification, regulation, and elimination of potential contaminants, public health and environmental advocates are calling for the testing of biosolids to ensure safety and a prohibition of use on farms and landscapes without a finding that they are untainted. Of concern is acute toxicity, cancer, genetic mutations, birth defects, reproductive or developmental effects, neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, or immune system effects. Otherwise, they should not be used on farms or landscapes. 

Beyond Pesticides’ campaign against sewage sludge (biosolid) fertilizer use urges the public to: Tell their Governor and local officials to ban the use of biosolids on farms and parks, until there is adequate testing of toxic residues—which does not currently exist.  

Letter to Governor and local officials
Sewage sludge, also known as biosolids, is a byproduct of sewage treatment and is used as a source of organic matter for amending soil in nonorganic agriculture and landscaping. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published a list of 726 chemicals found in biosolids in the National Sewage Sludge Surveys. This list does not include the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are emerging contaminants of biosolids. A recent study published in Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry identifies 414 contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in soils, untreated and treated sewage sludge (biosolids), and dust, across 151 peer-reviewed studies released between 2018 and 2023, emphasizing the range of potential exposure pathways across various products, including classes of pesticides like neonicotinoid insecticides, in conventional farm and land management. Sewage sludge (biosolids) is prohibited from use in certified organic agriculture under the Organic Foods Production Act.

The claim that biosolids-containing fertilizer products are “as eco-friendly” and “sustainable” was challenged in two consumer protection lawsuits in Washington, DC Superior Court against The Miracle-Gro Company and GreenTechnologies, LLC in October 2024. The complaints cite test results showing PFAS residues in the companies’ products and numerous scientific studies on the adverse effects of PFAS to public health, wildlife, and pollinators.

Despite dramatic findings of contaminants, EPA classifies the biosolids typically used by gardeners, municipalities, golf courses, and farmers as Class A, “virtually free of pathogens and can be applied without any site-specific restrictions.” Class B biosolids, used in agriculture and land reclamation, may contain pathogens, thus EPA stipulates restrictions on use. 

In addition to PFAS, persistent toxic pollutants found in biosolids include inorganic chemicals such as metals and trace elements; organic chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs, dioxins, pharmaceuticals, and surfactants; and pathogens including bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Regulation of biosolids by EPA has been found by the EPA Office of Inspector General (OIG) to be inadequate. Lacking sufficient oversight at the federal level, states and local jurisdictions must act to eliminate the hazards created by these contaminants.

Land application of biosolids to farms and landscapes is considered the standard means of “disposal.” Chemicals such as PFAS have been found to migrate into food when grown on farms using contaminated biosolids. Over 60% of biosolids are used in crops, and the contaminants in them make their way to our food and water. If biosolids are used in landscaping, the contaminants pose a hazard to landscapers and those using athletic fields. In view of EPA’s failure to provide comprehensive identification, regulation, and elimination of potential contaminants, the biosolids themselves must be tested to ensure safety. Biosolids should be tested to ensure that they do not cause acute toxicity, cancer, genetic mutations, birth defects, reproductive or developmental effects, neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, or immune system effects. Otherwise, they should not be used on farms or landscapes.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent issue.

All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.

For discussion of eco-sensitive, health protective practices that are cost effective, consider attending Beyond Pesticides’ 42nd National Forum Series, The Pesticide Threat to Environmental Health: Advancing Holistic Solutions Aligned with Nature, which begins on October 29, 2025, 1:00-3:30pm (Eastern time, US) with a focus on aligning land management with nature in response to current chemical-intensive practices that pose a threat to health, biodiversity, and climate. The virtual Forum is free to all participants. Register here or by clicking on the banner below!

Source
Beyond Pesticides v. The ScottsMiracle-Gro Company
Beyond Pesticides v. GreenTechnologies, LLC 

(Beyond Pesticides, October 24, 2025) A literature review published in Science of the Total Environment reports numerous peer-reviewed studies associating prenatal and childhood pesticide exposure to measurable alterations to children’s immune systems, including indicators of immunosuppression and increases in pro-inflammatory cytokines, among other adverse health effects. These immune system alterations are linked to higher infection risk and potentially contribute to autoimmune diseases and allergies later in life.

For over four decades, Beyond Pesticides has tracked the peer-reviewed science and identified a preponderance of evidence linking pesticide and chemical-dependent pest management to adverse human and ecological health effects. In this spirit, public health and environmental advocates continue to call for a wholesale transition to organic land management and organic pest management as biodiversity, public health, and climate crises continue to mount.

This mission supports the growth of the Parks for a Sustainable Future Program, where nineteen cities in eleven states across the country engage in pilot projects to transition parks, playing fields, and schoolyards to organic management practices and protect the health of children.

Background and Methodology

“This study aimed to evaluate the extent of immunotoxicity and correlation between exposure to pesticides and immune system alterations in children under five years of age, including exposure during pregnancy,” say the authors. Researchers used a Population-Exposure-Comparator-Outcome (PECO) framework to gather relevant studies for this systematic review and meta-analysis, employed in previous literature reviews.

• The populations are “infants and children up to 5 years of age; pregnant mothers (if placental transfer or tissue was investigated);
• The exposure assessed is “pesticide exposure during prenatal and/or early childhood [perinatal] periods (0-5 years), including exposure through maternal blood, placental transfer, or breastfeeding.”
• The comparators within selected studies are “unexposed or low-exposure groups; mothers as comparators for their paired infants when applicable.”
• The outcome of selected studies must include “[i]mmunotoxcitiy endpoints including immune system function measures (cytokine profiles, immune cell counts, immune cell activity) and biomarkers of immune dysfunction.”

Studies were selected for analysis based on the following criteria:

• “original research published in peer-reviewed English language journals,
• observational and interventional research designs (cross-sectional, case-control, cohort studies, and RCTs) utilizing human biomonitoring to determine the prevalence, extent, and risk factors associated with immunotoxic pesticide exposure in children aged 0–5 years at [the] time of exposure, including maternal exposure during pregnancy when placental transfer was examined,
• and clear measurement of immunotoxicity markers.”

Research that was excluded includes:

• “Laboratory studies (in vitro, in silico, animal models), case reports, opinion papers, commentaries, correspondence, review articles, published abstracts, and conference presentations,
• research focusing solely on pesticide toxicities without examining unintended immunological effects,
• studies lacking specific immunotoxicity endpoint measurements, and
• research primarily investigating allergic conditions, infectious diseases, or pediatric malignancies including leukemia and lymphoma.”

Reviewers extracted data from the selected studies and employed Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) principles for assessing the quality of their methodologies. They tested this cross-sectional research on “six publications before implementation.” If two or more studies measured comparable health outcomes, the authors conducted meta-analyses based on the “random-effects model” to account for potential discrepancies across the diverse selection of studies. The review was also conducted using PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) 2020 guidelines and registered in PROSPERO, “an international systematic review registry that aims to promote transparency and open science, reduce reporting bias and help prevent unintended duplication and research waste.”

The authors are researchers based in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, including Benha University Departments of Anatomy and Embryology, Physiology, and Statistics; Central Clinical Pathology Labs in the Egyptian Ministry of Health, and the United Arab Emirates University’s Institute of Public Health. Several of the authors reported financial assistance through PathFinder Epidemiology Academy, Egypt; otherwise, all authors declared “no financial relationships with commercial interests.”

Results

“Prenatal exposure to organochlorine pesticides was associated with decreased lymphocyte counts, altered T-cell subpopulations, dysregulated cytokine production, and increased susceptibility to infections,” researchers conclude. They continue to summarize the main findings of their literature review: “Pesticide exposure was linked to both immunosuppression and pro-inflammatory/allergic responses, suggesting complex and potentially exposure-specific effects. This review provides evidence that prenatal and early childhood pesticide exposure is associated with measurable changes in immune system parameters.”

Seventeen studies (eight cohort, seven cross-sectional, and two case-control) were selected after an initial 2,291 records. The studies were published between 2000 and 2021, with sample sizes ranging from 31 to 1,363 (median study size population was 198). Fourteen of the seventeen studies investigated prenatal exposure to various classes of pesticides, including organochlorines (fourteen studies), organophosphates (three studies), pyrethroids (two studies), and carbamates (one study). The immune parameters measured across the studies included hematological markers (ten studies), various lymphocyte subtypes (ten studies), pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines (eight studies), immunoglobulins (four studies), functional outcomes (three studies), and clinical outcomes (two studies).

“Meta-analyses revealed significant reductions in neutrophil counts (effect size: −0.09, 95% CI: −0.17, −0.01; p = 0.02) and eosinophil counts (effect size: −0.06, 95% CI: −0.09, −0.03; p < 0.001),” according to the authors. The 95 percent confidence interval (95% CI) offers a parameter for measuring the likelihood that the associated finding (i.e., drop in neutrophil counts) is likely to be true 95 percent of the time. Additionally, a p-value of 0.02 means that there is likely a two percent chance of observing data proving the null hypothesis valid; in other words, there is a high likelihood that the observed results are not random. For neutrophils, the selected studies show an overall negative net effect with pesticide exposure. Neutrophils are considered “the first line of defense against bacterial infections.” (Segal, 2005) Meanwhile, a “reduction in eosinophils could have implications for allergic responses and parasite defense mechanisms.” The overall effect size was also negative, with a p-value representing a probability of one in a thousand that the observed data is due to random chance.

They continue: “Pro-inflammatory cytokine production was significantly increased (effect size: 0.18, 95% CI: 0.08, 0.28; p < 0.001).” In short, the overall effect is significant across the selected studies. Separately, organochlorines were associated with decreased lymphocyte counts, while a metabolite of DDT (p,p’-DDE) “was associated with increased lymphocyte [white blood cell] counts.” Additionally, exposures to a mixture of pesticides “showed elevated immunoglobulin responses.”

Previous Research & Commentary

Advocates continue to sound the alarm and call for an organic transition, given the preponderance of evidence linking pesticide exposure to adverse health effects in children and childhood development.

A report by Environmental Working Group (EWG) in 2023 identified 200 hundred-foot pesticide spray “buffer zones” around 4,028 U.S. elementary schools contiguous to crop fields, emphasizing the disproportionate risks that U.S. children face to pesticide exposure. (See Daily News here.) Just this month, additional EWG analysis (see here) found that 24,471 public elementary and middle schools are located within a quarter mile of chemical-intensive cropfields. Meanwhile, recent research published in Environmental Science and Technology finds that there are 47 current-use pesticides—products with active ingredients that are currently registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—detected in samples of indoor dust, drinking water, and urine from households in Indiana. (See Daily News here.)

Meanwhile, regulatory experts at Natural Resources Defense Council, Center Biological Diversity, and Center for Food Safety have pointed to serious flaws in the pesticide registration process at EPA with an in-depth evaluation of the agency’s failure to protect the public from the harmful effects of five neonicotinoid (neonic) insecticides—as mandated by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), as amended by the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996. All five neonicotinoids evaluated—acetamiprid, clothianidin, imidacloprid, thiacloprid, and thiamethoxam—are associated with significant shrinkage of brain tissue at the highest dosage, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data reports. (See Daily News here.)

This is also an international crisis. A commentary published in Science of The Total Environment earlier this year showcases the occupational and environmental exposure pathways of fossil-fuel-based pesticide and fertilizer products that children across the globe face, particularly in rural areas of low- and middle-income countries. (See Daily News here.) Two decades after the introduction of genetically engineered, herbicide-tolerant crops and the consequential exponential growth in weed killers, Brazil has seen an increase in childhood cancer between 2004 and 2019. (See Daily News here.)

Researchers based in Spain found that children with higher levels of certain insecticide metabolites (chlorpyrifos, diazinon, general organophosphate, general pyrethroid metabolite, general organophosphate metabolite, and ethylene-bis-dithiocarbamate fungicides) are more likely to experience early puberty. (See Daily News here.) A study published in Antioxidants finds that prenatal and early life exposure, usually after birth (perinatal), to glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH) induces oxidative stress in the brain, causing damage and negatively affecting melatonin levels. This, in turn, can have developmental implications in the long term, as the disruption of melatonin levels also has implications for the development of age-associated neurodegenerative diseases, as melatonin is a neuroprotector against neurodegenerative diseases associated with aging. (See Daily News here.) Meanwhile, exposure to glyphosate and its breakdown products is associated with an increased risk of liver and metabolic disorders in children and young adults. (See Daily News here.) Another study published in 2022 in Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology came to a similar conclusion on perinatal exposure to glyphosate and perinatal liver damage. (See Daily News here.)

Call to Action

See Beyond Pesticides’ Eating with a Conscience tool, where you can select over 90 individual fruits, vegetables, and other whole foods and identify which combination of pesticide residues (and links to their associated health effects) are found in non-organic versions.

For discussion of eco-sensitive, health protective practices that are cost effective, consider attending Beyond Pesticides’ 42nd National Forum Series, The Pesticide Threat to Environmental Health: Advancing Holistic Solutions Aligned with Nature, which is scheduled to begin on October 29, 2025, 1:00-3:30pm (Eastern time, US) with a focus on aligning land management with nature in response to current chemical-intensive practices that pose a threat to health, biodiversity, and climate. The virtual Forum is free to all participants.  Register here.

Plus, take action here on organic bills that have recently been introduced in the first year of the 119^th Session of Congress.

All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.

Source: Science of the Total Environment

(Beyond Pesticides, October 23, 2025) A global literature review of pesticide residues in marine seaweed, published in Marine Pollution Bulletin, highlights the widespread presence of pesticides in bioindicator species. As vital coastal primary producers, seaweed acts as a key indicator for regional pesticide contamination patterns. The bioaccumulation within seaweed species also threatens consumers, including humans, as the chemicals can biomagnify as they move through the food web. Pesticide contamination in waterways allows residues to bioaccumulate in seaweed species, presenting risks to public health, biodiversity, and ecosystem functioning.

In addition to the support seaweeds provide for ecosystems, they provide food sources for a multitude of organisms and are of growing socioeconomic importance. “This systematic review identifies, critically evaluates, and synthesizes recent global literature (2015–2024) on pesticide residues detected in seaweeds to delineate contamination patterns,” the authors share. The findings highlight the harmful impacts of petrochemical pesticides on multiple species. Many aquatic species rely on seaweed as a food source, including fish, sea urchins, crabs, snails, brittle stars, and marine mammals such as manatees and sea turtles. Even bacteria and filter feeders consume seaweed when it is decomposed. Birds and land mammals also consume seaweed, including humans who utilize seaweed in various food products due to its high nutritional value.

The literature review incorporates results from twelve studies that assess pesticide residues in multiple seaweed groups, including Chlorophyta (green algae), Rhodophyta (red algae), and Phaeophyceae (brown algae). Overall, despite the most commonly used organochlorine insecticides being banned in many countries, this class of pesticides, with the active ingredients hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), aldrin, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), and endosulfan, is the most frequently detected, highlighting the legacy of persistent contamination. Throughout different regions, the pesticide concentrations vary significantly, and the differences noted when comparing algal species can be attributed to the properties of the pesticides and the morphology and lipid content of the algae that can impact bioaccumulation.

Importance of Seaweed

As the researchers state: “Seaweeds constitute a diverse group of photosynthetic organisms that play crucial ecological and socioeconomic roles in coastal ecosystems worldwide. Beyond being fundamental primary producers, seaweeds act as true ecosystem engineers. Their structural complexity creates vital habitats for numerous species of invertebrates and fish.”

“[C]oastal ecosystems face multiple anthropogenic threats, among which pesticide contamination stands out,” the authors note. They continue: “The intensive and widespread use of pesticides in agriculture, as well as in other human activities, constitutes the main source of these compounds in the environment. The presence of these contaminants in marine ecosystems is a matter of growing scientific concern due to their potential adverse effects on organisms and overall ecosystem health, potentially leading to changes in community structure, loss of biodiversity, and imbalances in ecological interactions.”

As seaweed species are able to act as effective bioindicators of marine pollution, the detection of pesticide residues highlights the contamination within waterways that impacts multiple nontarget organisms and threatens ecosystem stability. “[T]he bioaccumulation of persistent pesticides in seaweed tissues represents not only a key metric for monitoring ecosystem health but also a potential vector for contaminant transfer into the human food chain, given the growing global market for edible seaweeds,” the researchers state. (See research here and here.)

Literature Review Methodology and Results

In searching for full articles published in English within peer-reviewed journals between the timeframe of January 2015 and December 2024, the authors found twelve articles that met the eligibility criteria and were used to extract twenty data points for the macroalgal groups. This resulted in eight records for Chlorophyta, seven for Rhodophyta, and five for Phaeophyceae. The discrepancy between the twenty data points and twelve studies is due to multiple species being addressed within individual studies.

As the authors point out, there are limitations within this review when comparing studies with differing methodologies and in the low number of total studies that met their criteria. “The scarcity of research addressing pesticide contamination in seaweeds, with only 12 studies spanning a full decade, reveals fundamental gaps that demand strategic intervention,” the authors state. Additionally, they continue by saying: “Perhaps the most significant research gap is the disconnect between contamination quantification and ecological impact assessment. Current studies document the presence and concentrations but rarely establish causal relationships with physiological or ecological effects. Future research should prioritize mechanistic studies examining how pesticide exposure affects seaweed growth, reproduction, biochemical composition, and ecosystem functions.”

The authors note that the articles included in the review incorporate two studies each that analyze five, four, three, and two distinct species, with four studies examining only a single species. In total, this includes fourteen species of green algae, ten species of red algae, and eight species of brown algae that are contaminated with one or more pesticides.

Notably, out of the twelve studies, seven are focused in India, which the researchers attribute to multiple factors. Since there is a “significant and expanding seaweed cultivation sector, strongly supported by governmental initiatives and investment in research and development,” in India, it is an area with rising concerns over pesticide contamination in coastal zones. The underrepresentation, however, of other areas around the globe in recent research is a limitation within the current literature review.

The analysis of the studies shows a varying number of distinct pesticide types identified within different chemical classes in seaweed samples, with organochlorines representing the most diverse class. Ten different organochlorine pesticide (OCP) residues are identified among all of the seaweed species, highlighting their status as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that “exhibit exceptional environmental stability, long half-lives, and high lipophilicity, leading to significant bioaccumulation in organisms and biomagnification.” (See studies here, here, and here.)

Within Chlorophyta, current-use pesticides (CUPs), including the pyrethroids bifenthrin and cypermethrin are also detected. Since pyrethroids tend to have lower persistence than POPs in the environment, their presence in seaweed samples shows recent or ongoing contamination in coastal environments.

In Rhodophyta, the concentration of detected pesticides varies significantly. Endosulfan, for example, is prominent in Indian seaweed samples, most likely as a result of its intensive agricultural use in coastal catchments like the Gulf of Mannar. Cypermethrin is also noted in several Indian studies, which “points to more contemporary pollution from its widespread agricultural application and subsequent runoff, given its moderate persistence.” In contrast, a study in Egypt shows higher concentrations of aldrin, HCH, and another organochlorine chlordane, possibly as a result of long-standing contamination from past extensive agricultural use in the Nile Delta and industrial discharges into depositional basins like El-Mex Bay.

Studies of brown algae (Phaeophyceae) “demonstrate a greater overall bioaccumulation capacity for OCPs when compared to green and red algae,” the authors say. “This enhanced capability is likely influenced by their distinct biochemical and morphological characteristics, as well as their interactions with lipophilic compounds present in the environment.”

The data within all studies, despite differing methodologies and limitations, consistently show how seaweed species bioaccumulate several pesticides, many of which are banned in multiple countries, highlighting the contamination in aquatic ecosystems and adding to the existing body of science on how pesticides threaten health and the environment.

Previous Research

A multitude of studies, referenced in the current literature review and in coverage by Beyond Pesticides, showcase the cascading negative impacts on marine biodiversity and ecosystem functioning that occur with pesticide contamination in coastal ecosystems as a result of agricultural runoff. (See studies here, here, and here, as well as the Daily News archive on water contamination here.)

As highlighted in Daily News, toxic pesticides harm all beings and ecosystems, including coral reefs. Large benthic foraminifera (LBF) are single-celled organisms found on reefs that face adverse metabolic impacts after exposure to the weed killer glyphosate, fungicide tebuconazole, and neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid, according to a study published in Marine Pollution Bulletin. The study found that “even the lowest doses of the fungicide and herbicide caused irreparable damage to the foraminifera and their symbionts.”

Another study, published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology Letters, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is the first to find halogenated organic compounds (HOCs) in deep ocean sediment and biota off the coast of California. The test area, known as the Southern California Bight (SCB), is home to historic offshore DDT waste dumping, with part of the SCB designated as a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund site. Forty-nine HOCs were detected in the sediment and biota, many of which are DDT-related and not previously screened for. The presence of these “unmonitored compounds can significantly contribute to the contaminant body burden across a range of marine taxa,” the study states, which leads to impacts on critical food webs and biodiversity. (See Daily News here.)

Additional coverage, in Daily News, entitled Ocean Mammals Genetically Vulnerable to Certain Pesticides, notes how pesticides drain from agricultural fields, poison waterways and coastal areas, and harm wildlife. A study in Science finds that a gene that helps terrestrial mammals break down certain toxic chemicals appears to be faulty in marine mammals — potentially leaving manatees, dolphins, and other warm-blooded aquatic life more sensitive to toxic pesticides, especially organophosphates.

These studies, and more, represent the extensive threats from pesticides to aquatic environments and all of the lives that depend upon them. Learn more from Beyond Pesticides’ Pesticides and You article entitled Pesticides Wreak Havoc on Ecosystems and see additional research on water contamination and impacts on aquatic organisms here and here.

The Organic Solution

Clean water is essential for human health, wildlife, and a balanced environment. Yet, water is being polluted at unprecedented rates, with pesticides, industrial chemicals, nutrients, metals, and other contaminants. To protect water resources, aquatic organisms, and human health, the elimination of petrochemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers is urgently needed. Removing the sources of agricultural and land management pesticide contamination and adopting organic methods is the holistic solution that benefits both aquatic ecosystem health and overall public health.  

For more information on the health and environmental benefits of organic, see here and here. Start by buying organic products and growing your own organic food. To make a difference in your community, become a Parks Advocate for the Parks for a Sustainable Future program. For more information, please email our team at [email protected].

Take action each week to have your voice heard on governmental actions that are harmful to the environment and public and worker health, increase overall pesticide use, or undermine the advancement of organic, sustainable, and regenerative practices and policies. See the Action of the Week archive here and sign up now to get our Action of the Week and Weekly News Updates delivered right to your inbox!

 Tell your U.S. Representative and Senators to ensure that agencies reaffirm U.S. commitment to restoring and maintaining the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of all the nation’s protected water resources.

️ Join the webinar next Wednesday! To advance principles of land management that align with nature, Beyond Pesticides is convening the 42^nd National Forum, The Pesticide Threat to Environmental Health: Advancing Holistic Solutions Aligned with Nature, bringing together scientists and land managers working to recognize and respect the ecosystems on which life depends. Scheduled to begin on October 29, 2025, 1:00-3:30 pm (Eastern time, US), the virtual Forum is free to all participants. See featured speakers!  ➡️ Register here.

All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.

Source:

Azevedo, G. et al. (2025) Global patterns of pesticide residues in seaweeds: A systematic review, Marine Pollution Bulletin. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X25011841.

(Beyond Pesticides, October 22, 2025) The release of scientific studies on contaminants in sewage sludge (biosolids) used as fertilizers coincides with two lawsuits filed by Beyond Pesticides against ScottsMiracle-Gro and GreenTechnologies, LLC, in which the organization alleged that each defendant engaged in false and deceptive marketing and sale of fertilizer products that were marketed as environmentally friendly, despite containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”). PFAS have been linked to cancer and other adverse effects. (See settlement statement recently reached with ScottsMiracle-Gro.) Biosolids are widely used in agricultural production and nonagricultural land management, including parks and playing fields, but  prohibited from use in certified organic agriculture under the Organic Foods Production Act.

Two recent studies raise serious concerns about a range of contaminants in treated sewage sludge. While widely advanced as supplementing organic matter with macro- and micro-nutrients, treated sludge “harbor[s] a concentrated presence of contaminants that have adsorbed onto the soil post-wastewater treatment,” according to a literature review published in Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry. The researchers identify 414 contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in soils, untreated and treated sewage sludge (biosolids), and dust, across 151 peer-reviewed studies released between 2018 and 2023—emphasizing the range of potential exposure pathways across various products, including classes of pesticides like neonicotinoid insecticides. In Scientific Reports, researchers report their test results of biosolids-treated farmland in southeastern Pennsylvania that detected 14 different PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) above the limit of quantification (LOQ). This means that not only were they detectable, but also high enough in concentration to confirm contamination at a significant concentration.

PFAS are a group of synthetic chemicals that are extremely resistant to degradation, persist indefinitely in the environment, bioaccumulate in blood and body tissues, and can be harmful to humans and the environment, even at very low levels.

Biosolids (Sewage Sludge) Lawsuits
Beyond Pesticides filed two consumer protection lawsuits in Washington, DC Superior Court in October, 2024, in which it alleges that both companies market their sewage sludge-containing fertilizer products “as eco-friendly and  “sustainable,” when, in fact, the products contain hazardous substances. The Scotts Miracle-Gro Product, EcoScraps, was advertised as having a mission “to make sustainable living easy.” The Greentechnologies, LLC product, GreenEdge, is advertised as an “eco-Friendly product[] for a healthier planet,” and a “sustainable fertilizer that enhances environmental quality.” Beyond Pesticides alleged in the lawsuits that reasonable consumers encountering representations emphasizing that these products are “eco-friendly” and “sustainable” do not expect the products to contain environmentally damaging, unsustainable chemicals.” The complaint cites test results showing PFAS residues in the companies’ products and numerous scientific studies on the adverse effects of PFAS to public health, wildlife, and pollinators.

“Companies that market hazardous substances while claiming environmental and health benefits are misleading consumers who seek out products to protect themselves, their families, and the ecosystems in which they live,” said Jay Feldman, executive director of Beyond Pesticides. “Our litigation seeks to put a stop to this deceptive practice in the marketplace, where there are products and practices that are truly healthful and protective of nature,” Mr. Feldman continued. (The action was brought under the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Procedures Act (“CPPA”), D.C. Code §§ 28-3901–13. Beyond Pesticides was represented by Richman Law and Policy.

Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CEC) Study Results
Despite these dramatic findings of contaminants, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the authors of the CEC review explain, classify the biosolids typically used by gardeners, municipalities, golf courses, and farmers as Class A, which are “virtually free of pathogens and can be applied without any site-specific restrictions.” The authors explain that Class B biosolids, used in agriculture and land reclamation, may contain pathogens and stipulates restrictions on use.

The study authors conducted a literature search strategy using databases like Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar. They utilized combinations of keywords including contaminants of emerging concern, biosolids, sewage sludge, soil, wastewater, pharmaceuticals, hormones, bisphenols, phthalates, parabens, neonicotinoids, etc.). They then screened and selected 151 articles to include studies reporting quantifiable data on CECs in sewage sludge or soils and relevant information on transport mechanisms or compound properties. The researchers included field and laboratory studies. CECs were grouped into several major categories, including pharmaceutical products, personal care products, hormones, plastic-related compounds, polymer additives and antioxidants, and insecticides (neonicotinoids).

Once the studies were identified, researchers analyzed data on quantifiable concentrations of the listed CECs. They were summarized as median and mean values for each category in sewage sludge, biosolids (treated sewage sludge), and soils. The top fifty most prevalent compounds were identified by frequency and degree of concentration; the relative contribution of CEC by mass was also determined. Qualitative data on transport mechanisms like adsorption, leaching, degradation, and plant uptake was considered in their analysis as well. The researchers did note that there are knowledge gaps in their review, including the fact that various CECs fall below quantification levels in soil, metabolites have limited data, and the lack of standardized methods across the scientific literature.

Phthalates (PAEs) dominated the bulk of CECs, representing more than 97 percent of the total mass of CECs in sewage sludge and biosolids. Phthalates are hydrophobic compounds that lend themselves to strong retention in sewage sludge or soil. Meanwhile, conventional wastewater treatment processes only partially remove CECs, with many portioned into both treated and untreated sludge.

This literature review finds that neonicotinoid insecticides are also detectable in biosolids, sewage sludge, and soils across the globe, including China, Belize, and the Philippines (see subsection 8.3 for specific citations), indicating widespread environmental contamination even at low concentrations. The authors attribute the high-water solubility of neonicotinoids as a major contributor to its widespread runoff and leachability. Matched with poor plant absorption, the continuous use of neonicotinoids can lead to persistent residues in the soil.

This CEC study was published by researchers in the Department of Chemistry at Université de Montréal. The lead scholar is Sébastien Sauvé, PhD, professor of Environmental Chemistry with expertise in environmental analysis of CECs, including pesticides and PFAS. The authors declared that there were no competing commercial or financial conflicts of interest in conducting this study; they also “declare that no Generative AI was used in the creation of this manuscript.” The research was funded in part by Ministry of the Environment, Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks (MELCCFP) of Quebec (Canada).

PFAS, known as “forever chemicals” due to their ability to persist in the environment, are endocrine disruptors linked to developmental issues, cancers, metabolic, cardiovascular and reproductive harm, damage to the liver, kidneys, and the respiratory system, as well increased chances of disease infection and severity. The chemicals’ immunotoxic effects threaten human health.

PFAS in Farmland Soil
Biosolids contaminated with PFAS have become an increasingly prevalent issue for farmers grappling with reliance on synthetic inputs. This study was conducted by researchers at Stroud Water Research Center and Center for PFAS Solutions, independent nonprofit research organizations based in Pennsylvania and Delaware, respectively. The study focused on 10 farms in southern and central Pennsylvania (Berks, Lancaster, Bedford, and Chester counties). The field design included pairings of treated and control fields (history of biosolid treatment and no biosolid treatment), with all fields no-till or reduced-till in terms of cultural practices. For treated fields, most had been covered with biosolids between two to 26 years, with some farms not keeping historical records. Six farms used biosolids from private applicators while four sourced from municipal sewage treatment facilities, which will often distribute the biosolids as “fertilizer” or “compost” free of charge. Biosolids can also be purchased from commercial companies at local nurseries or hardware stores under different trade names with environmental claims.

PFAS is conventionally known as a legacy contaminant in firefighting foam, nonstick cookware, and other commercial and consumer products; however, there is less public awareness on the dangers of PFAS and agrichemical products (i.e., pesticides) that share its fluorinated chemistry. Concern among safety advocates continues to mount this year as EPA escalated registration approvals for four new active ingredients – Cyclobutrifluram, Diflufenican, Isocycloseram, and Trifludimoxazin – that “qualify as PFAS.”

The researchers collected ten soil samples (called “cores”) from each field. Biosolids were collected from storage piles at Farms #2 and #10 and stream water (duplicate samples) were collected downstream of treated fields. Cornell Soil Health Laboratory tested the soil chemistry for a standard analysis for nutrients, pH, organic matter, organic carbon, total carbon, and total nitrogen.

The researchers used “USEPA Method 1633” to target 40 PFAS, including:

• 11 PFCAs (perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids)
• 8 PFSAs (perfluoroalkane sulfonic acids)
• 3 FTSAs (fluorotelomer sulfonic acids)
• 3 perfluorooctane sulfonamides
• 2 perfluorooctane sulfonamidoacetic acids
• 2 perfluorooctane sulfonamide ethanols
• 5 per- and polyfluoroether carboxylic acids
• 3 ether sulfonic acids
• 3 FTCA (fluorotelomer carboxylic acids)

For further details on PFAS analysis, quality control, and additional methodological background, see page nine of the study.

Researchers concluded that biosolids are a demonstrable source of PFAS contamination in agricultural soils, affected by soil properties, depth, and the source of the biosolid-based fertilizer. PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate), forms of PFAS, ranged 1-24 ng/g, which is much higher than reported background levels in forest soils (less than 0.01 ng/g). PFAS concentrations in surface soils shared a positive correlation with increased zinc, copper, and sulfur levels; conversely, PFAS concentrations correlated negatively with pH (6.1-7.5 range), with lower pH favoring PFAS partitioning (or distributing) into soil systems rather than water. The majority of farms found PFAS in the surface (0-15 cm) and subsurface (15-30 cm) soil samples, but the researchers reported detectable migration between surface levels.

Fields treated with biosolids had significantly higher PFAS concentrations than non-treated fields at most farms. Soils with biosolids sourced from private applicators were higher in median PFAS concentrations than those from municipal applicators, which the authors indicate is an effect of private applicators sourcing from multiple waste streams to create biosolid products that increase contamination risks.

A Total Oxidizable Precursor (TOP) Assay was conducted to confirm preexisting PFAS levels that may not be captured in the study analysis; after oxidation, the sum of the concentrations of 40 PFAS increased across water, soil, and biosolid samples.

In farms #2 and #10, concentrations of PFAS in biosolids, soil, and water samples were below EPA’s proposed draft acute and chronic water quality criteria; however, researchers documented higher detection levels of PFAS in stream water surrounding contaminated farmland compared to average reporting for that waterbody—975 ng/L (Farm #2) and 158 ng/L (Farm #10) relative to the typical reported environmental levels (0.8-112 ng/L).

Environmental and public health advocates emphasize the importance of identifying how chemicals of concerns, like PFAS, move between mediums (soil, water, fertilizer product, etc.). They say that this understanding should inform regulatory agencies’ efforts to protect the public and ecosystems from further harm.

Previous Daily News Reporting
There are numerous peer-reviewed studies that associate PFAS contamination through contaminants of concern detected in sewage sludge and biosolids. One contaminant of concern that was not explored in either of the highlighted studies is microplastic. A literature review of over 90 scientific articles in Agriculture documents microplastics’ (MPs) increase in the bioavailability, persistence, and toxicity of pesticides used in agriculture. The interactions between MPs and pesticides exacerbate the impact of pesticide exposure to nontarget organisms, perpetuate the cycle of toxic chemical use, and decreases soil health that is vital for productivity. (See Daily News here.) 

Biosolid-based fertilizer products like Milorganite, often sold to consumers as “organic,” are contaminated with dangerous PFAS chemicals, according to a report published by Sierra Club and Ecology Center. (See Daily News here.) Community concerns mounted during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic when SARS-CoV-2 was being detected in wastewater, sewage sludge, and biosolids. (See Daily News here.)

For additional analysis on biosolid sewage sludge and potential toxic contamination, see this previous Pesticides and You article, Biosolids or Biohazards?

For discussion of eco-sensitive, health protective practices that are cost effective, consider attending Beyond Pesticides’ 42nd National Forum Series, The Pesticide Threat to Environmental Health: Advancing Holistic Solutions Aligned with Nature, which is scheduled to begin on October 29, 2025, 1:00-3:30pm (Eastern time, US) with a focus on aligning land management with nature in response to current chemical-intensive practices that pose a threat to health, biodiversity, and climate. The virtual Forum is free to all participants.  Register here.

All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.

Source
Beyond Pesticides v. The ScottsMiracle-Gro Company
Beyond Pesticides v. GreenTechnologies, LLC 

(Beyond Pesticides, October 21, 2025) A study, published in International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, calculates cumulative dietary pesticide exposure and finds a significant positive association between pesticide residues in food and urine when analyzing over 40 produce types. The research uses data for 1,837 individuals from the 2015–2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and compares them to biomonitoring samples of the participants. According to the researchers, “Here we show that consumption of fruits and vegetables, weighted by pesticide load, is associated with increasing levels of urinary pesticide biomarkers.”

They continue, “When excluding potatoes, consumption of fruits and vegetables weighted by pesticide contamination was associated with higher levels of urinary pesticide biomarkers for organophosphate, pyrethroid, and neonicotinoid insecticides.” The NHANES data is derived from a national biomonitoring survey from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which collects information about consumption of fruits and vegetables as well as urine samples.

Background

As the study authors explain: “Hundreds of millions of pounds of synthetic pesticide active ingredients are used every year in the United States, and pesticide exposure can occur through food, drinking water, residential proximity to agricultural spraying, household pesticide use, and occupational use. Pesticide usage to grow and store food often results in contamination of commodities with pesticide residues, particularly fruits and vegetables, that reach store shelves and persist after rinsing produce.” (See study here.) With that being said, dietary exposure is a critical route in which the public is subjected to pesticide residues and at risk of subsequent negative health effects, including increased risk of cancer, neurological harm, and reproductive toxicity, among others. (See the Pesticide-Induced Diseases Database (PIDD) here.)

A previous report in 1993, entitled Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children, set the groundwork for the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996 that “established the need for pesticide regulations to protect children’s health from cumulative toxicity associated with pesticide mixtures.” However, as the researchers point out, “the U.S. government pesticide risk assessments and legal limits for pesticides in food, also known as pesticide tolerances, generally continue to be conducted with a focus on individual pesticides and fail to consider cumulative toxic effects from exposure to mixtures of pesticides.” This data gap fails to address the potential additive and synergistic effects that can be seen with pesticide mixtures, which more realistically represents how consumers are exposed to combinations of pesticides rather than in isolation.

Study Methodology and Results

“Here, we present a methodology to rank fruits and vegetables based on overall pesticide load, including metrics of pesticide number, detection frequency, concentration, and a measure of toxicity,” the authors note. They continue: “This approach builds on the prior work of Hu et al. (2016) by incorporating pesticide toxicity reference values into the pesticide load indicator and using more recent pesticide and biomonitoring data to reflect changes in pesticide use, toxicity, and exposure.”

In ranking the commodities (produce) and their consumption, as obtained through the NHANES questionnaire, the researchers are able to calculate dietary pesticide exposure score for participants that then can be compared to urinary pesticide biomarker levels. This methodology intends to estimate overall dietary pesticide exposure and provide insight into how consuming specific fruits and vegetables might elevate urinary pesticide levels.

In addition to NHANES data, the study incorporates national pesticide residue data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Pesticide Data Program (PDP) to analyze the association between estimated dietary pesticide exposure and measured levels of internal pesticide exposure through the urine sample biomonitoring.

For each commodity from the PDP, pesticide contamination is calculated based on the detection of 178 unique parent pesticides, with 42 parent pesticides matching biomarkers in the urine samples. For more information on the methodology and statistical analyses, see here.

Biomarker concentrations of various pesticides, including organophosphate insecticides, neonicotinoids, pyrethroids, and herbicides, are detected in the urine samples. When comparing the biomarker data with the pesticide load index for the produce consumed, but with excluding potatoes due to their strong attenuating effect, a significant positive association is noted.

The researchers report: “Pesticide residues, representing 222 analytes corresponding to 178 unique parent pesticides, were detected across 44 food commodities analyzed in our study, and utilized in calculating the pesticide load indices. While pesticide residues varied greatly by commodity, the most commonly detected pesticides (>10% of samples across all commodities) were the fungicides thiabendazole, boscalid, pyraclostrobin, fludioxonil and azoxystrobin, and the insecticide imidacloprid.” The data reveals that consumption of both high and low residue fruits and vegetables is associated with increasing rank for cumulative pesticide exposure, though a single serving of high residue foods presents a greater impact.

In summary, the authors state. “Here, we developed a method to estimate cumulative dietary pesticide exposure by weighting fruit and vegetable consumption by the pesticide load for 44 different commodities, termed a dietary pesticide exposure score.” They continue, “We further demonstrated the utility of this method as a pesticide exposure metric, showing that increasing dietary pesticide exposure score, or consumption of produce, excluding potatoes, with higher pesticide load, is associated with pesticide biomarker concentrations in urine, when matching pesticides measured in produce to urinary biomarkers.”

Within the study, there are many limitations, some of which the authors address, that could impact the findings and their ability to capture the true level of adverse health impact of dietary pesticide residues. As the researchers reference, these include limited data availability and analytical limitations of the public datasets, which incorporates a lack of data on key pesticides like 2,4-D and glyphosate. Additionally, deficiencies in regulatory reviews, given the lack of complete adverse health data on endocrine disrupting pesticides as well as synergistic effects of pesticide mixtures, ultimately result in an underestimation of the harm caused by residues in the diet.

Previous Research

The current study findings are consistent with other research that identifies dietary exposure as a key contributor to measured pesticide concentrations in urine. Relevant scientific literature cited within the study includes:

• Biomonitoring studies of human urine samples identify “dozens of co-occurring exposures, and hundreds of pesticide residues have been detected in foods.” (See here and here.)
• Studies in humans link “dietary exposure to pesticide mixtures with increased risk of breast cancer, Type II diabetes, impacts on body weight, all-cause mortality, poor fertility outcomes, and cardiovascular.”
• “Laboratory animals exposed to mixtures of pesticides, often at doses below the exposure levels set by national and international regulatory agencies for which no adverse effect is expected to occur, experience health harms including decreased motor activity, changes to memory and behavior, body weight gain and impaired glucose tolerance, and reproductive tract malformations.”
• Individuals who report eating conventional food show increased levels of urinary organophosphate metabolites and higher estimated dietary exposure. (See study here.)
• Two studies (see here and here) find that “consuming high residue fruits and vegetables – notably also without considering potatoes – was associated with increasing levels of urinary metabolites for organophosphate and both organophosphate and pyrethroid insecticides respectively.”
• Research identifies associations between the consumption of high residue fruits and vegetables with lower sperm count, poorer semen quality, impacts on fertility, and increased risk for glioma. (See studies here, here, and here.)
• Pesticide mixtures of chlorpyrifos, imazalil, malathion and thiabendazole are associated with postmenopausal breast cancer risk, while mixtures of azoxystrobin, chlorpyrifos, imazalil, malathion, profenofos, and thiabendazole were associated with type two diabetes. However, “[i]n both studies, diets low in pesticide levels were associated with a reduction in risk of the studied health effects.”
• “Dietary intervention studies demonstrate that switching from a conventional diet to organic food consumption is an effective way to reduce synthetic pesticide exposure and possibly accrue health benefits.”

Benefits of an Organic Diet

As the study authors note, diet is a modifiable factor that can be adjusted to reduce exposure to harmful contaminants. Scientific literature supports a shift to an organic diet, with research finding lower pesticide residues within the body after switching to organically grown food. Previous research finds that levels of the widely used weed killer glyphosate in the human body are reduced by 70% through a one-week switch to an organic diet. (See Daily News coverage here.)

Beyond Pesticides has also reported on additional biomonitoring studies that confirm these results. See Daily News Of Note During Organic Month, Study Finds Organic Diet and Location Affect Pesticide Residues in the Body, Review of Pesticide Residues in Human Urine, Lower Concentrations with Organic Diet, and Study Demonstrates Health Benefits of Organic Diet Over That Consumed with Toxic Pesticides for more information.

In recent Daily News, organic diets promote higher cognitive scores. A study published in European Journal of Nutrition finds that consumption of organic animal-based and plant-based foods is positively associated with higher cognitive scores. Among women, there was both better cognitive function before testing (at baseline) and up to a 27 percent lower MCI [mild cognitive decline] score over the course of the study period for participants identifying as organic consumers, even if there was consumption of just one of the seven food categories. Additional health benefits of organic can be found here.

A Path Forward

In the current study, the researchers state: “Our findings suggest increased biomonitoring for pesticides is essential for public health protection. Development of analytical methods to measure internal exposure to a broader range of pesticides would also aid in understanding health effects associated with these exposures.” These authors are not the first to call for additional research and better analytical methods, but while these options may increase knowledge regarding pesticide exposure, they do not provide a holistic solution. Even scientists and advocates that stress the need for enhanced risk assessments fail to acknowledge that there is not adequate information available for accurate risk assessments that include all possible cumulative, additive, and synergistic effects from pesticide mixtures for all possible health effects including cancer and endocrine disruption. This is why many advocates call for the adoption of the precautionary principle to protect health and the environment. (See here and here.)

The data more fully confirms that pesticide reduction strategies are not fully protective of health, with this study adding to the complexities that exist in attempting to develop tools to calculate acceptable levels of risk associated with dietary exposure to pesticides. Given the efforts captured by this paper, taken together with the extensive research in PIDD and the daily tracking of scientific studies linking pesticides to cancer, birth defects, immune system disorders, endocrine disruption, sexual and reproductive dysfunction, learning and developmental effects, and nervous system implications, among others, the public can take no comfort in ‘acceptable’ levels of pesticides in food and the environment.

This research adds more urgency to the need to transition agriculture, and all land management, to organic systems. Visit the Eating with a Conscience database to learn more about why food labeled “organic” is the right choice. For more on this subject, consider attending Beyond Pesticides’ 42nd National Forum Series, The Pesticide Threat to Environmental Health: Advancing Holistic Solutions Aligned with Nature, which is scheduled to begin on October 29, 2025, 1:00-3:30pm (Eastern time, US) with a focus on aligning land management with nature in response to current chemical-intensive practices that pose a threat to health, biodiversity, and climate. The virtual Forum is free to all participants. ➡️ Register here.

All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.

Source:

Temkin, A. et al. (2025) A cumulative dietary pesticide exposure score based on produce consumption is associated with urinary pesticide biomarkers in a U.S. biomonitoring cohort, International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1438463925001361.

(Beyond Pesticides, October 20, 2025) With the release of a study that links the use of nitrogen fertilizer in combination with antibiotic pesticides to escalating bacterial resistance, public health advocates are renewing their call for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Congress to eliminate antibiotic pesticide use in land management. This action comes on the heels of a World Health Organization (WHO) study finding that antibiotic resistance is evolving even faster than previously thought.

WHO finds, “One in six laboratory-confirmed bacterial infections causing common infections in people worldwide in 2023 were resistant to antibiotic treatments. . .. Between 2018 and 2023, antibiotic resistance rose in over 40% of the pathogen-antibiotic combinations monitored, with an average annual increase of 5–15%.” 

These findings, linking pesticides, antibiotics, and nitrogen fertilizers to antibiotic resistance, again raise serious concerns about the deadly impacts of conventional (chemical-intensive) agricultural practices on human health. The researchers found that nitrogen is a strong driver of resistance processes. The richness and diversity of phages—viruses that attack bacteria and can transmit antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs)—is highest in the groups exposed to both nitrogen and combined pesticides, and the abundance of ARGs in phages becomes “markedly elevated” in those same exposure conditions. 

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics for medical purposes is rising to dangerously high levels in all parts of the world. Globally, about five million deaths in 2019 are associated with antibiotic-resistant microbial infections, including 1.27 million deaths attributable to bacterial AMR. We cannot afford to ignore any cause of resistance, given the health implications of ineffective treatments for bacterial and fungal diseases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “More than 2.8 million antimicrobial-resistant infections occur in the U.S. each year, and more than 35,000 people die as a result. When Clostridioides difficile—a bacterium that is not typically resistant but can cause deadly diarrhea is associated with antibiotic use—is added to these, the U.S. toll of all the threats in the report exceeds 3 million infections and 48,000 deaths.” According to a 2021 article in Current Research in Microbial Sciences, “Antibiotic resistance in agriculture: Perspectives on upcoming strategies to overcome upsurge in resistance,” the leading consumers of antibiotics in developed countries are U.S. consumers. So, the U.S. population may have the most to lose from antibiotic resistance. 

By 2050, various sources estimate that antibiotic resistance could increase global health care costs by $1 trillion to $100 trillion. While the world slowly realizes the urgent need to counter antibiotic resistance, the role of pesticides in generating it has received less political and public attention. But there is no doubt that pesticides are strongly implicated. In fact, the resistance of microbes to antibiotics is no different from the well-documented resistance of insects and plants to pesticides. 

When antimicrobial or antibiotic pesticides are sprayed on a crop, they induce antibiotic resistance in bacteria that are present by killing susceptible bacteria—which may or may not be pathogenic—and allowing resistant bacteria to proliferate. Those resistant bacteria move off the site on produce, workers’ clothing, and the wind. Prevention of chemical drift is therefore inadequate to protect against the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The now well-known phenomenon of horizontal gene transfer—the movement of genes in bacteria from one bacterial species to another, which is facilitated by phages—means that ARGs in those (possibly harmless) bacteria can move to bacteria that cause disease in plants or humans. 

A recent study “elaborate[s] the mechanism underlying the effects of pesticides on bacterial antibiotic resistance acquisition as well as the propagation of antimicrobial resistance. Pesticide stress enhanced the acquisition of antibiotic resistance in bacteria via various mechanisms, including the activation of efflux pumps, inhibition of outer membrane pores for resistance to antibiotics, and gene mutation induction.” Furthermore, the study found, “Pesticides promoted the conjugation transfer of ARGs [antibiotic resistance genes] by increasing cell membrane permeability and increased the proportion of bacterial mobile gene elements, which facilitate the spread of ARGs.” 

The presence of both pesticides and antibiotics in water bodies—lakes, rivers, and oceans—and especially those receiving both agricultural runoff and hospital waste—multiplies the risk of antimicrobial resistance. Further, the waters of the world are largely connected, from snow zones to oceans, so that in many cases what enters one body of water affects everything downstream. 

The antibiotic streptomycin has been banned for agricultural use on crops in many countries, and, after the Ninth Circuit’s December 2023 decision vacating the 2021 registration amendments for streptomycin because of the Agency’s failure to comply with the Endangered Species Act, is no longer registered by EPA. The antibiotic oxytetracycline hydrochloride is registered for use on tree crops. The antibiotic kasugamycin is also registered by EPA. Oxolinic acid and gentamicin are registered as antimicrobials in other countries. All of these have therapeutic uses in humans. 

In addition to use on crops, antimicrobials used to manage synthetic turf for bacteria, mold, and fungus raise serious health issues and represent a threat that does not exist in organic land management. A builder of sports facilities, American Athletic, states, “Beyond surface cleaning, the artificial turf should be sanitized weekly or monthly to protect the players’ and coaches’ health. This disinfection requires special solvents, cleansers, and anti-microbial products to remove invisible particles and bacterial growth. You should strive to sanitize the field after every game and throughout the school day if it’s used for physical education classes.” 

Finally, two facts lead to the conclusion that focusing on materials sold as antibiotics or antimicrobials is too shortsighted. First, science shows that use of any antibiotics anywhere can increase antibiotic resistance everywhere. Second, many pesticides not intended to kill microbes—such as the herbicides glyphosate, 2,4-D, and dicamba—also induce antibiotic resistance in deadly human pathogens. These two facts lead to the conclusion that we must stop broadcasting pesticides in the environment and applying them to food. The crisis in antibiotic resistance, which creates a threat of another pandemic, is ignored in the registration of pesticides. The antibiotic impacts of pesticides cited above were discovered only after the pesticides had been disseminated in the environment for decades. 

In response to these new studies, Beyond Pesticides issued the following action: EPA must not register pesticides unless they have been demonstrated not to contribute to antibiotic resistance and must cancel the registration of those that do. 

Letter to EPA
Antibiotic resistance is rising to dangerously high levels in all parts of the world—according to the World Health Organization, even faster than previously thought. Globally, about five million people died in 2019 from antibiotic-resistant microbial infections. We cannot afford to ignore any cause of resistance, given the health implications of ineffective treatments for bacterial and fungal diseases. According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “More than 2.8 million antimicrobial-resistant infections occur in the U.S. each year, and more than 35,000 people die as a result. When Clostridioides difficile—a bacterium that is not typically resistant but can cause deadly diarrhea is associated with antibiotic use—is added to these, the U.S. toll of all the threats in the report exceeds 3 million infections and 48,000 deaths.”

When antimicrobial pesticides are sprayed on a crop, they induce resistance in bacteria that are present by killing susceptible bacteria—which may or may not be pathogenic—allowing resistant bacteria to proliferate. The resistant bacteria move off the site on crops, workers, and the wind. Prevention of chemical drift is thus inadequate to protect against the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The fact of horizontal gene transfer means that antibiotic resistance genes in those (possibly harmless) bacteria can move to pathogens.

In addition, pesticides produce enhanced antibiotic resistance in bacteria by activating efflux pumps, inhibiting outer membrane pores for resistance to antibiotics, promoting gene mutation, and increasing conjugation transfer of antibiotic resistance genes through increased cell membrane permeability and a greater proportion of bacterial mobile gene elements.

In addition to crops, antimicrobials are used to manage synthetic turf. A builder of sports facilities, American Athletic, states, “Beyond surface cleaning, the artificial turf should be sanitized weekly or monthly to protect the players’ and coaches’ health. This disinfection requires special solvents, cleansers, and antimicrobial products to remove invisible particles and bacterial growth. You should strive to sanitize the field after every game and throughout the school day if it’s used for physical education classes.”

Finally, focusing on materials sold as antibiotics or antimicrobials is too shortsighted. First, science shows that use of any antibiotics anywhere can increase antibiotic resistance everywhere. Second, many pesticides not intended to kill microbes—such as the herbicides glyphosate, 2,4-D, and dicamba—also induce antibiotic resistance in deadly human pathogens. Thus, we must stop broadcasting pesticides in the environment. The crisis in antibiotic resistance, which creates a threat of another pandemic, is ignored in the registration of pesticides. The antibiotic impacts of pesticides cited above were discovered only after the pesticides had been disseminated in the environment for decades. 

EPA must not register pesticides unless they have been demonstrated not to contribute to antibiotic resistance and must cancel the registration of those that do.

Thank you.

Letter to U.S. Congress
Antibiotic resistance is rising to dangerously high levels in all parts of the world—according to the World Health Organization, even faster than previously thought. Globally, about five million people died in 2019 from antibiotic-resistant microbial infections. We cannot afford to ignore any cause of resistance, given the health implications of ineffective treatments for bacterial and fungal diseases. According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “More than 2.8 million antimicrobial-resistant infections occur in the U.S. each year, and more than 35,000 people die as a result. When Clostridioides difficile—a bacterium that is not typically resistant but can cause deadly diarrhea is associated with antibiotic use—is added to these, the U.S. toll of all the threats in the report exceeds 3 million infections and 48,000 deaths.”

When antimicrobial pesticides are sprayed on a crop, they induce resistance in bacteria that are present by killing susceptible bacteria—which may or may not be pathogenic—allowing resistant bacteria to proliferate. The resistant bacteria move off the site on crops, workers, and the wind. Prevention of chemical drift is thus inadequate to protect against the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The fact of horizontal gene transfer means that antibiotic resistance genes in those (possibly harmless) bacteria can move to pathogens.

In addition, pesticides produce enhanced antibiotic resistance in bacteria by activating efflux pumps, inhibiting outer membrane pores for resistance to antibiotics, promoting gene mutation, and increasing conjugation transfer of antibiotic resistance genes through increased cell membrane permeability and a greater proportion of bacterial mobile gene elements.

In addition to crops, antimicrobials are used to manage synthetic turf. A builder of sports facilities, American Athletic, states, “Beyond surface cleaning, the artificial turf should be sanitized weekly or monthly to protect the players’ and coaches’ health. This disinfection requires special solvents, cleansers, and antimicrobial products to remove invisible particles and bacterial growth. You should strive to sanitize the field after every game and throughout the school day if it’s used for physical education classes.”

Finally, focusing on materials sold as antibiotics or antimicrobials is too shortsighted. First, science shows that use of any antibiotics anywhere can increase antibiotic resistance everywhere. Second, many pesticides not intended to kill microbes—such as the herbicides glyphosate, 2,4-D, and dicamba—also induce antibiotic resistance in deadly human pathogens. Thus, we must stop broadcasting pesticides in the environment. The crisis in antibiotic resistance, which creates a threat of another pandemic, is ignored in the registration of pesticides. The antibiotic impacts of pesticides cited above were discovered only after the pesticides had been disseminated in the environment for decades. 

Please ensure EPA does not register pesticides unless they have been demonstrated not to contribute to antibiotic resistance and cancels the registration of those that do.

Thank you.

All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.

Source: PNAS, World Health Organization

(Beyond Pesticides, October 17, 2025) Earlier this week, on October 13, the fossil fuel industry, commodity crop groups, and their political allies celebrated Global Fertilizer Day. The industry is celebrating the widespread (and growing) use of petroleum products, including synthetic, nitrogen-based and fossil-fuel derived fertilizers. As a response to industry claims that petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers are critical to ensuring global food security, Beyond Pesticides and a broad coalition spanning civil society, scientists, farmers, farmworkers and working people are pushing back against toxic chemical dependency and advancing organic land (agricultural and nonagricultural) management as cost-effective, productive, and protective of health and the environment.  

A review last year in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) highlights the urgent need to address the widespread chemical pollution stemming from the petrochemical industry, underscoring the dire implications for public health. Tracey Woodruff, PhD, author and professor at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), emphatically states, “We need to recognize the very real harm that petrochemicals are having on people’s health. Many of these fossil-fuel-based chemicals are endocrine disruptors, meaning they interfere with hormonal systems, and they are part of the disturbing rise in disease.” (Watch Dr. Woodruff’s talk to the 41^st National Forum, Fossil Fuels and Toxic Chemicals, last year.)

Earlier this year, a cohort of leading climate scientists and environmental justice leaders, including Robert Bullard, PhD, published a report in Oxford Open Climate Change, warning about the continuous use of fossil fuels across the global economy and its contribution to existential and “interlinked crises that jeopardize the breadth and stability of life on Earth.” The authors specifically delve into the latest peer-reviewed science on adverse effects of synthetic agrochemicals and propose solutions, including “more localized organic agriculture are [some] of the farming systems we must adopt as a society to increase food security and mitigate agriculture’s impact on the global climate crisis and biodiversity decline.”

The growing awareness and acknowledgement by the scientific community of organic regenerative agriculture and criteria as a solution to the interlinking health, biodiversity, and climate crises is built on decades of legacy activism not only by pioneering farmers, but farmworkers, and farmworker justice groups who have been calling for food systems to transition away from poisonous products.

Agrochemicals, Adverse Effects, and Organic and Agroecological Solutions

The study’s authors are experts at research institutions and nonprofits organizations, including Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute and Environmental Health Program, Texas  Southern University Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice, Boston University School of Public Health, Cawthron Institute, University of California, Berkley, School of Public Health, Harvard University Department of the History of Science, Oregon State University Forest Ecosystems & Society, Conservation Biology Institute, and University of Montana Environmental Studies Program.

In the study’s section on agrochemicals, the authors emphasize the dependency on fossil fuels in the food system with astounding statistics. They write: “Agrochemicals, consisting mainly of synthetic chemical fertilizers and pesticides, are widely used in modern-day industrial agriculture. An estimated 99 [percent] of synthetic chemicals are derived from fossil fuels [381], with synthetic pesticides and nitrogen-based fertilizers derived mainly from petroleum, fracked gas and coal [324, 382, 383].”

There are several other important figures to consider in terms of the history of petrochemical dominance in the conventional food system:

• “In 2015 alone, the USA used over 26 billion pounds of nitrogen fertilizer [384]. With just over 80 pounds of nitrogen fertilizers used per acre of cropland on average [385], that translates to approximately 322 million acres of land in the USA treated with this fossil fuel product.
• “In 2021, around one billion pounds of pesticides were used in US agriculture in over 1.3 billion acre-treatments, which accounts for the number of US acres treated with pesticides multiplied by the number of applications made to that acreage [386].
• “The USA is the world’s third largest user of nitrogen-based fertilizers [387] and the second largest user of pesticides [388], indicating that it is a significant driver of the demand for fossil fuel-derived fertilizers and pesticides.”

Regarding corporate concentration in agribusiness, ETC Group and GRAIN assembled the following statistics on the degree of monopolization in the sector as of 2025:

• Four firms maintain control of half the global commercial seed supply and pesticide markets—Bayer, Syngenta, Corteva, and BASF;
• Two firms control 42 percent of the global commercial seeds market, with Bayer controlling 23 percent of the total market;
• Two companies control 40 percent of the global pesticides market, with Syngenta controlling approximately one quarter;
• Six companies supply 62 percent of the world’s potash fertilizers; China, Morocco, U.S., and Russia supply over 70 percent of global total phosphate fertilizers.

Pesticides that are sprayed and become airborne significantly disrupt ecological balances and affect nontarget species that are crucial for maintaining biodiversity, according to an article in Environmental Pollution. In this review of studies throughout countries in North and South America, Europe, and Asia, among others, researchers from Germany, Norway, the United Kingdom, and Poland reinforce the science about pesticides’ direct effect on species and the cascading effects of pesticide drift through various trophic levels within food webs that lead to overall devastating population effects. (See Daily News here.)

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. The authors determined that “a 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.” (See Daily News here.)  Another study in Conservation Genetics showcases the negative effect of chemical-intensive, conventional farm management on insect populations when compared to organically managed meadows. The researchers find that the diversity and biomass of flying insects are higher with organic land management by 11 percent and 75 percent, respectively. (See Daily News here.)

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) practices when evaluating resilience (to weather and insect resistance), input costs, and profitability. The underlying assumption that continuous pesticide use is an effective weapon in a never-ending war against insects, weeds, and fungal diseases is not borne out by the facts on economic viability, externalities, and sustainability of chemical-dependent farming operations. While organic systems faced reduced yields due to pest pressures from pink bollworm infestations, their relative decline is much smaller than that of the chemical-intensive operations. (See Daily News here.)  Peer-reviewed research published in European Journal of Agronomy determines that “organic farming equals conventional yield under irrigation and enhances seed quality in drought, aiding food security.” (See Daily News here.)

Call to Action

To advance principles of land management that align with nature, Beyond Pesticides is convening the 42^nd National Forum, The Pesticide Threat to Environmental Health: Advancing Holistic Solutions Aligned with Nature, bringing together scientists and land managers working to recognize and respect the ecosystems on which life depends. Scheduled to begin on October 29, 2025, 1:00-3:30 pm (Eastern time, US), the virtual Forum is free to all participants. See featured speakers! Register here.

The Call to the Forum, states:

We are all affected by how land is managed, food is grown, and nature is protected. Different experiences and perspectives may bring us to care about health and the environment and the devastating adverse effects of pesticides and toxic substances. However, ensuring a livable future requires us to cultivate a collective concern about daily decisions on the management of our personal and community spaces, the practices used to grow the food we buy, and the care that we as a society give to complex and fragile interrelationships that sustain the natural world on which we depend.  

Additionally, Beyond Pesticides has developed and actively maintains the Keeping Organic Strong resource hub, a one-stop shop for you to learn about changes in organic regulations. There is currently an opportunity for the public to weigh in on the integrity of national organic standards, as the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) convenes to discuss key issues and allowed materials in organic agriculture. Public Comment Webinars are scheduled to be held on October 28 and 30, 2025, from 12 pm to 5 pm EDT, pending updates on the government shutdown. 

For more background, see Keeping Organic Strong and the Fall 2025 issues page. The Fall NOSB meeting will be held both in person in Omaha, Nebraska, and virtually, via live-stream from November 4, 2025, to November 6, 2025.

All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.

Source: Oxford Open Climate Change ; ETC Group and GRAIN

(Beyond Pesticides, October 16, 2025) An important new study links pesticides, antibiotics, and nitrogen fertilizers to the extreme global crisis of antibiotic resistance, raising serious concerns about the adverse impacts of conventional (chemical-intensive) agricultural practices. The research team, from several Chinese universities and laboratories and Queen’s University in Belfast, conducted a three-year study in China using soil bacteria and phages (bacteriophages, or viruses that invade bacteria) from an experimental field, exposing them to a variety of conditions ranging from the control (no exposures) to various combinations of nitrogen fertilizer and two categories of pesticides (the insecticide chlorpyrifos and a blend of the fungicides azoxystrobin and propiconazole).

Phages are viruses that eat bacteria. They invade the bacterial cell and, in various ways, cause the death of the bacterium. Some viral genes cause the cells to lyse, or dissolve, releasing their genetic material into the surrounding environment, where other organisms can pick up new genes. In this way, phages are a major pipeline for horizontal gene transfer (movement of genes in bacteria from one bacterial species to another) among microbes. This phenomenon is of increasing concern because the genes circulating in this marketplace include many that enhance antibiotic resistance.

The researchers were interested in whether the combination of nitrogen and pesticide mixtures affected the transfer and use of antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs). The ARGs of most concern are those that are highly mobile, pathogenic, and resident in human environments.

They found a number of remarkable associations:

• In a particularly novel and significant finding, the researchers found that nitrogen was a strong driver of resistance processes. The richness and diversity of the phages were highest in the groups exposed to both nitrogen and combined pesticides, and the abundance of ARGs in phages was “markedly elevated” in those same exposure conditions. They also observed higher abundance of auxiliary metabolic genes, including those associated with virulence and gene transporters, under those conditions. The abundant presence of the ARGs and the auxiliary genes indicates that both viruses and bacteria are trying to survive under adverse conditions. They are at least in part responses to challenges to human-made soil inputs.
• The researchers found 41 high-risk ARGs, about a quarter of the total number of ARGs. The high-risk genes included those conferring resistance to tetracycline and bacitracin, and two genes for multidrug resistance.
• The number of high-risk ARGs in the group exposed to the highest levels of mixed pesticides plus nitrogen was more than three times the number in the control group.
• The phages found in the various test groups included those found in the human gut, forest soils, tundra and permafrost, and deep-sea sediments. Some of the phage types overlapped these environments, indicating the widespread occurrence of phages with the potential to distribute resistance genes to microbes.

The influence of nitrogen fertilizers adds an important dimension to the role of agricultural practices in generating antibiotic resistance. Nitrogen benefits some soil microbes, but it is a stressor for many others. It increases ARG abundance and can enhance uptake of the heavy metals cadmium and copper by crops. Other effects include reducing enzyme activity and acidifying the soil.

The problem of antibiotic resistance, like the resistance of target organisms to pesticides, is an urgent global phenomenon. The pharmaceutical industry has not been able to keep up with the inevitable development of microbial resistance by developing new antibiotics. One expert defined the antibiotic era as lasting from the 1930s, when sulfa drugs were introduced, to 2005, when daptomycin was introduced. Daptomycin is a last-resort treatment for resistant bacterial infections, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci. Resistance to daptomycin has been reported clinically and in a Staphylococcus strain common in industrial pig farms. In fact, a 2021 study found the resistance gene in multiple geographically distant species and traced its origin to the pig microbe, showing how horizontal gene transfer in microbes can distribute genes far and fast, and how industrial agriculture threatens food security worldwide.

The use of antibiotics as pesticides has contributed to the resistance problem. Currently, EPA has registered only three antibiotics for application to crops, mostly for use on fruits, some tree nuts, a few vegetables, and some ornamentals. The antibiotic streptomycin has been used as a pesticide against greening on Florida citrus crops. In 2021, Beyond Pesticides joined with other groups in a lawsuit against EPA to stop the practice, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in the plaintiffs’ favor in 2023, saying EPA had not shown that streptomycin would be effective or that the agency had taken steps to protect against the emergence of resistance. EPA could have and should have known. As one review in 2024 put it, “In almost every region where streptomycin has been used to control bacterial diseases in the United States, bacterial populations resistant to this antibiotic have been detected.” Beyond Pesticides continues to urge EPA to cancel all uses of a pesticide when resistance is discovered or considered likely based on its chemical structure.

But in addition to using antibiotics as pesticides, pesticides can trigger resistance to antibiotics all by themselves. Beyond Pesticides’ July 11 Daily News reports on a study from India finding that glyphosate, 2,4-D, and dicamba help bacteria become resistant to tetracycline and ampicillin; previous research has shown that these pesticides create resistance in Salmonella and E. coli. The Indian study also found that chlorpyrifos increases the circulation among microbes of multidrug-resistant plasmids, and azoxystrobin strengthens Pseudomonas aeruginosa’s ability to pump threatening molecules like antibiotics and pesticides out of its cells. P. aeruginosa causes many hospital-acquired infections and is highly resistant to many antibiotics.

The situation with bacteriophages is made more complex by another and increasingly popular idea to cope with the resistance crisis: that these phages could be used to combat multidrug-resistant bacteria.

They do, after all, attack and kill bacteria. The idea was first proposed in 1917 but ignored in favor of antibiotics until the recent resistance crisis, except in the former Soviet Union and its satellite countries. In the U.S., there is increasing interest as more desperate cases of bacterial infection failing to respond to any antibiotics or combinations thereof arise in the medical system.

Phages are far more selective than antibiotics, attacking specific types of bacteria rather than killing off entire microbiota, but this means scientists must search through thousands of phages to find the ones effective against a particular bacterium. Yet at the same time, while there is a risk that the bacteria will become resistant to the attacking phages, in some cases, that resistance has made the bacteria more sensitive to antibiotics.

Suffice it to say that phage therapy against resistant microbes is in its infancy, and in any case, does not directly address the interactivity of pesticides, antibiotics, and nitrogen fertilizers in the agricultural system. While it may prove beneficial in clinical settings, the crisis in these settings is the end result of the vast uncontrolled use of both antibiotics and industrial chemicals, such as pesticides and fertilizers in the ambient environment. Both antibiotics and pesticides are notoriously misused around the world, and without removing both from agriculture, there is no control over how living organisms—bacteria and viruses comprising the vast majority of these – will make use of the resulting opportunities.

The Organic Foods Production Act does not allow the use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers or antibiotics and restricts the use of synthetic chemicals–including pesticides–to those on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances. Allowed materials on the National List must be approved by the National Organic Standards Board, based on a finding that they are not harmful to humans or the environment, necessary for organic production and handling, and consistent with organic practices.

Pesticides, antibiotics, and climate change are a triple threat to humanity and the biosphere. Every interaction between pesticides and antibiotics – and, it is now known, nitrogen fertilizers – that increases microbial resistance raises the threat of new pandemics that cannot be controlled.

📣 Stay tuned for the upcoming Action of the Week to take action on antibiotic resistance in agriculture, lawns, and landscapes!

Join us on October 29, 2025, for the first session of the National Forum Series! [Virtual]

🌱 The 42^nd National Forum Series, The Pesticide Threat to Environmental Health: Advancing Holistic Solutions Aligned with Nature—scheduled to begin on October 29, 2025, 1:00-3:30pm (Eastern time, US), will focus on aligning land management with nature in response to current chemical-intensive practices that pose a threat to health (see Pesticide-Induced Diseases Database), biodiversity, and climate. It challenges participants—as concerned families, community residents, purchasers of products, advocates for policy, decision makers, and workers—to think holistically about ways we can join together to solve the existential threats to health, biodiversity, and climate for which petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers are major contributors. 

➡️ Join the virtual Forum as participants and featured speakers come together to empower effective action and chart a path for a livable and sustainable future. Registration provides access to all sessions of the Forum. The virtual Forum is free to all participants.  Register here.

All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.

Sources:
Combined pesticide pollution enhances the dissemination of the phage-encoded antibiotic resistome in the soil under nitrogen deposition
Shen et al
PNAS October 2025
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41042849/

Court Finds EPA Allowance of Antibiotic Streptomycin Use on Citrus Illegal
Beyond Pesticides, December 20, 2023
https://beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/2023/12/court-finds-epa-allowance-of-antibiotic-streptomycin-use-on-citrus-illegal/

Adding to Wide Body of Science, Study Finds Pesticide Residues Threaten Health of Soil Microbiome
Beyond Pesticides, May 13, 2025
https://beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/2025/05/adding-to-wide-body-of-science-study-finds-pesticide-residues-threaten-health-of-soil-microbiome/

Exploring Bacteriophage Therapy for Drug-Resistant Bacterial Infections
Schooley Robert T
Bacteriophages March 2023
https://www.iasusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/31-1-23.pdf

National Organic Standards
Beyond Pesticides
https://www.beyondpesticides.org/programs/organic-agriculture/keeping-organic-strong/national-organic-standards

Phage Therapy: Past, Present and Future
Madeline Barron
American Society for Microbiology 2022
https://asm.org/articles/2022/august/phage-therapy-past,-present-and-futures

(Beyond Pesticides, October 15, 2025) The latest Scientific Investigations Report for 2025 from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), entitled “National Water Quality Program: Multidecadal Change in Pesticide Concentrations Relative to Human Health Benchmarks in the Nation’s Groundwater,” finds moderate concentrations of five pesticides, with the highest percentages in agricultural wells, and concentrations of the carcinogenic soil fumigant DBCP (1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane), which also causes infertility, that are greater than the maximum containment level, despite being banned over 45 years ago. These results highlight the persistence of pesticides used in agriculture and the elevated risks of pesticide contamination in agricultural areas.

This report monitors concentrations of pesticides in well networks across the U.S. in decadal intervals, with this last one incorporating data ranging from 1993-2023. Additionally, DBCP in one well network in the San Joaquin-Tulare River Basin in California continues to be assessed due to previous levels exceeding the human health benchmark (HHB) established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The limitations of the study are disclosed in the text of the report. As the authors state: “Only pesticides with an HHB were included in the multidecadal pesticide change analysis… The total number of pesticides included in this study is less than the previous national assessment (n=80), because only 21 compounds were included in laboratory analysis from 1993 to 2023 and also had HHBs to evaluate potential risk to human health.” This limitation restricted the study, which only includes 22 pesticides in their analysis from 1993 to 2023. The 22 pesticides in which concentrations were measured in groundwater include: the degradate deethylatrazine (DEA) and the parent compounds acetochlor, alachlor, atrazine, azinphos-methyl, carbaryl, chlorpyrifos, cis-permethrin, diazinon, fonofos, malathion, methyl-parathion, metolachlor, metribuzin, pendimethalin, phorate, prometon, propyzamide, simazine, tebuthiuron, terbufos, and 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP). This list does not include many pesticides with a history of high use, such as glyphosate, 2,4-D, dicamba, or paraquat.

Furthermore, the limitation of HHBs as a measure of safety has been raised as a concern by Beyond Pesticides. HHBs, like other regulatory measures of risk, do not take into account certain adverse health outcomes, such as endocrine disruption, for which EPA has not established a completed protocol for regulatory review. Additionally, EPA does not fully evaluate the effect of pesticide mixtures with other pesticides and other chemicals like pharmaceuticals. Exposure to mixtures can cause both cumulative and synergistic effects, as captured by the independent peer-reviewed scientific literature.

Overview of Groundwater Contamination

The widespread use of pesticides in both agricultural and urban environments has led to the contamination of groundwater, which threatens human health when the contaminated groundwater is a source for drinking water. As the authors state, “In the United States, groundwater from domestic supply wells is used as a drinking-water source for 13 percent of the U.S. population.” Since domestic supply wells are not regulated by state or federal law, this leaves residents accountable for not only maintenance but for monitoring these drinking-water sources. (See here, here, and here.)

Fifty-nine well networks, each including 20 to 30 wells, are monitored for pesticide concentrations by USGS. These well networks are “distributed throughout eight aggregated ecoregions (Pacific Northwest, Pacific Coast, Arid West, Semiarid West, Mountain West, Midcontinent, South Atlantic Gulf, and Northeast)… [and] represent a range of soils, climate, and landforms in the conterminous United States.” The USGS National Water Quality Network for Groundwater (NWQN-GW), according to the report, is the largest spatially distributed groundwater-quality monitoring network in the world.

This monitoring is a result of the 2009 SECURE Water Act, where the U.S. Congress tasked USGS to perform regular, comprehensive water availability assessments. The USGS National Water Quality Network-Groundwater (NWQN-GW) began in 1991, operating as a part of the larger National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project, while the National Ground-Water Monitoring Network (NGWMN) is a separate network specifically for monitoring groundwater that began with a pilot network in 2009 and began full implementation in 2015.

 “Groundwater quality is a key water resources domain that can affect water availability trends, and the purpose of this multi-decadal groundwater pesticide trends study is to assess changes in concentrations within the NWQN-GW,” the authors note. Changes in relative concentrations are noted when the percentage of wells with pesticide contamination exceeds human health benchmarks (HHBs). The HHBs in this report, those available from EPA, incorporate legally enforceable drinking-water standards and nonenforceable drinking water levels.

Study Methodology

The analysis of the 22 pesticides in groundwater is separated into decadal intervals, with decade 1 from 1993–2001, decade 2 from 2002–2012, and decade 3 from 2013–2022. The quality of groundwater is assessed in 24 agricultural wells, 15 urban wells, and 20 domestic supply wells within 25 principal aquifers of the U.S. that have been monitored since 1993. The additional analysis of DBCP in California includes data collected in decades 1-3, as well as decade 4 (2023–onward) within one well network comprised of 36 wells.

The authors state: “Samples collected in decades 1 and 2 were analyzed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry or high-performance liquid chromatography… Decade 3 samples were analyzed at the NWQL using a broad-spectrum liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method.” They continue: “The change in laboratory analytical methods between decades 2 and 3 has the potential to introduce bias into the analysis of datasets that span all three decades.” This raises concerns about the ability of the reported data to reflect accurate risks to human health.

After sampling the wells and performing analyses in the lab for concentrations of the 22 pesticides included in the study, the relative concentrations, as compared to HHBs, classified the results into one of four categories. Pesticide concentrations above the HHB are high, while those “that exceeded 0.10 of the HHB but were lower than or equal to the HHB were moderate. Concentrations that exceeded 0.05 of the HHB but were lower than or equal to 0.10 of the HHB were defined as low-moderate. Concentrations lower than or equal to 0.05 of the HHB were low.”

Study Results

In the main sampling for decades 1-3, no pesticides are detected at high concentrations, but five pesticides are detected at moderate concentrations, including alachlor, atrazine, deethylatrazine (DEA), prometon, and simazine. The authors also report: “The percentage of all wells that had pesticide concentrations in the moderate category decreased each decade, from 7 percent in decade 1 to 2 percent in decade 3… The agricultural wells were the well type that had the highest percentages of moderate concentrations, and these percentages decreased each decade.”

This reported decrease raises many questions. Are the numbers lower in the latest decade due to the replacement of the tested pesticides with other pesticides not accounted for? Is there actually a reduction in pesticide use as organic agriculture is being adopted? Are there limitations within the study, in addition to the change in analytical methods mentioned above, that do not accurately reflect the concentrations of pesticides within the wells?

The authors say: “We hypothesize that one of the processes that may have contributed to the reduction of pesticide concentrations in groundwater include degradation through abiotic or biotic processes in soils or groundwater. Alternative explanations for the decrease include reduction in pesticide use or a change in the transport of pesticides to groundwater over time. Changes in pesticide use and soil management, coupled with changes in precipitation and temperature, can vary over time, affecting pesticide transport to groundwater.” (See here and here.)

Additionally, four pesticides, including alachlor, atrazine, DEA, and simazine, are detected at low-moderate concentrations, with the highest percentages of low-moderate concentrations occurring in the agricultural wells and remaining constant for each decade.

The additional analysis of DBCP in California for decade 4, which was conducted since this is the only pesticide that previously exceeded its respective HHB, shows that despite being banned over 45 years ago, DBCP concentrations are greater than the maximum contaminant level of 2 micrograms per liter (µg/L) for all four decades. The number of exceedances decreased from 1993 to 2023, but is still higher than the HHB overall.

In summary, the authors say: “In our study, pesticides were detected at moderate concentrations in domestic supply wells in three aggregated ecoregions: the Arid West, Northeast, and Semiarid West. The domestic-well networks within the NWQN-GW cover areas that supply groundwater to more than 6 million people, or about 13 percent of the total number of people relying on domestic supply in the United States, and these networks cover at least part of the principal aquifers that together represent 99 percent of the withdrawals for domestic supply.” (See here, here, and here.)

Previous Research

Beyond Pesticides extensively covers pesticide contamination throughout air, water, soil, and food, as well as within human and wildlife bodies that are subjected to pesticides through multiple exposure routes. As shared in Daily News, the toxic soup in many U.S. waterways is unsustainable and threatens the foundation of many food chains. Imbalances in aquatic environments can ripple throughout the food web, creating trophic cascades that further exacerbate health and environmental damage. Studies of major rivers and streams find that 90% of fish, 100% of surface water samples, and 41% of major aquifers contain one or more pesticides at detectable levels. Almost 90% of water samples contain at least five or more different pesticides.

Daily News from 2021 reports on a study published by the USGS in which they determined that millions of people are drinking from groundwater reserves riddled with pesticide and pesticide metabolites or breakdown chemicals. More specifically, USGS researchers found that 41% of public drinking water supply wells are contaminated with pesticides. USGS, in a 2023 study published in Environment International, found that nearly half (45%) of U.S. tap water is contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Researchers note that USGS can only detect 32 of the more than 12,000 different types of PFAS and PFAS breakdown chemicals, thus indicating the number is most likely higher. (See Daily News here and additional coverage in the groundwater archive here.)

The Organic Alternative

This USGS report further highlights the need for a holistic solution to pesticide contamination. The limitations highlighted within this study show how the true risks from pesticide exposure to human health are not fully evaluated. The authors themselves say, “Currently, groundwater contaminants from either geogenic or anthropogenic origin are very likely to coexist in groundwater, and there is a scientific gap in understanding about the combined effects of these groundwater contaminants on human health.” The inability to consider the cumulative exposure to pesticides, where additive or synergistic effects can occur, threatens the health of the public, wildlife, and the environment.

Additive effects of pesticide mixtures occur when the combined effect is equal to the sum of the individual effects, while synergistic effects occur when the combined effect is greater than the sum of the individual effects. In a Pesticides and You article, Beyond Pesticides reports that pesticide exposures in the real world are not isolated incidents. Rather, they are a string of incidents marked by combinations of exposures. As a result, scientists have argued for years that toxic exposures to pesticides should be measured as they would normally occur, in combination with one another. Yet, current federal law does not require this type of testing for pesticides on the market, except in very limited instances.

In Daily News titled “Scientific Studies Identify EPA Deficiency in Evaluating Safety of Toxic Chemical Interactions,” Beyond Pesticides references a plethora of scientific literature in calling on Congress to require EPA to incorporate real world science into its evaluation of pesticide safety calculations by recognizing that daily exposure involves multiple chemicals and synergistic interactions— a magnified effect greater than the individual chemical effects added together. As noted by Maricel Maffini, PhD, and Laura Vandenberg, PhD, in a commentary in Frontiers in Toxicology, “Current approaches also rely on the assumption that testing chemicals one at a time is appropriate to understand how chemicals act under real-world conditions. Numerous mixture studies, including ones that demonstrated cumulative effects, have disproven this assumption.” (See additional coverage on synergistic effects here.)

Despite the limitations of the target chemicals in the report and the regulatory standards supporting the HHBs, the authors feel: “The rarity of HHB exceedances and the national-scale decrease in moderate concentrations of pesticides can be viewed as encouraging results from a human-health standpoint. However, continued monitoring and assessment of groundwater pesticides is warranted, as many negative human-health effects have been linked to pesticide exposure, and these negative effects can occur when pesticide concentrations are below the human health benchmarks used in this study.” (See research here, here, and here.)

Taking into consideration all of the adverse health effects that peer-reviewed scientific literature connects to pesticide exposure, as well as all of the effects that have yet to be fully studied, the only way, according to Beyond Pesticides, to ensure that any level of pesticide contamination within groundwater or any other resource causes no harm is to transition fully to organic agricultural and land management practices. The health and environmental benefits of organic methods are widely documented and supported by science. (See here, here, and here.)

Take action today by telling your local officials to make your parks organic. Does your community have a pesticide-free park managed with organic practices? Do you wish it did? The time to take action to protect those parks and create new ones is now. With Beyond Pesticides’ supporters, including the retailer Natural Grocers in the Midwest and west, the Beyond Pesticides’ Parks for a Sustainable Future program provides in-depth training to assist community land managers in transitioning two public green spaces to organic landscape management, while aiming to provide the knowledge and skills necessary to eventually transition all public areas in a locality to these safer practices.

All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.

Source:

Stackpoole, S., Lindsey, B. and Nell, C. (2025) National Water Quality Program: Multidecadal Change in Pesticide Concentrations Relative to Human Health Benchmarks in the Nation’s Groundwater, U.S. Geological Survey. Available at: https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2025/5081/sir20255081.pdf.

(Beyond Pesticides, October 14, 2025) With escalating environmental, health, climate crises tied to petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers, Beyond Pesticides is calling the transition to organic land management a mandate, not a choice. Additionally, as a solution, organic agriculture has returned competitive yields with chemical-intensive farming and higher profitability. In this context, Beyond Pesticides and its network are supporting the Organic Science and Research Investment (OSRI) Act, S.1385 and H.R. 5703, to help grow the organic sector and are asking members of Congress to cosponsor the legislation. If passed, OSRI will make strategic investments into the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) organic agriculture research, assisting farmers to meet the growing demand for organic products and keep organic dollars circulating in rural and regional economies. The House and Senate bills include the same legislative language. 

As the health, biodiversity, and climate crises escalate, Beyond Pesticides views organic agriculture and nonagricultural land management as a social good, necessary to a sustainable future. Given the dismantling of many federal environmental programs and the weakening or undermining of pesticide regulation, the transition to the organic alternative has taken on increased importance, according to public health and environmental advocates. The true cost of conventional, petrochemical pesticide and fertilizer use is integral to any calculation of the overall economic benefit of organic practices. Most of the costs of chemical-intensive land management are not borne by the pesticide user or chemical companies, but by society or taxpayers who bear the cost of environmental and human health harms, lost ecosystem services such as die-off of pollinators, water contamination, and the cost of fighting climate-induced fires and flooding. 

Research in recent months finds: consumption of organic animal-based and plant-based foods is positively associated with higher cognitive scores; organic rice paddies in the Mediterranean region have greater ecosystem biodiversity than their chemical-intensive counterparts; “organic farming equals conventional yield under irrigation and enhances seed quality in drought, aiding food security;” organic corn outcompetes with chemical-intensive corn in Kenya; organic agriculture fosters insect biodiversity that provides ecosystem services like pollination and biocontrol; and, organic grain cropping systems contain higher concentrations of total nitrogen and soil organic carbon, exceeding those found in chemical-intensive systems. 

OSRI (H.R. 5703) was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on October 6 by Representative Eugene Vindman (D-VA), with co-sponsor Michael Lawler (R-NY), and reintroduced in the U.S. Senate (S.1385) in April by sponsors John Fetterman (D-PA) and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), and cosponsors Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Peter Welch (D-VT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Angus King (I-ME). The legislation seeks to ensure “organics research is prioritized at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and [increased] funding for research agencies and universities, [as well as ] provid[ing] much needed support to the organic farming industry.” 

Specifically, OSRI strengthens federal commitments to organic agriculture by: 

• Creating the Coordinating and Expanding Organic Research Initiative at the USDA to assess and efficiently expand the agency’s organic research portfolio. 

• Increasing funding for the Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) from its current budget of $50 million annually to $100 million by the end of the next Farm Bill. 

• Formally authorizing the Organic Transition Research Program to support farmers transitioning to organic practices, renaming the program to the Researching the Transition to Organic Program (RTOP). 

• Doubling Farm Bill support for the Organic Production and Market Data Initiative to improve market transparency, help inform targeted market development investments, and improve risk management tools. 

• Directing the USDA’s Economic Research Service to evaluate the full economic, ecological, and community impacts of organic agriculture. 

At a time when food security and economic resilience are more important than ever, OSRI helps ensure that U.S. producers, not foreign suppliers, are meeting the needs of American consumers. 

Letter to U.S. Congress
A growing body of evidence demonstrates the environmental, health, climate, and economic benefits of organic agriculture. As crises escalate, organic agriculture and nonagricultural land management must be viewed as a social good, necessary to a sustainable future. Societal transition to organic practices requires a reorientation to its value as a public good. Given the dismantling of many federal environmental programs and weakening or undermining of pesticide regulation, it is critical to support the organic alternative. The true cost of conventional, petrochemical pesticide and fertilizer use is integral to any calculation of the overall economic benefit of organic practices. Most of the costs of chemical-intensive land management are not borne by the pesticide user or chemical companies, but by society or taxpayers who bear the cost of environmental and human health harms, lost ecosystem services such as die-off of pollinators, water contamination, and the cost of fighting climate-induced fires and flooding. 

Research in recent months finds: consumption of organic animal-based and plant-based foods is positively associated with higher cognitive scores; organic rice paddies in the Mediterranean region have greater ecosystem biodiversity than their chemical-intensive counterparts; “organic farming equals conventional yield under irrigation and enhances seed quality in drought, aiding food security;” organic corn outcompetes chemical-intensive corn in Kenya; organic agriculture fosters insect biodiversity that provides ecosystem services like pollination and biocontrol; and organic grain cropping systems contain higher concentrations of total nitrogen and soil organic carbon, exceeding those found in chemical-intensive systems.

Fortunately, members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate have reintroduced the Organic Science and Research Investment (OSRI) Act, S.1385 and H.R. 5703, which will make strategic investments into USDA organic agriculture research, assisting farmers to meet the growing demand for organic products and keep organic dollars circulating in rural and regional economies.

In April, Senators John Fetterman (PA-D) and Sen. Adam Schiff (CA-D), reintroduced OSRI, S.1385, to ensure “organics research is prioritized at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and [increased] funding for research agencies and universities, [as well as] provid[ing] much needed support to the organic farming industry.” The bill is co-sponsored by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Peter Welch (D-VT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Angus King (I-ME). Representatives Lawler (R-NY) and Vindman (D-VA) have introduced a House version, H.R. 5703.

Specifically, OSRI strengthens federal commitments to organic agriculture by:

*Creating the Coordinating and Expanding Organic Research Initiative at the USDA to assess and efficiently expand the agency’s organic research portfolio.

*Increasing funding for the Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) from its current budget of $50 million annually to $100 million by the end of the next Farm Bill.

*Formally authorizing the Organic Transition Research Program to support farmers transitioning to organic practices, renaming the program to the Researching the Transition to Organic Program (RTOP).

*Doubling Farm Bill support for the Organic Production and Market Data Initiative to improve market transparency, help inform targeted market development investments, and improve risk management tools.

*Directing the USDA’s Economic Research Service to evaluate the full economic, ecological, and community impacts of organic agriculture.

At a time when food security and economic resilience are more important than ever, OSRI helps ensure that U.S. producers, not foreign suppliers, are meeting the needs of American consumers.

Please cosponsor OSRI.

(Beyond Pesticides, October 10-13, 2025) On Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Monday, October 13), Beyond Pesticides acknowledges that we recognize that the land we are situated on is the ancestral lands of the Ncothtank (Anacostan), and neighboring Piscataway and Pamunkey peoples, who have served as stewards for the region’s land, water, and air for generations. In reverence for the sovereignty and leadership of First Nations, and with respect for the wisdom of Indigenous peoples globally, environmental and public health advocates continue to advocate for the elimination of petrochemical-based pesticides and fertilizers, and the advancement of organic regenerative criteria that align with ecologically-based food and land management systems.

This year, Indigenous Peoples’ Day falls on the petrochemical fertilizer industry-supported Global Fertilizer Day, which promotes synthetic fertilizers, rather than recognizing the value of agroecology—the shared understanding of the inextricable link that binds agricultural and ecological systems.

Reflection of Turbulent U.S. Position on Indigenous Sovereignty

The federal holiday on October 13, traditionally known as Columbus Day, has for many been reoriented to recognize that the “discovery” of the Americas was, in fact, an invasion of the Western hemisphere by European colonists who expropriated unceded land and devastated Indigenous cultures, self-governance, and ways of life. In fact, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), adopted in 2007, found:

“[I]ndigenous peoples have suffered from historic injustices as a result of, inter alia, their colonization and dispossession of their lands, territories and resources, thus preventing them from exercising, in particular, their right to development in accordance with their own needs and interests.”

The Biden Administration took steps toward recognizing Indigenous systems when issuing proclamations on previous Indigenous Peoples’ Days in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, as covered in previous Daily News. The 2024 Proclamation on Indigenous Peoples’ Day reads as follows:

“The history of America’s Indigenous peoples is marked by perseverance, survival, and a deep commitment to and pride in their heritage, right to self-governance, and ways of life. Since time immemorial, Indigenous peoples have built and sustained powerful Tribal Nations, cultivated rich cultures, and established vibrant communities. And their discoveries and knowledge still benefit us today. But because of our Nation’s failed policies of the past, generations of Native peoples have faced cruelty, violence, and intimidation. They were forced to leave their homelands, prohibited from speaking their own languages and practicing their sacred traditions, and forced into assimilation. Indigenous lives were lost, livelihoods were ripped away, and communities were fundamentally altered.  Despite the trauma and turmoil, Indigenous peoples have persisted and survived.  Their stories are testaments to the bravery and resolve of generations to preserve their heritage, cultures, and identities for those to come after them.”

In May, President Trump said he would not recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Numerous funding pools and programs are being targeted for dismantling, as highlighted by the National Indian Health Board, as well as a joint report produced by Portland State University (PSU) and Northwest Environmental Justice Center. The Trump Administration’s Discretionary Budget Request, proposed for Fiscal Year 2026, includes:

• 4 percent overall reduction in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) topline funding ($4.16 billion), and elimination of Environmental Justice programs, overlapping with Tribal Pesticide Programs;
• $617 million reduction to Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Programs that Support Tribal Self-Governance and Tribal Communities;
• The proposed elimination of the Indian Guaranteed Loan Program and Indian Land Consolidation Program (in partnership with the Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD]);
• The proposed elimination of all EPA Pesticide Program Implementation Grants, including the elimination of multiple State and Tribal Assistance Grants (STAGs) and Categorical Grants, including:
  • Diesel Emissions Reduction Grant Program
  • Small and Disadvantaged Communities Drinking Water Grants
  • Beaches Protection Grant Program
  • Brownfields Program
  • Environmental Information categorical grants
  • Lead Program
  • Nonpoint Source (Section 319 of the Clean Water Act) categorical grants
  • Pollution Control (Section 106 of the Clean Water Act) categorical grants
  • Pesticides Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Cooperative Agreement Program
  • Pesticides Program Implementation Grants Program
  • Pollution Prevention (P2) Categorical Grants Program
  • Public Water System Supervision (PWSS) Program
  • Radon Program categorical grants
  • State and Local Air Quality Management Program
  • Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Compliance Monitoring Program
  • Underground Storage Tanks (UST) Program
  • Wetland Program Development Grants Program
  • Resource Recovery and Hazardous Waste Grants
• $187 million cut to Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) construction program;
• Approximately $530 million of the $1.19 billion congressionally allocated funds to Northwest tribal nations in FY24 are at risk of being cut; sixty programs identified by PSU researchers were named in the GOP-led spending bill for potential cuts.
• Proposed elimination of various National Institutes of Health (NIH) programs, including:
  • National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities ($534.4 million);
  • National Institute of Nursing Research ($197.7 million);
  • National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health ($170.4 million);
  • Fogarty International Center ($95.2 million);
  • Office of the Director, Extramural Construction Grants for Biomedical Research Facilities ($80 million).
• Proposed reductions for several programs that specifically serve Tribal Nations in the Administration for Children, Families, and Communities (ACFC):
  • Proposed elimination of Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Formula Grants for Indian Tribes ($45.6 million decrease from FY25 levels);
  • Proposed elimination of Community Services Block Grant Formula Grants for Indian Tribes ($6.7 million reduction from FY25 levels).
• Proposed reduction of operating funds for Bureau of Indian Education post-secondary programs from $183.3 million to $22.1 million, including “career and technical schools, community colleges, four-year colleges and universities,” as reported by The Guardian in July 2025.

For additional information on federal funding cuts and further analysis of the Portland State University report, see recent coverage by Oregon Capital Chronicle.

Disproportionate Risks, Environmental Racism

In 2022, a report published in The Lancet Regional Health: Americas reflects on and identifies the “environmental violence related to pesticide exposure” that Indigenous Peoples in North America, and globally, have historically and continue to face on their lands. The authors of the report include experts from Harvard Medical School, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, United Nations Global Indigenous Youth Caucus, Mass General Brigham’s Department of Emergency Medicine, Division of Medical Toxicology, George Washington University, Stanford University, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Yale University. Three of the authors are members of First Nations, including Victor A. Lopez-Carmen of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe and Yaqui Nation, Anpotowin Jensen of the Oglala Lakota Nation, and Dr. Marcos Moreno of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe.

The report unpacks the role of federal and international pesticide law (Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act [FIFRA] and Rotterdam Convention [see Daily News here], respectively) in perpetuating environmental violence by permitting the manufacturing and exportation of pesticides banned in the United States to Indigenous communities outside of the country, gathering testimonials from members of the Yaqui Nation in Sonora, Mexico. “More than 80 testimonies were collected according to official UN testimony standards by Indigenous rights organizations, including the International Indian Treaty Council (IITC), and submitted to the various UN human rights bodies,” say the authors. There are 20 testimonies with open access that can be read here.

Additionally, in a survey-based study published in Journal of Environmental Health in 2023, approximately 11,326 participants identifying as “American Indian and Alaska Native” shared their experiences with occupational and environmental exposures for the Education and Research Towards Health (EARTH) Study in the Southwest U.S. and Alaska. Pesticides and petroleum ranked first and second among the most commonly reported hazards for participants in the Southwest U.S. The goal of this study was to provide “baseline data to facilitate future exposure-response analyses.”

On the subject of international solidarity, earlier this summer, the United Nations observed International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, a critical acknowledgement of Indigenous “food sovereignty, food security, biodiversity conservation and climate resilience,” as outlined in the report of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Eighteenth Session (July 14–18, 2025). As the report states, under Article 20 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, “Indigenous Peoples possess distinct economic systems rooted in traditional knowledge, practices and resources and have the right to sustain, strengthen and develop these systems in accordance with their cultures, traditions, values and aspirations.” It continues, “When deprived of their means of subsistence and development, this article provides that Indigenous Peoples are entitled to just and fair redress.” In a statement recognizing the importance of the day, Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, Albert K. Barume, focuses on the need for Artificial Intelligence (AI) to recognize that, “Indigenous Peoples have long been stewards of knowledge, biodiversity, and sustainable living [and] [w]ithout their meaningful participation, AI systems risk perpetuating historical injustices and deepening the violation of their rights.” (See Daily News here.)

Call to Action

It is our collective responsibility as environmental and public health advocates to stand in solidarity with Indigenous peoples, groups, and organizations. Beyond Pesticides was created from concerns of agricultural in/justice stemming from continuous farmworker exposure to pesticides and synthetic agrochemical inputs.

• We highlight Harvest of All First Nations (HAFN) because of their leadership in Boulder County, Colorado (“within the territory of the Hinóno’éí (Arapaho) people, and that 48 contemporary tribal nations lived, camped, hunted, and traded here for centuries”) in advancing holistic, community-centered solutions and an organic future.
• HAFN’s Food Justice & Sovereignty Program (FJS) is aimed at cultivating equitable community spaces and biodiverse gardens, empowering underserved communities through hands-on education and opportunity to connect with the land. The core activities include free bilingual educational programming focused on Indigenous agricultural practices, cultural empowerment, and community revitalization. In addition, FJS grows over 1,000 pounds of ancestral foods and medicines, donating 100 percent of the harvest to food relief organizations throughout Boulder County.
• At the 35^th National Forum Series, Healthy Hives, Healthy Lives, Healthy Land: Ecological and Organic Strategies for Regeneration, you can learn more here about the environmental health effects facing Indigenous communities from Robert Shimek, former executive director of White Earth Land Recovery Project. There are also groups like Indigenous Environmental Network that are devoted to “address[ing] environmental and economic justice issues (EJ).”

While community-based, Indigenous-led organizations are continuing to model the restorative, organic agroecosystems that communities across the country wish to see, EPA announced a concerning update on October 7 in terms of the potentially indefinite termination of the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC), one of the only (somewhat) public forums to address EPA officials. The notice reads: “While undergoing its biennial review required by law, the charter for PPDC has temporarily expired as the agency makes some minor adjustments to the charter. While EPA is planning to expeditiously recharter PPDC, consistent with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) (5 U.S.C. § 1008(c)), the activities of PPDC and its workgroups will temporarily cease until rechartering is complete. As a result, EPA has cancelled the November 2025 full committee public PPDC meeting.”

Meanwhile, Beyond Pesticides has developed and actively maintains the Keeping Organic Strong resource hub, a one-stop shop for you to learn about changes in organic regulations. There is currently an opportunity for the public to weigh in on the integrity of national organic standards, as the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) convenes to discuss key issues and allowed materials in organic agriculture. Public Comment Webinars are scheduled to be held on October 28 and 30, 2025, from 12 pm to 5 pm EDT, pending updates on the government shutdown. For more background, see Keeping Organic Strong and the Fall 2025 issues page. The Fall NOSB meeting will be held both in person in Omaha, Nebraska, and virtually, via live-stream from November 4, 2025, to November 6, 2025.

🆕 To advance principles of land management that align with nature, Beyond Pesticides is convening the 42^nd National Forum, The Pesticide Threat to Environmental Health: Advancing Holistic Solutions Aligned with Nature, bringing together scientists and land managers working to recognize and respect the ecosystems on which life depends. Scheduled to begin on October 29, 2025, 1:00-3:30pm (Eastern time, US), the virtual Forum is free to all participants. See our featured speakers! ➡️ Register here.

All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.

Sources: National Indian Health Board ; Portland State University ; Journal of Environmental Health ; The Guardian ; Oregon Capital Chronicle ; The Lancet Regional Health: Americas ; Harvest of All First Nations ; White Earth Land Recovery Project ; Indigenous Environmental Network

(Beyond Pesticides, October 9, 2025) The 42^nd National Forum Series, The Pesticide Threat to Environmental Health: Advancing Holistic Solutions Aligned with Nature—scheduled to begin on October 29, 2025, 1:00-3:30pm (Eastern time, US), will focus on aligning land management with nature in response to current chemical-intensive practices that pose a threat to health (see Pesticide-Induced Diseases Database), biodiversity, and climate. The virtual Forum is free to all participants. ➡️ Register here.

The Call to the Forum, states:

We are all affected by how land is managed, food is grown, and nature is protected. Different experiences and perspectives may bring us to care about health and the environment and the devastating adverse effects of pesticides and toxic substances. However, ensuring a livable future requires us to cultivate a collective concern about daily decisions on the management of our personal and community spaces, the practices used to grow the food we buy, and the care that we as a society give to complex and fragile interrelationships that sustain the natural world on which we depend.  

The Pesticide Threat to Environmental Health: Advancing Holistic Solutions Aligned with Nature challenges participants—as concerned families, community residents, purchasers of products, advocates for policy, decision makers, and workers—to think holistically about ways we can join together to solve the existential threats to health, biodiversity, and climate for which petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers are major contributors.  

Speakers will talk about strategies, literally building from the ground up. Whether living in a rural area, a city, or suburb, people are intricately linked by the shared environment. And for this reason, the Forum is intended to focus on embracing, in a practical way, natural systems that serve as the foundation for life. 

The Forum begins with case studies on what is being done now to integrate nature into the food production system in ways that are beneficial to the organisms in the environment and the health and economy of the areas where they live. The speakers will talk about their research and practical experience in identifying practices that embrace nature with a collaborative spirit and teach about the value of bats, birds, and beavers in productive agricultural and land management systems, exemplifying the path forward in all aspects of modern life. 

According to Beyond Pesticides, the costs (Tegtmeier and Duffy) of conventional, chemical-intensive agriculture, reliant on petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers, have proven to be unsustainable, with incalculable trillions of dollars in present harm and future catastrophic losses, or externalities, associated with current toxic products and practices that are widely used, but unnecessary to productivity and quality of life. The focus of this Forum session calls for a reorientation, replacing toxic practices with the nurturing of natural systems that sustain life. 

The speakers at the Forum provide an opportunity to step back, widen the lens, and think about redefining communities’ and individuals’ relationship with nature in all aspects of practices and advocacy.

➡️ Join the virtual Forum as participants come together to empower effective action and chart a path for a livable and sustainable future. Registration provides access to all sessions of the Forum.

Session 1: October 29, 2025, 1 – 3:30 PM Eastern, including Q&A 

Danilo Russo, PhD
Professor of Ecology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy

Danilo Russo, PhD, is a full professor of ecology, an international leader in bat research, and coauthor of A Natural History of Bat Foraging: Evolution, Physiology, Ecology, Behavior, and Conservation. In A Call to Protect Common Species: Bats as a Case Study (Conservation Letters, A Journal of the Society of Conservation Biology, 2025), he writes the following: “The ongoing biodiversity crisis highlights the need for targeted conservation efforts, yet the focus often remains on rare and endangered species. This overlooks the vital role of common species, which are the ecological backbone of ecosystems, supporting the stability and functioning of biodiversity. We argue that common species, especially their population dynamics and potential tipping points, are too often neglected and that their conservation is urgent. We illustrate this issue using bats (Chiroptera) as a model. This diverse mammalian order features key ecosystem service providers, including insectivores, pollinators, and seed dispersers. Bats are sensitive to anthropogenic pressures, and many species, including common ones, face population declines and the impact of ecosystem disruption. Research and conservation must urgently be expanded to include common species. Through case studies, we demonstrate how common bat species are indicators of environmental changes and the urgent need to monitor their populations. We provide recommendations for improving research, enhancing conservation policies, and adopting a more inclusive framework acknowledging the indispensable role of common species in ecosystem services and biodiversity.”

Dr. Russo’s interests include habitat selection, resource partitioning, sensory ecology, social behavior, evolutionary biology, biogeography, and invasion ecology. Much of his research focuses on bats, but he also works on a range of other model organisms to answer the specific questions he is interested in. In 2019–2023, he chaired the Scientific Committee of the UNEP/EUROBATS Agreement (i.e., the Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats). Dr. Danilo Russo has served as Editor-in-Chief of the top-ranking zoological journal Mammal Review. He was also the main proposer and Chair of the Management Committee of the EU COST Action CLIMBATS (CA18107). Professor Russo has published over 200 scientific articles in internationally respected journals, including Nature Communications, Current Biology, Ecology Letters, and Biological Reviews. He has conducted fieldwork in diverse regions and environments across the globe, from African rainforests to Israeli deserts and European beech forests. He is currently an Honorary Professor at the Museum für Naturkunde (Berlin, Germany) and at the University of Bristol (UK). Dr. Russo obtained his PhD in Zoology from the University of Bristol in 2002. 

Jo Ann Baumgartner
Executive Director, Wild Farm Alliance, Watsonville, CA

Jo Ann Baumgartner is the executive director of the Wild Farm Alliance (WFA) and coauthor of the recently released Protecting Birds in Agricultural Landscapes: Reduce risks to beneficial birds on the farm (2025), and many publications on the intersection between biodiversity conservation and agriculture, including beneficial birds, the conservation mandates within the National Organic Program regulations, and the co-management of food safety and conservation.  

Wild Farm Alliance focuses on farmland flyways, farmland wildways, and farmland waterways, advising farmers on the installation of nest boxes, perches, and other habitat features that support beneficial birds that provide pest control services. WFA helps farmers with the planting of hedgerows, habitat patches, and corridors that facilitate movement of beneficial species and links wild areas with farmland. The organization also supports the restoration of riparian buffers and protecting waterways across farms, improving water quality, reducing erosion, and protecting aquatic and terrestrial species. By publishing guides, offering webinars, creating short videos, hosting field days and offering technical support, WFA enables farmers and land stewards to adopt wild farming practices. Before joining WFA, Ms. Baumgartner addressed crop, livestock, and fiber issues, was senior research editor for a book of California’s rare wildlife species, and was an organic farmer for over a decade. For her Master’s research in the Environmental Studies Department at San Jose State University, she studied bird predation of insects in apple orchards. Her undergraduate degree is in Soil and Water Science from University of California Davis. Ms. Baumgartner is based in Watsonville, California, and has been with WFA since the organization was founded in 2001. 

Sam Earnshaw
Author, Expert in Hedgerow and Farmscape Installation and Management, Watsonville, CA 

Sam Earnshaw is the author of Hedgerows and Farmscaping for California Agriculture: A Resource Guide for Farmers (2018), which is an acclaimed tool in the protection of ecological balance and increased farm productivity. (The guide is available on the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) website.) Since 1996, Mr. Earnshaw has planted hedgerows, windbreaks, grassed waterways, and riparian plantings on over 100 farms. He continues to work on the design and installation of conservation plantings and is a Technical Service Provider with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). Hedgerows and grassed waterways are increasingly being planted on farms and can have multiple functions, serving as: habitat for beneficial insects, pollinators and other wildlife; erosion protection and weed control; waterway stabilization; windbreaks; non-point source water pollution and groundwater pollution reduction; a surface water infiltration tool; a buffer from pesticide drift, noise, odors, and dust; living fences and boundary lines; biodiversity enhancement; and an aesthetic resource. Many hedgerow plants attract native bees and other pollinators, and some, such as citrus or other fruit trees and herbal plants, have economic returns. As with any planting, problems and issues can be dealt with through management practices.

In 1992, Mr. Earnshaw began working as Lighthouse Farm coordinator for CAFF, sponsoring monthly meetings and field tours for farmers, sharing techniques in biologically based farming techniques. His work with local California growers in Watsonville, Santa Cruz, Salinas, and Hollister through this program led to CAFF’s leadership in land use and water issues on the Central Coast. In the mid-1980s, he and his wife, Jo Ann Baumgartner, started their farm in Santa Cruz, California (Neptune Farms) and marketed organic vegetables and cut flowers to retail stores, farmers’ markets, and wholesalers. Mr. Earnshaw has a degree from University of California Berkeley (1974) with studies in forestry.

Tony Able
Chair, Southeast Beaver Alliance, Decatur, Georgia

Tony has a dedicated career championing clean water and healthy ecosystems. Tony retired in 2022 after 35 years of distinguished service with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). During his tenure, he specialized in natural stream and wetland restoration, contributing his expertise to a wide range of environmental issues, including watershed management, groundwater remediation, hazardous waste cleanup, non-point source pollution, wetlands protection, and water quality management. Mr. Able’s work with the Southeast Beaver Alliance focuses on how beavers can serve as critical partners in the restoration of streams and wetlands to promote environmental health. As part of his outreach, he leads educational tours at Legacy Park in Decatur, Georgia, which provide opportunities to see beaver ecology in action. Mr. Able also provides education about innovative techniques, such as fencing and flow devices, that allow humans to manage flooding and damage to infrastructure effectively, thereby decreasing human-beaver conflict concerns.

He is deeply involved in a variety of conservation efforts, currently serving on the Board of Directors of the Southeastern Trust for Parks and Land, where he helps to conserve natural landscapes and build public parks that benefit local communities and ecosystems.  He is also a dedicated volunteer with Trees Atlanta, where he plants native trees to support local biodiversity and ecosystem restoration. Mr. Able holds a Bachelor of Science in Geology from Georgia Southwestern University and a Master of Science in Geography from Western Kentucky University. His lifelong commitment to environmental stewardship continues to drive his work and volunteer efforts, making a lasting impact on the natural world and the communities he serves.

➡️ Join the virtual Forum as participants come together to empower effective action and chart a path for a livable and sustainable future. Registration provides access to all sessions of the Forum.

All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.

(Beyond Pesticides, October 8, 2025) A study, Pesticides detected in two urban areas have implications for local butterfly conservation, published in partnership with researchers at Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, University of Binghamton (New York), and University of Nevada, reports widespread pesticide residues in the host plants of butterflies located in green spaces in the cities of Sacramento, California, and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Just 22 of the hundreds of collected samples had no detectable residues, with all other samples containing some combination of 47 compounds of the 94 tested pesticides in the plant tissue. Of the 47 compounds, 4 are neonicotinoid insecticides linked to adverse effects for bee and pollinator populations based on previous peer-reviewed research. The fungicide azoxystrobin and the insecticide chlorantraniliprole were detected at lethal/sublethal concentrations, according to the report authors.

“Residential landscapes have high conservation potential for butterflies and other invertebrates,” says Aaron Anderson, co-lead author of the report and pesticide program specialist at Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. He continues: “But, these findings show how pervasive pesticide contamination can be in towns and cities, and underscore that protecting wildlife in these areas includes addressing pesticides.”

The report’s results underscore the pervasiveness of pesticide drift and dispel the myth that chemicals are only a problem in agricultural areas. Data has long shown that, while the volume of pesticide use in agricultural areas is the concentration of pesticide use per acre is higher in urban areas, “Homeowners use up to 10 times more chemical pesticides per acre in the urban environment than farmers’ usage on crops (US FWS, 2000),” according to a review in Science of The Total Environment. Toxic pesticides are employed for pest management in numerous nonagricultural public contexts, such as mosquito spraying, turf and athletic playing fields, public parks, and other common outdoor (and indoor) areas, as outlined in the scientific literature.

Background and Methodology

The “primary objective [of the study] was to describe the assemblage of pesticides that are present within urban landscapes and their field-realistic concentrations,” according to the authors. The researchers gathered samples from nineteen host plants in the spring of 2022 at 14 sites in California and 10 sites in New Mexico.

The sites include public parks and private yards or pollinator gardens, with volunteers from Native Plant Society and Master Gardeners offering access after a survey confirmed the suitability of the area based on previous/ongoing pesticide use.

At each site, leaf tissue was collected from between six to ten plants per species and stored at the Cornell Chemical Ecology Core Facility for safekeeping. A standardized pesticide extraction method (modified EN 15662 QuEChERS) screened for 94 pesticides (including metabolites or breakdown products) based on three criteria: extensive agricultural or residential use in the U.S., relevance to insects based on toxicity, and quantifiability via the selected methodology of liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

Data for county pesticide application reports were provided by Sacramento and Yolo counties, with county-specific data for Albuquerque not included due to a lack of availability at the date of the survey. Application data for California included “all pesticide applications made to support agricultural production except for seed treatments.” The authors continue: “They also include non-agricultural pesticide applications made to maintain roadside and railroad rights-of-way, parks, golf courses, cemeteries, and any application of a restricted material and/or made by a licensed pest control operator (e.g., landscaping or pest management professional). Consumer home-and-garden uses are not included.”

The report was published on August 22, 2025, in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, a journal of Oxford University Press. Funding for this report included grants from the National Science Foundation and Carroll Petrie Foundation. The authors declared no conflicts of interest in writing this study.

Findings

As mentioned, the researchers found widespread contamination of host plants (314 out of 336) for butterfly populations and likely other beneficial insects and pollinators, with a mixture of detections reported on most plant samples spanning insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, one antibiotic, one degradate (breakdown product; think microplastic to plastic), and one adjuvant.

The following compounds (and their “families”) were screened and detected at least once across the samples:

• Fourteen Insecticides
  • Chlorantraniliprole (Diamide)
  • Methoxyfenozide (Growth Regulator)
  • Clothianidin (Neonicotinoid)
  • Imidacloprid (Neonicotinoid)
  • Thiamethoxam (Neonicotinoid)
  • Dinotefuran (Neonicotinoid)
  • Acephate (Organophosphate)
  • Carbaryl (Carbamate)
  • Fipronil (Phenylpyrazole)
  • Bifenthrin (Pyrethroid)
  • Spirotetramat (Ketoenol systemic)
  • Spinosad (spinosyn A/D) (Fermentation-derived)
  • Pyriproxyfen (Juvenile hormone analog)
  • Metaflumizone (Semicarbazone sodium channel blocker)
• Ten Herbicides
  • Atrazine (Triazine)
  • Ametryn (Triazine)
  • Propazine (Triazine)
  • Prometon (Triazine)
  • Terbutryn (Triazine)
  • Thiobencarb (Thiocarbamate)
  • S-metolachlor (Chloroacetanilide)
  • Oxyfluorfen (Diphenyl-ether)
  • Pendimethalin (Dinitroaniline)
  • Diuron (Substituted urea)
• Twenty Fungicides
  • Azoxystrobin (Strobilurin)
  • Pyraclostrobin (Strobilurin)
  • Kresoxim-methyl (Strobilurin)
  • Fluopyram (Succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor (SDHI)
  • Boscalid (SDHI)
  • Propiconazole (Triazole)
  • Myclobutanil (Triazole)
  • Tebuconazole (Triazole)
  • Difenoconazole (Triazole)
  • Triadimefon (Triazole)
  • Chlorothalonil (Broad-spectrum)
  • Mancozeb (Dithiocarbamate)
  • Captan (Phthalimide)
  • Thiabendazole (Benzimidazole)
  • Thiophanate-methyl (Benzimidazole)
  • Metalaxyl (Acylalanine)
  • Iprodione (Dicarboximide)
  • Fenhexamid (Hydroxyanilide)
  • Cyprodinil (Anilinopyrimidine
  • Pyrimethanil (Anilinopyrimidine)
• Oxypyrimidine degradate (insecticide)
• Fumagillin (Antibiotic)
• Adjuvant (Piperonyl butoxide)

“The good news is that everyone can help protect wildlife in urban spaces by eliminating at-home pesticide use,” says Anderson. He continues: “This study improves our understanding of the risks pesticides pose to butterflies in urban landscapes, and will allow us to improve our conservation efforts for these species.”

Azoxystrobin and chlorantraniliprole were highlighted as specific compounds of concern due to their significantly high level of detection and known toxicity to insects. Azoxystrobin was found in 84% of Sacramento samples, with 51 plants exceeding residue levels of 0.67 ppb (parts per billion), which the authors attribute to a field-realistic level known in previous studies to show reduced monarch wing size at this level. With half-lives ranging from 0.4 to 17.5 days and repeated applications being a common practice, researchers warn of prolonged exposure. At the same time, chlorantraniliprole was detected in 33 plants, with 7 plants exceeding monarch larval LC50 values—LC50 referring to the lethal concentration at which 50 percent of the population would likely perish from exposure.

Previous Research

The widespread contamination of farmland, waterways, and whole ecosystems with neonicotinoid insecticides, treated seeds, and associated products emphasizes a critical need for stricter pesticide regulations, according to environmental advocates.

Reports published in the last year from state and local governments (Wisconsin and Iowa, respectively) and in partnership with academic institutions and nonprofit organizations (Connecticut and Minnesota, respectively) on the prevalence of neonicotinoid contamination in their waterways and soils are deeply concerning. For example, a recent report from University of Connecticut, Neonicotinoids in Connecticut Waters: Surface Water, Groundwater, and Threats to Aquatic Ecosystems, published in partnership with University of Connecticut and Norwalk River Water Keeper earlier this year found that 46% of Connecticut waterway samples are contaminated with levels of the neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid—one of the most widely used insecticides in the U.S. on lawn and golf courses. (See Daily News here.)

The toxicity and pervasiveness of neonicotinoids are reinforced by peer-reviewed scientific literature. Scientists at the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Ulm University in Germany exposed embryos of South African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis) to three neonicotinoids (imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, and its metabolite clothianidin), which led to developmental effects down to a molecular level. These frogs are a well-established model species often used in ecotoxicology studies as bioindicators for overall environmental and ecosystem health. When amphibian species like Xenopus laevis are exposed to contaminants in the water, it leads to negative impacts in the food chain and harms biodiversity. The study concludes that exposure to neonicotinoids directly or through contaminated water leaves entire ecosystems vulnerable. (See Daily News here.) Pesticide mixtures pose a serious threat to habitats and ecosystems surrounding agricultural fields, threatening crucial biodiversity hubs.

A study led by researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Cornell University, and Michigan State University detected 42 pesticides, including several neonicotinoids, such as imidacloprid and acetamiprid, at very high concentrations. One very significant result of the study is the finding that distance does not affect the number of active ingredients detected—in other words, just as many active ingredients are found at 32 meters from the field as at two meters. (See Daily News here.)

There is increased scrutiny on the failure of the pesticide registration process, as defined by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), to adequately assess the health effects of pesticides—including neonicotinoids more broadly. An analysis published in Frontiers in Toxicology last year by Natural Resources Defense Council, Center for Biological Diversity, and Center for Food Safety, finds serious flaws in the EPA process based on the first comprehensive assessment of unpublished rodent-based developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) studies, conducted between 2000-2003 and submitted by pesticide manufacturers as part of the registration process. (See Daily News here.)

Call to Action

You can take action today by learning more about non-toxic alternatives to pest management through our programs on Mosquito Management and Insect-Borne Diseases, Nontoxic Lawns and Landscapes, and other resources based on your interest. See here to access additional Daily News and to learn more about the scientific literature on neonicotinoids and other pesticides, please see our What the Science Shows on Biodiversity webpage.

All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.

Sources: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

(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 farmers’ 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.

“Our 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,” 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 “is a growing need for aggregated [total; combined] exposure estimates across occupationally and nonoccupationally exposed populations.”

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 a total of 641 participants. Through liquid and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, the researchers detect 173 out of the 193 pesticides (89%) across all samples. “Per wristband 9 – 74 (median of 36) pesticides were detected in conventional farmers (FC), 8 – 66 (median of 20) in organic farmers, 3 – 66 (median of 20) in neighbors and 2 – 54 (median of 17) in consumers,” the authors report.

Notably, insecticides, such as permethrin and chlorpyrifos, are the most commonly detected across all groups (>85%). The analysis of pesticide mixtures also finds that one combination of three insecticides occurs frequently, in 72 % of all samples, of permethrin, chlorpyrifos, and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), a breakdown product of the legacy pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT). DDE is still found among the most common food residues in the United States. (See Daily News coverage here and here.)

Background

“Given the co-occurrence in the environment of both legacy pesticides and several CUPs, concerns have been raised regarding possible health risks from these mixtures,” the researchers note. (See here.) The connection of single pesticide exposure to a myriad of adverse health effects is widely documented, while research on pesticide mixtures is showing not only cumulative effects, but synergistic effects that magnify the toxicity of individual chemical exposure. (See Beyond Pesticides’ coverage on synergy here and the Pesticide-Induced Diseases Database for more information.)

Based on previous research, in the EU, there are over 500 active substances authorized for professional use. The EU, however, relies more on the precautionary principle than the approach of the U.S. for risk-based regulation to establish mitigation measures. One study, titled “The USA lags behind other agricultural nations in banning harmful pesticides,” highlights how many pesticides still widely used in the U.S., with upwards of tens to hundreds of millions of pounds applied annually, are banned in other countries, including those in the EU.

“Pesticides banned in the EU account for more than a quarter of all agricultural pesticide use in the USA,” the study authors write, which they point out includes use of pesticides that “have not appreciably decreased in the USA over the last 25 years,” with the majority staying constant or increasing in volume over the last 10 years. With higher rates of pesticide use in the U.S., including pesticides banned in the EU countries, among others, and deficiencies in regulatory approaches, the results of the current study in the EU are even more concerning for implications in the United States.   

The various exposure routes to pesticides leave all individuals at risk. While research indicates diet as a main contributor to pesticide exposure for nonoccupationally exposed populations, “some recent studies suggest an additional contribution from other routes of exposure, such as inhalation and dermal exposure, as equally or possibly more important than dietary exposure for certain CUPs.” (See here, here, here, and here.) Understanding all exposure routes, as well as cumulative and aggregate exposure, to pesticides allows for a more accurate representation of body burden and the subsequent health risks.

Study Methodology and Results

With an objective of assessing exposure to multiple pesticides and their environmental transformation products in different populations across 10 European countries, this study uses silicone wristbands as passive samplers to trap pesticide residues encountered by individuals. Silicone wristbands offer an approach to pesticide monitoring that is non-invasive, lower cost, and minimally disruptive to participants, while also demonstrating efficacy in capturing exposures to different pollutants, including pesticides. (See scientific literature here, here, and here.)

These wristbands are “a good proxy for inhalation and dermal exposure routes, since [they] capture volatile and semi-volatile compounds that are in the air and also compounds that adhere to the skin or are dermally excreted, offering a valuable alternative to understand the contribution of environmental pollution to personal exposure levels,” the researchers state.

As part of the SPRINT project, funded by the EU Horizon 2020 program, this study pertains to the 2021 spraying season. Participants were recruited in each country (Slovenia, Portugal, Switzerland, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, France, Denmark, the Czech Republic, and Croatia) in areas that cover the different crops throughout the European climate zones.

The 641 participants are defined as farmers, neighbors (i.e., people living in the vicinity of agricultural fields and without being involved professionally in farming), or the general population (i.e., people living at greater distances from the fields than neighbors and having no professional involvement in farming), and wore the silicone wristbands continuously for one week during the 2021 growing season. Participants also answered a questionnaire with information regarding their lifestyle, including questions about dietary habits, time spent indoors, number and type of pets, and professional and home use of pesticides.

The results show that all samples contained a mixture of substances, with different populations having higher numbers of certain types of pesticides. “From the 60 analyzed fungicides, 57 showed significant differences in detection frequency between the wristbands of at least two different groups,” the authors write. Of the 54 herbicides analyzed, 43 show significant differences. “Farmers in conventional fields had higher detection frequencies for several fungicides and herbicides compared to other groups,” the researchers report. For insecticides, 44 of the 59 analyzed compounds show significant differences between groups; however, the higher detection frequency in farmers was less pronounced.

In performing statistical analyses, the data reveals that four predictors are shown to be related to higher pesticide detection, including being responsible for pesticide spraying application, use of pesticides at home, working in the agricultural sector, and having pets in the last 12 months. In summary, the authors say, “Our study revealed substantial variation in the occurrence of pesticides across different population groups, with a higher detection among farmers from conventional fields.”

Previous Research

Within the study, the researchers reference scientific literature with results that support and further explain their findings. This includes:

• A study performed in the Netherlands reports similar predictors for residential pesticide exposure.
• Research finds banned pesticides, which are very persistent and widespread, linked to “possible illegal use and/or long-range atmospheric transport pesticides in the gas-phase.” (See here and here.)
• Pesticide concentrations in the same order of magnitude as the current study are noted in previous published studies. (See research here and here.)
• A pilot study in the Netherlands finds the fungicides boscalid and azoxystrobin in most of the wristbands and in the same concentration ranges as the current study.
• “The presence of pets was a significant predictor for an increase in certain pesticide concentrations in wristbands, such as propoxur, fipronil and its transformation product sulfone. This finding provides robustness to the model results, as both are not authorized for agricultural uses, but commonly used in a home-setting with an authorization as biocide application, e.g. in anti-flea treatment of pets.”
• Another study reports “high levels of fipronil in silicone samplers from participants who reported using flea and tick products containing fipronil on their dog.”

See additional examples of silicone wristbands used for pesticide monitoring in Daily News coverage here, here, here, and here.

Organic Solution

As this study confirms, organic farming methods provide lower exposure to individual pesticides and their mixtures. As Beyond Pesticides has previously reported, there is pesticide pollution impacting organic practices due to pesticide drift and the persistence of these chemicals in soil and water. The full transition to organic land management, including the elimination of petrochemical pesticide and fertilizer use, will achieve the lowest exposure possible.

Organic practices mitigate pesticide risks and protect and enhance biodiversity, safeguard public health, and mitigate climate change. To learn more about the benefits of organic land management, see here and here. Become an advocate for organic parks by engaging with your community leaders and advertising your commitment to pesticide-free spaces with a “Pesticide Free Zone” sign. Help support Beyond Pesticides’ mission by becoming a member or making a gift contribution today.

All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.

Source:

Figueiredo, D. et al. (2025) Non-dietary personal pesticide exposure using silicone wristbands across 10 European countries, Environment International. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412025004854.

(Beyond Pesticides, October 6, 2025) [Comments are due by 11:59 pm ET on October 8, 2025.] As the public comment period for the upcoming National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meeting closes on October 8 at 11:59pm, under consideration is an issue that goes to the heart of organic integrity—contamination-free compost. In response to a petition from the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI), a certifier of packaging and products for commercial composting, the NOSB’s Crops Subcommittee (CS) voted to keep synthetic compostable materials out of compost permitted in certified organic production. According to comments submitted by Beyond Pesticides, compost from plant and animal materials is of fundamental importance to organic practices. Composting is one way that organic growers meet the requirement in law to “foster soil fertility, primarily through the management of the organic content of the soil through proper tillage, crop rotation, and manuring.” The integrity of organic production has always been tied to the integrity of compost.

Beyond Pesticides provides the public with comments on all the issues before the NOSB, which can be accessed here: Keeping Organic Strong and the Fall 2025 issues page. (The organization urges members of the public to copy and paste from the issues below or Fall 2025 issues page. Submissions can be made at Regulations.gov. Note: Regulations.gov has disabled the one-click option. Comments are due by 11:59 pm ET on October 8, 2025.) 

Contaminants in broadly defined “compost feedstocks” cannot be predicted, but history suggests that more persistent toxic pollutants will be found. Under the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA), the NOSB controls allowed synthetic materials in organic production. Research continues to raise alarms about the hazards associated with the use of plastic, including the microplastic particles that are distributed in alarming amounts throughout the environment and taken up by organisms, including humans. Only synthetic materials that are specifically added to the National List through the prescribed process should be allowed in compost destined to be an input into organic production, according to the Crops Subcommittee and Beyond Pesticides, which urges that BPI be denied. 

Beyond Pesticides has taken the following positions on key issues, and urges the public to comment:

Keep synthetic “compostables” out of organic compost 
Please support the proposal of the Crops Subcommittee (CS) to keep synthetic compostable materials out of organic compost. Compost from plant and animal materials is of fundamental importance to organic practices. Composting is one way that organic growers meet the requirement in law to “foster soil fertility, primarily through the management of the organic content of the soil through proper tillage, crop rotation, and manuring.” The integrity of organic production must be maintained by preserving the integrity of compost. Contaminants in broadly defined “compost feedstocks” cannot be predicted, but history suggests that more persistent toxic pollutants will be found. The NOSB must maintain control over synthetic materials allowed in organic production, as required by the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA). Research continues to raise alarms about the hazards associated with the use of plastic, including the microplastic particles that are distributed in alarming amounts throughout the environment and taken up by organisms, including humans. Only synthetic materials that are specifically added to the National List through the prescribed process should be allowed in compost destined to be an input into organic production. The NOSB should reopen the workplan item on contaminated inputs that is currently on hold. 

Eliminate nonorganic ingredients in processed organic foods as a part of NOSB’s sunset review
Materials listed in §205.606 in the organic regulations are nonorganic agricultural ingredients that may comprise 5% of organic-labeled processed foods. The intent of the law is to allow restricted nonorganic ingredients (fully disclosed and limited) only when their organic form is not available. However, materials should not remain on §205.606 if they can be supplied organically, and we can now grow virtually anything organically. The Handling Subcommittee (HS) needs to ask the question of potential suppliers, “Could you supply the need if the organic form is required?” Materials on §205.606 up for sunset review this year made from agricultural products that can be supplied organically should be taken off the National List of allowed materials. 

When the HS examines the health effects of materials on §606, it must include the effects of chemical residues, impacts on the environment, and worker exposure. It is absurd to judge whether may be allowed by looking at health and environmental effects of the pure substance in isolation from the effects of its production, use, and residues.

Allow the use of pear ester in organic production only as a component of traps 
Pear ester is a chemical synthesized to be structurally and functionally identical to a volatile substance emitted by mature and ripening pears and other fruits. It is attractive to codling moths and is used in various ways to control them. As a component of traps, it is consistent with organic practices and can be helpful to organic fruit growers. Microencapsulated pear ester distributes microplastics in the environment and is incompatible with organic practices.

Keep synthetic hormones out of organic milk production 
Oxytocin is available as a synthetic hormone and currently allowed in organic dairy. A vague annotation has resulted in some producers using it inappropriately for milk letdown. Oxytocin is a hormone and, even if rarely used, it leaves organic dairy farmers open to valid criticism that they can still use hormones. For this reason, the two largest organic milk buyers in the U.S. did not support it remaining on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances. Alternative treatments are available. The NOSB should allow oxytocin to sunset or be removed from the National List. If it remains on the National List, the NOSB should adopt the recommended annotation, “use in post parturition therapeutic applications within 3 days after birth. It may not be administered to increase an animal’s milk production or for milk letdown.”  

Eliminate the blanket allowance of “inert ingredients”  
Despite repeated recommendations from the NOSB, the National Organic Program at USDA has not moved to evaluate individual “inert” ingredients, which may be more toxic than active ingredients allowed in organic production and make up the largest part of pesticide products. The NOSB should delist them unless individually reviewed under the National List review standards. 

Ensure that online organic consumers have full information 
The law requires that organic products are labeled with the organic seal, ingredients, and identification of the certifier. This labeling is not always visible to online consumers. The NOP must require full labels to be provided in online sales platforms. 

Beyond Pesticides provides the public with comments on all the issues before the NOSB, which can be accessed here: Keeping Organic Strong and the Fall 2025 issues page. (The organization urges members of the public to copy and paste from the issues below or Fall 2025 issues page. Submissions can be made at Regulations.gov or through our Action pages linked below. Note: Regulations.gov has disabled the one-click option. Comments are due by 11:59 pm ET on October 8, 2025.) 

📣 Protect Organic Integrity through Continuous Improvement [synthetic compostables, synthetic hormones in organic milk, inerts, full labeling information]

📣 Last Chance This Fall To Tell the NOSB To Uphold Organic Integrity [synthetic compostables, nonorganic ingredients/sunset review, pear ester]

The Fall National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meeting is scheduled for November 4 – 6, 2025. The public meeting of the NOSB is preceded by an opportunity for public comments in writing and via online webinars on October 28 and 30, 2025, from 12 pm to 5 pm ET. 

(Beyond Pesticides, October 3, 2025) A study published in European Journal of Nutrition finds that consumption of organic animal-based and plant-based foods is positively associated with higher cognitive scores. Among women, there was both better cognitive function before testing (at baseline) and up to a 27 percent lower MCI [mild cognitive decline] score over the course of the study period for participants identifying as organic consumers, even if there was consumption of just one of the seven food categories.

Over the 3.7-year study period, the authors conclude, “Our study found that organic food consumption was associated with higher cognitive scores for both sexes, yet the association with reduced incidence of MCI was observed exclusively in female participants.”

While it is important to note that additional research is necessary to corroborate these results, these findings support the calls of environmental and public health advocates across the country who are calling for political leaders to take action by mandating organic-sourced meals for public institutions and programs, including National School Breakfast and School Lunch Program, hospitals, public universities, and other institutions.

Background and Methodology

The data for this study is drawn from robust datasets for the U.S. population, including 2012 data from University of Michigan’s Health and Retirement Study (HRS) – “a longitudinal panel study that surveys a representative sample of more than 20,000 Americans over the age of 50 every two years” —as well as an HRS supplemental study, the Health Care and Nutrition Study (HCNS)—“ utilizing validated Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQ) to assess food consumption and nutritional status, conducted in 2013.” In terms of sample selection, 6,077 participants were selected for a cross-sectional analysis, and 4,882 participants were selected for a longitudinal analysis. Participants from the initial pool (8,021 participants) were excluded from the two analyses based on age, conflicting responses for organic food consumption, negative sample weights, extreme total energy intake, or missing baseline cognitive data. The median follow-up between studies was 3.7 years because of the structure of HRS and differing follow-up durations for participants based on when they were last observed, identification of cognitive impairment, or when they dropped out of the study.

Organic food consumption was measured based on two questions in the FFQs:

1. “In the last year, have you eaten any organic food? (Yes/No)”
2. “Which organic food have you eaten in the last year?” with categories including milk, eggs, meat, fruits, vegetables, bread/cereals, and prepared frozen meals.

If participants answered yes to question one, they are considered organic food consumers, with foods categorized based on whether they are animal-based (e.g., milk, eggs, meat) or plant-based (e.g., fruits and vegetables). The Organic Diet Diversity Score (ODDS) was calculated as the number of food categories participants consumed out of the seven total food categories (milk, eggs, meat, fruits, vegetables, bread/cereals, and prepared frozen meals). A high ODDS score is greater than three, whereas a low score is less than three.

The researchers used a methodology from previous studies to measure cognitive function and gleaned scores for measuring mild cognitive impairment (MCI) through the “Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status” (TICS). TICS measures memory (immediate and delayed 10-noun recall), working memory (“the number of times participants can consecutively subtract seven from 100 over five trials”), and mental processing speed (counting backwards by multiples of 10). The Langa-Weir classification method was utilized for HRS participants to organize three score ranges: dementia (0-6), middle cognitive impairment (7-11), and normal cognitive function (11-27).

There are other covariates (independent variables that may impact the study results) that were kept in mind, including participant demographics, health behaviors, existing medical conditions, and diet quality (based on the Alternative Mediterranean Diet Score). HR stands for hazard ratio, a score used to analyze mild cognitive impairment over time. A hazard ratio of less than one indicates decreased risk, while a HR greater than one indicates increased risk. For further information on statistical analyses, see page 4 of the study.

The authors of this study are based at Southern Medical University and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research in Guangdong, China. They declared that no additional funding was received for drafting this study.

Results

“[W]e revealed a clear relationship between a higher level of organic dietary diversity with lower incident cognitive impairment among females,” the researchers state. Sixty-one percent of cross-sectional participants identified as organic food consumers. In terms of ODDS scores, female participants with greater diversity of organic food consumption “had better cognitive scores” and “only female consumers with high ODDs were associated with lower incident MCI.” The researchers conducted sensitivity analyses to test the robustness of their findings: “Null associations between consuming organic food (including both sub-categories) and MCI incidence were detected among male consumers.” After conducting a Kaplan-Meier analysis (see Figure 2, page 7, in the study to learn more), the researchers concluded that “there was no association detected among male consumers.”

“After a median follow-up of 3.7 years,” the hazard ratio (HR) for organic animal food consumers was 0.81. This finding is noteworthy because it indicates that “organic animal food consumption was significantly associated with declined incident MCI [meaning that there was a lower risk of developing mild cognitive decline over time.” As a result, with a 95 percent confidence interval (statistical significance), organic consumers in this study had a 19 percent lower risk of developing mild cognitive impairment over time, after adjusting for the covariates. The beta coefficients (β) represent the association between organic food consumption and cognitive test performance at baseline (before tests were conducted). In other words, a beta coefficient of ~0.3–0.4 means that, on average, organic consumers score about 0.3 to 0.4 points higher on the cognitive tests compared to non-organic consumers. The beta coefficients for organic animal-based food and plant-based food were .35 and .38, respectively. While this appears marginal, the findings were statistically significant and accounted for confounding health variables. Included above is a summary table listing the analysis type (cross-sectional versus longitudinal), exposure to organic food, tested outcome (cognitive score, incident MCI), and key results.

Previous DN

Adopting a fully organic diet can reduce pesticide levels in urine within just two weeks “by an average of 98.6 [percent]” 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. Researchers at the Federal University of Rio Grande (Brazil) conducted this study, which was a double-blind randomized controlled trial, meaning that neither the researchers nor the participants knew who was going to be assigned to each group, minimizing bias. (See Daily News here.)

A 2023 study published in Environmental Health Perspectives finds urinary levels of glyphosate significantly decreased through an organic diet for pregnant individuals living further than 0.5km (~1,640 feet) from an agricultural field. However, the study finds that adopting an organic diet among pregnant individuals living closer than 0.5km to an agricultural area does not significantly decrease glyphosate levels, indicating alternative sources of contamination outside of diet. (See Daily News here.) A 2020 study published in Environmental Research finds that glyphosate levels can be reduced by up to 70 percent after just one week on a fully organic diet. Research participants comprised individuals from four geographically and racially diverse U.S. families hailing from Baltimore (Maryland), Atlanta (Georgia), Minneapolis (Minnesota), and Oakland (California). Urine samples were collected during a six-day period in which all subjects consumed a diet of conventionally grown and raised foods, and again during a six-day period of only organic food consumption. Although the study sample was small (16), the number of urine samples assayed (158) was sufficient for researchers to make statistically significant conclusions. (See Daily News here.)

To learn more about the connection between organic land management and public health, see “Cultivating Healthy Communities” – the 2021 National Pesticide Forum hosted by Beyond Pesticides and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Call to Action

Beyond Pesticides has developed and actively maintains the Keeping Organic Strong resource hub, a one-stop shop for you to learn about changes in organic regulations. There is currently an opportunity for the public to weigh in on the integrity of national organic standards, as the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) convenes to discuss key issues and allowed materials in organic agriculture. The deadline for written comments on the Fall 2025 issues is 11:59 pm EDT on October 8, 2025, and the Public Comment Webinars will be held on October 28 and 30, 2025, from 12 pm to 5 pm EDT.

The public can see a discussion of issues before the board and submit comments (using Beyond Pesticides’ positions as a foundation) by October 8. To submit comments, please click HERE. For more background, see Keeping Organic Strong and the Fall 2025 issues page. The Fall NOSB meeting will be held both in person in Omaha, Nebraska, and virtually, via live-stream from November 4, 2025, to November 6, 2025.

You can also take action here by contacting your members of Congress to co-sponsor and support organic bills that have recently been introduced in the first year of the 119^th Session of Congress.

All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.

Source: European Journal of Nutrition

(Beyond Pesticides, October 2, 2025) This year marks an advancement of various state-level neonicotinoid laws and regulations, including in Maine, Vermont, and Connecticut—emphasizing surging public support for pesticide reforms.

The Maine legislature passed, and Governor Janet Mills (D-ME) signed into law on July 22, 2025, LD 1323, which commissions the Board of Pesticide Control to study the impacts of neonicotinoids and neonicotinoid-treated seeds, which advocates hope will help advance future legislation to prohibit the use, distribution, and sale of neonicotinoid insecticide products. Meanwhile, after years of grassroots advocacy, the Connecticut legislature advanced, and Governor Ned Lamont (D-CT) signed SB 9 into law, which will partially restrict the nonagricultural use of neonicotinoids on turfgrass, starting in 2027. There was a more comprehensive effort that failed to move forward (HB 6916), which would have gone further by restricting or prohibiting the use of neonicotinoids on trees, shrubs, and treated seeds (see here for Beyond Pesticides comments).

Maine and Connecticut join eleven other states (California, Nevada, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, and Vermont) in taking steps to restrict or prohibit the use of neonicotinoids. (See Daily News here.) Whether it is a campaign to ban glyphosate, paraquat, chlorpyrifos, atrazine, or any of the hundreds of individual active ingredients registered with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), environmental and public health advocates grow concerned that the whack-a-mole approach to pesticide reform fails to meet the moment of cascading crisis on stability of planetary boundaries, including public health, biodiversity, and climate resilience.

Maine

The original Maine legislation had four fundamental changes to neonicotinoid restrictions in the state, which unfortunately did not make it into the final bill:

1. Crop-specific bans for outdoor applications for crops “during bloom.” There is also a prohibition of post-bloom use on leafy vegetables, brassicas, bulb vegetables, herbs and spices, and stalk/stem/leaf petiole vegetables. The ban is also extended to soybean and cereal grains (all these stipulations are subject to “emergency” exemptions (discussed below). This would have gone into effect on January 1, 2026.
2. Bans the sale, distribution, or use of neonicotinoid-treated seeds for soybeans and cereal grain. This would have gone into effect on January 1, 2026.
3. Similar to New York and Vermont, there is an exemption process where the Commissioner of Agriculture can issue exemptions based on “agricultural” or “environmental” emergencies for the use of neonicotinoids once this law goes into effect. To be eligible for exemption, farmers are required to go through integrated pest management training, conduct a pest risk assessment, and maintain use records for treated seeds (if approved). Exemption orders do not last longer than a year, and they are specific to a certain geographical area, “which may include specific farms, fields or properties.”
4. Exemption orders would be reported to the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, mirroring Vermont’s approach but distinguishing itself from New York’s failure to incorporate this specific measure for accountability. (See Daily News here.)

The bill, as passed, will require the Board of Pesticide Control to study the impacts of neonicotinoid-treated seeds and neonicotinoids broadly on public health and pollinator health. The Board is required to submit a preliminary report by January 15, 2026, to the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry; a final report with recommendations is due by January 15, 2027. (Learn more here.)

Before this law, Maine had already taken a leadership role by eliminating all outdoor (nonagricultural) uses of these chemicals, even by lawn care companies, back in 2021. (See Daily News here.)

There is a grassroots movement across the state that is not only standing up for community health but also actively defending local laws against industry influence and public complacency. Just earlier this year, the South Portland City Council was considering an exemption for their municipal pesticide and fertilizer ordinance to permit the use of the diamide insecticide chlorantraniliprole/acelepryn to address issues of grub control. A campaign to reject the waiver was led by Avery Yale Kamila, cofounder of Portland Protectors, and supported by Beyond Pesticides. The proposed change was soundly defeated on Monday, March 3, 2025, after public engagement and a near-unanimous city council vote [6-1 vote]. The adoption of the Portland pesticide ordinance followed the adoption of similar laws in Ogunquit, neighboring South Portland, and other jurisdictions like the City of Takoma Park and Montgomery County, both in Maryland. Thirty-four jurisdictions throughout Maine have restricted pesticides, including on public and private property (See Daily News here.)

Connecticut

The Connecticut legislation (both SB 9, which passed, and HB 6916, which did not) fails to address the broad scope of pesticide contamination across agricultural and non-agricultural uses; more concerning, however, is the failure to incentivize a transition to organic land management. In testimony, Beyond Pesticides lays out four main changes it says are needed for a neonicotinoid (or any individual or class of pesticides) prohibition in legislation:

• To this end, the following provision in italics (below) in the bill should be stricken: Section (c) (1) The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection may issue a written order to suspend the provisions of subsection (b) of 1 of this section if the commissioner determines that: . . (C) the use of a neonicotinoid will not cause unreasonable adverse effects on the environment, including on nontarget organisms, surface water quality and groundwater quality.”
• Similarly, the following text in italics in the same section should be stricken: “(D) no other less harmful pesticide or pest management practice will be effective to address such environmental emergency.”
• Provision (D) should be replaced with the following language: (D): “no other pest management practice, including organic management practice with delineated allowable substances, will be effective to address such environmental emergency.”
• The following new section should be added to define “delineated allowable substances:”
  • Natural, organic or “non-synthetic.” A substance that is derived from mineral, plant, or animal matter and does not undergo a “synthetic” process as defined in the Organic Foods Production Act, 7 U.S.C. § 6502(21), as the same may be amended from time to time.
  • Pesticides determined to be “minimum risk pesticides” pursuant to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and listed in 40 C.F.R. § 152.25(f)(1) or (2), as may be amended from time to time.

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 imidacloprid—one of the most widely used insecticides in the United States on lawn and golf courses. The authors relied on federal data from 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. (See Daily News here.)

Vermont

The Vermont legislature passed H.706 in June of last year—a bill that narrows and reduces the use of neonicotinoid insecticides and neonicotinoid-treated seeds. The legislature came together to override a bill vetoed by Governor Phil Scott (R). At the time of passage, there were still major questions regarding best management practices for neonicotinoids and neonicotinoid-treated seeds that would be promulgated by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) moving into this year.

Beyond Pesticides submitted comments (see here) on proposed Rule 25P031, Best Management Practices for the Use of Neonicotinoid Treated Article Seeds and Neonicotinoid Pesticides, urging VAAFM to adopt the implementation of an Ecological Pest Management (EPM) or strongly defined Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program for indoor environments, and Organic Land Care (OLC) practices in the outdoor environment. The specific additions for the best management practices include the following:

• Add the definition of EPM (or Strong IPM) to include:
  • “Eliminates or mitigates economic and health damage caused by pests;
  • Minimizes, or eliminates to the extent possible, the use of pesticides and the risk to human health and the environment associated with pesticide applications; and, c. uses integrated methods, site or pest inspections, cultural practices, pest population monitoring, an evaluation of the need for pest control, and one or more pest management methods, including sanitation, structural repairs, cultural practices, habitat manipulation, mechanical and living biological controls, other nonchemical methods, and, if nontoxic options are unreasonable and have been exhausted, a defined set of least-toxic pesticides.”
• Add the six EPM Program essentials, including Prevention, Identification, Monitoring, Record-Keeping, Action Levels, Tactics Criteria, and Evaluation (more details in the next section).
• Add definition for what is considered a “least-toxic pesticide” to include: a. EPA-classified minimum risk pesticides (7 CFR 205.601) and b. USDA organic certified pesticides. (40 CFR § 152.25)
• Add definition for what is not considered a “least-toxic pesticide” to include: a. An EPA-registered pesticide that is not organic certified.

As stated in the comments, it is important that the proposed rule prioritize ecological pest management practices, best defined in federal law as “organic,” as the alternative that must be assessed relative to the use of neonicotinoids and related compounds because of the numerous deficiencies in the EPA pesticide registration process on which Vermont relies for determinations of safety.

Previous Research

There continues to emerge a variety of peer-reviewed scientific literature on the human, wildlife, and ecosystems-wide impacts of neonicotinoids.

A recent study conducted in Pennsylvania and published in Environmental Entomology earlier this year highlights threats to nontarget organisms from neonicotinoid insecticide exposure. Carabid beetles, the target of the current study, are, according to the researchers, “some of the most common predaceous, soil macrofauna found in Mid-Atlantic agroecosystems, and they are active throughout the growing season.” (See study here.) This causes these beetles to frequently encounter neonicotinoids through multiple exposure routes. The authors continue: “In systems where neonicotinoids are applied to leaves (i.e., foliar sprays on many vegetable crops), carabids may experience topical exposure at rates up to 100 to 1,000 ng [nanogram] of active ingredient,” the authors say. (See Daily News here.)

Additionally, a recent study published in Insects finds honey bees experience sublethal effects when exposed to the neonicotinoid insecticide thiamethoxam that threaten the survival of bee larvae and the health of bee colonies. “Our finding reveals that thiamethoxam exerts sublethal effects on larvae, significantly impairing the fitness of reproductive bees,” the authors explain. “Specifically, exposure altered juvenile hormone III, ecdysone titer, and acetylcholinesterase activity [enzyme activity necessary for nervous system and cognitive functioning] in reproductive larvae, with these effects showing a negative correlation with pesticide concentration.” (See Daily News here.)

Inaction on neonicotinoids and the broader pesticide addiction continues for nonagricultural and agricultural forms of pest management. A recent analysis of agricultural neonicotinoid insecticide regulations, published in Pest Management Science, evaluates the varied approaches being taken for bans and exemption-based restrictions. Despite the proliferation of peer-reviewed research linking neonicotinoid exposure to adverse environmental and health effects, “regulations have spread from the EU to Canadian provinces and, subsequently, to specific US states, becoming increasingly voluntary and less restrictive over time,” the authors highlight. (See Daily News here.)

Call to Action

For additional analysis of peer-reviewed science on neonicotinoids, see here. What The Science Shows on Biodiversity provides access to scientific studies organized by pesticide impacts on bees, other pollinators, and beneficial organisms. There is also a subsection on parasites and viruses that impact pollinators.

You can also put the science and policy findings into action by subscribing to Action of the Week and Weekly News Update, as well as registering to become a Parks Advocate for the Parks for a Sustainable Future Program—providing in-depth training to assist community land managers in transitioning two public green spaces to organic landscape management, while aiming to provide the knowledge and skills necessary to eventually transition all public areas in a locality to these safer practices.

All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.

Sources: LD 1323 , SB 9, HB 6916

(Beyond Pesticides, October 1, 2025) A novel study in Scientific Reports combines computational analyses with toxicological data to identify pathways affected by exposure to the weed killer glyphosate. The analyses identify glyphosate targets that correlate with kidney injury and kidney cancer, revealing pathways with significant glyphosate-induced alterations, including the dysregulation of nitrogen metabolism that leads to ammonia accumulation and oxidative stress, both of which contribute to renal (kidney) damage and carcinogenesis (development of cancer).

“This study provides a comprehensive investigation into the molecular mechanisms by which glyphosate may contribute to kidney injury and kidney cancer, employing an array of bioinformatics tools for target prediction, toxicity assessment, pathway enrichment analysis, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation,” the researchers state. The results of the analyses and simulations highlight the molecular mechanisms underlying glyphosate’s nephrotoxic (damaging to kidneys) and carcinogenic (cancer-causing) effects.

Study Importance and Background

Glyphosate, known as a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide, has been used for agricultural and nonagricultural purposes for decades and is the most extensively used herbicide worldwide. This widespread use is largely due to its application to genetically engineered, glyphosate-tolerant crops. Both glyphosate and its main metabolite (breakdown product), aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), are detected in water, soil, and food, which then represent multiple pathways for exposure to nontarget organisms, including humans.

There is a wide body of science connecting glyphosate to threats to public health, wildlife, and the environment. Both research and litigation provide evidence of the carcinogenic potential of glyphosate, as well as toxicity to kidneys. Studies show both acute and chronic effects of glyphosate exposure, “triggering oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis [cell death] in renal cells, culminating in structural and functional kidney damage.” (See scientific literature here, here, and here.)

Additional epidemiological research links glyphosate exposure with higher rates of renal diseases, including chronic kidney disease (CKD) and renal cell carcinoma. “Both in vitro [in a test tube or petri dish] and in vivo [in a living organism] studies reveal glyphosate’s capacity to disrupt mitochondrial function, modulate gene expression involved in detoxification, and generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), collectively contributing to renal cell injury,” the researchers point out. (See here and here.) They continue, “Given these findings, there is an urgent need to unravel the molecular pathways by which glyphosate may drive kidney injury and cancer progression, especially under conditions of prolonged exposure.”

Methodology

To better understand the mechanisms through which glyphosate can impact kidney function and cancer development, without the limitations seen in traditional toxicological approaches with complex substances like glyphosate, this study utilizes network toxicology as a “transformative framework for dissecting the complex biological interactions triggered by chemical exposures.”

As the authors explain, “Unlike traditional toxicology, which often focuses on individual molecular pathways or isolated targets, network toxicology employs systems biology to analyze the chemical’s impact across interconnected molecular networks.” This approach allows for analysis of glyphosate’s cellular and systemic effects that result in deleterious impacts on health.

Utilizing computational approaches allows for “the prediction and prioritization of potential interactions between small molecules like glyphosate and complex biological systems,” the researchers state. They continue, “Specifically, methodologies such as molecular docking and simulation analysis are employed to predict the binding affinity and favored orientation of glyphosate with proteins implicated in critical cellular processes—particularly those related to renal function and carcinogenesis (e.g., key enzymes, receptors, or transporters identified from network analyses).” For more information on the specific databases and computational tools within the study, see the methodology section for more details.

Study Results and Implications

Through network toxicological analyses and simulations, this study predicts glyphosate’s ability to incite kidney toxicity and carcinogenicity, which adds to the current body of science with existing toxicity data that indicates that increasing doses of glyphosate heighten risks of adverse health effects. The results include:

• The prediction of 47 drug targets of glyphosate, 20 of which overlap with kidney injury and 31 with kidney cancer, represents how glyphosate can modulate specific pathways through key targets to cause diseases, shown through the creation of a “drug-target-pathway network.” (See here.)
• Additional predictions from databases indicate “that glyphosate’s co-toxicity primarily involves kidney injury. Additionally, the databases predicted carcinogenicity, neurotoxicity, respiratory toxicity, and ototoxicity [ear poisoning] for glyphosate.”
• Analyses of protein-protein interaction networks involving glyphosate-induced effects show ten targets for glyphosate-induced kidney injury and ten targets for kidney cancer. These targets include matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) that play crucial roles in processes such as tissue remodeling, wound healing, and embryonic development, as well as in diseases such as cancer and chronic inflammation. The authors note, “While MMPs are known targets in cancer biology their specific implication in glyphosate-induced renal toxicity represents a significant mechanistic advancement elucidated by our network-based approach.”
• Gene Ontology analyses reveal prominent biological processes, including proteolysis (breakdown of proteins), extracellular matrix disassembly, negative regulation of apoptosis, and collagen catabolic process for glyphosate-induced kidney injury and cancer.
• Significant signaling pathways involved in glyphosate-induced kidney injury include bladder cancer, adherens junction (provides adhesion between cells), endocrine resistance, relaxin signaling pathway, estrogen signaling pathway, fluid shear stress and atherosclerosis, nitrogen metabolism, proteoglycans in cancer, diabetic cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease), and lipid and atherosclerosis. The pathways related to glyphosate-induced kidney cancer include nitrogen metabolism, metabolic pathways, bladder cancer, adherens junction, endocrine resistance, relaxin signaling pathway, estrogen signaling pathway, and fluid shear stress [frictional forces impacting blood flow] and atherosclerosis. As a note, nitrogen metabolism is the pathway with the highest enrichment [higher statistical significance] in both glyphosate-induced kidney injury and kidney cancer, which offers insight into less-explored mechanisms of glyphosate toxicity.

“In summary, this study employed a robust computational strategy to propose that glyphosate may exert nephrotoxic and carcinogenic effects primarily through disrupting extracellular matrix integrity via interactions with MMPs and PLG [plasminogen, an enzyme involved in breaking down blood clots and other processes such as inflammation], and by dysregulating nitrogen metabolism,” the researchers state. These results advance the mechanistic understanding of glyphosate toxicity, beyond general oxidative stress, which is crucial in understanding the health risks from both short-term and long-term exposure.

Previous Research

Studies upon studies highlight the adverse effects associated with the widely used weed killer glyphosate, ranging from endocrine disruption and reproductive dysfunction to neurotoxicity and developmental impacts, among others. As shared in previous Daily News, in 2013, the Center for Public Integrity highlighted that glyphosate bonds with toxic heavy metals in the environment, such as cadmium and arsenic, forming stable compounds. These compounds are present in food and water for consumption and do not break down until they reach the kidneys. Thus, farmworkers exposed to glyphosate are likely to have these toxic metals in their kidneys. Additionally, in 2019, researchers Sararath Guanatilake, MD, and Channa Jayasumana, PhD, were awarded the Freedom and Responsibility Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science for their work in uncovering the link between glyphosate and chronic kidney disease. (See Daily News coverage here.)

A previous Daily News, entitled “Kidney, Liver Damage Linked to Chronic, Low-Dose Glyphosate Exposure,” highlights a research study published in Environmental Health that links chronic, ultra-low dose exposure to glyphosate in drinking water to adverse impacts on the health of the liver and kidneys. Further research finds glyphosate causes changes to DNA function, resulting in chronic diseases such as kidney and liver diseases, diabetes, and Parkinson’s. Multigenerational effects from glyphosate exposure are also documented, with research associating cancer development with DNA alterations through oxidative stress mechanisms. (See Weed Killer Glyphosate Linked to Multi-Generational Adverse Health Effects and EPA Overlooks Glyphosate and Roundup Ingredients’ Cancer, DNA Damage, and Multigenerational Effects for more information.)

Mitigating Health Threats: The Organic Solution

As Beyond Pesticides has advocated for over 40 years, organic agriculture and land management practices offer a holistic approach that protects health and the environment from the harmful effects of petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers. Adopting organic methods mitigates health threats in the current case of glyphosate and kidneys, as well as all other toxic chemicals that are not allowed under organic standards.

As stated in previous Daily News, kidneys are one of the most important organs for filtering waste out of the body. However, kidneys are often the main target of pesticide toxicity mediated through oxidative stress, as well as other mechanisms elucidated in the current study. Therefore, human and ecological health must be protected by shifting to organic systems and supporting the organic movement by buying and growing organic food.

Organic methods provide many health and environmental benefits, eliminating the need for chemical-intensive practices. Research shows that switching to an organic diet has health benefits, even showing that glyphosate levels in the human body can decrease by 70% after one week. (See here and here.)

Get involved! Contribute your voice and help protect organic integrity through continuous improvement of organic standards. The Fall National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meeting is scheduled for November 4 – 6, 2025. The public meeting of the NOSB is preceded by an opportunity for public comments in writing and via online webinars on October 28 and 30, 2025, from 12 pm to 5 pm ET, that concern how organic food is produced.

Please copy Beyond Pesticides’ comments and fill out the form here before clicking the blue button “Click here to go to Regulations.gov.” After pasting comments into Regulations.gov, we encourage you to please consider personalizing and adding text before final submission! For a complete discussion of topics, see Keeping Organic Strong and the Fall 2025 issues page.

All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.

Source:

Dong, Y. and Zhu, J. (2025) Network toxicology reveals glyphosate mechanisms in kidney injury and cancer, Scientific Reports. Available at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12375789/.

(Beyond Pesticides, September 30, 2025)  A pioneering study has measured the concentrations of pesticides in clouds. Prior to this, rainwater has been tested and found to be a common depositor of pesticides. But there is far less information about the role of clouds themselves. The findings add to general scientific understanding that pesticides go everywhere: into soils, water bodies, and the bodies of plants and animals—even when they are not intentionally applied. There are many studies of pesticide concentrations, including their metabolites, so-called “inert” ingredients, and degradation products, in soil, water and the atmosphere. The study was published in Environmental Science & Technology last August by a team of scientists from the University of Clermont Auvergne and the Laboratoire Phytocontrol in France and the University of Torino in Italy.

Clouds are collections of water droplets, as opposed to molecular gases or aerosols, which are simply fine particles or liquid droplets of any substance capable of becoming airborne. Aerosol and gas-phase chemicals are known to travel widely in the atmosphere and do not require the presence of water to do so. Contaminants in rain have been studied to some extent, but rain is a separate analytical category from clouds. A study published last month found 14 pesticides in rainwater in an agricultural area of Brazil. The authors noted that rainwater must be considered a source of pesticide exposure and should not be used as drinking water, but did not report on whether the pesticides arrived by atmospheric transport. Local sources are more likely—Brazil leads the world in pesticide usage, at more than 800 tons a year.

No environment, no matter how pristine it seems, escapes atmospheric pollutants. The more volatile a chemical is, the more it will spread in the atmosphere. For example, one study found endangered marmots on Vancouver Island contaminated with PCBs, PBDEs, hexachlorobenzene, and other industrial compounds, likely originating in Asia. There is also a well-known conveyor belt of atmospheric pollutants from lower latitudes to the Arctic, where the local environments become reservoirs: tundra, permafrost, ice, water, plants and animals. The exposure of polar bears to PCBs notoriously leads to endocrine disruption and failing reproduction in the species. One of the manifold concerns about climate change is that these Arctic reservoirs are releasing long-sequestered chemicals back into the atmosphere for further transport. For details, see Beyond Pesticides’ June 2023 analysis of an important study in Nature Communications.

The French cloud study analyzed six cloud water samples collected at an atmospheric station in south-central France in late summer 2023 and spring 2024. The samples were collected from the upper margin of the boundary layer, which is the air mass closest to the Earth and influenced by planetary factors, and from the free troposphere, which is the next highest layer where the air behaves with less terrestrial influence. The scientists searched for 446 compounds categorized as “pesticides, biocides, their transformation products and additives.” They found 32 compounds comprising three fungicides, seven insecticides, one biocide and eight transformation products. Among the pesticides were atrazine, cypermethrin, DEET, metolachlor, tributyltin, and fipronil. Mesotrione (a broadleaf herbicide for field corn), DMST (a metabolite of the fungicide tolylfluanid, used on apples, grapes, hops and tomatoes), and triphenyl phosphate (a plasticizer related to the fungicide tributyltin) were found in the highest concentrations. Two samples had total pesticide concentrations above the European drinking water limit. See Beyond Pesticides’ Gateway on Pesticide Hazards and Safe Pest Management for information on all of the above pesticides. The biocide, anthraquinone, is used as a bird repellent at golf courses and airports and as a seed treatment to discourage birds from eating them. According to EPA, anthraquinone is classed as “likely to be carcinogenic to humans.”

The authors note that there was no correlation of any class of pesticide with either sampling period, which would have been likely had the pesticides been locally applied. This point, along with the presence of pesticides banned in France, supports the idea that long-range transport from countries where those pesticides are legal is involved. Other studies of aerosols and rain have come to the same conclusion. Further, neither the concentrations nor the types of pesticides found in clouds resembled those in local streams, adding support to the long-range transport concept.

Intriguingly, the study analysis includes “back-trajectory” tracing of the history of various air masses crossing the sample site. In one sample, part of the air mass originated in Spain. This sample had relatively high pesticide concentrations. Other sources included the Atlantic Ocean and northwest France. Samples with air masses coming from the ocean or from land areas covered by forest, natural grasslands and vineyards had the lowest concentrations.

The authors also compare results from aerosol studies with their cloud samples, finding significant differences. In one aerosol study, 58 pesticides were found in boundary layer sites, but only eight of those were found in the cloud samples. Two pesticides in cloud samples (fipronil and cypermethrin) did not appear in any aerosol samples. The authors also note that pesticide transformation products were found in clouds but not aerosols, suggesting that chemical processes in the clouds are converting the actual pesticide formulations in a way that does not occur to aerosols circulating freely in the atmosphere.

Atmospheric transport of pollutants has been acknowledged in science for decades, but its recognition in regulation and policy is much less discernible. One important indicator from a study of persistent organic pollutants in blood and breast milk samples from Arctic populations is that levels of regulated pollutants, such as certain “forever chemicals,” the DDT breakdown compound DDE, and PCBs have declined over time, while the unregulated pollutants have increased. The consequences of exposure to pesticides are as well known as those to PCBs, PFAS, and numerous other chemical bad actors.

According to public health and environmental advocates, the evidence that pesticides are traveling the globe in clouds, as well as in gaseous and particulate form, descending as rain, fog, snow and ice, and adding to the damage from direct exposures, spray drift, food consumption, and other sources, should be the straw that breaks the camel’s back of corporate regulatory capture. It is a sad moment, advocates say, to realize that clouds and rain are not the natural refreshment they used to be. But that same evidence—that eliminating pesticides makes a significant difference in human and ecosystem health—shows that changes can be made. Harmful trends can be reversed. Speaking out to regulators and elected officials, local and national organizing, changing your domestic ecosystem by going organic—all of these push the planet toward healing. See the multiple resources at www.beyondpesticides.org for ways to accomplish all of these things.

All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.

Sources:

Are Clouds a Neglected Reservoir of Pesticides?
Bianco et al.
Environmental Science & Technology September 2025
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.5c03787

Pesticides in rainwater: A two-year occurrence study in an unexplored environmental compartment in regions with different land use in the State of São Paulo – Brazil
Dias et al.
Chemosphere March 2025
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0045653525000335

Climate Crisis Unleashes Pesticide Contamination from Thawing Permafrost, Elevating Global Emergency
Beyond Pesticides, June 8, 2023
https://beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/2023/06/climate-crisis-unleashes-pesticide-contamination-from-thawing-permafrost-elevating-global-emergency/

Arctic Glaciers Entrap Pesticides and Other Environmental Pollutants from Global Drift and Release Hazardous Chemicals as They Melt from Global Warming
Beyond Pesticides, August 20, 2020
https://beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/2020/08/arctic-glaciers-entrap-pesticides-and-other-environmental-pollutants-from-global-drift-and-release-hazardous-chemicals-as-they-melt-from-global-warming/

Pesticides Found in Marine Atmosphere Over Deep Atlantic Ocean, Documented for the First Time
Beyond Pesticides, April 16, 2025
https://beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/2025/04/pesticides-found-in-marine-atmosphere-over-deep-atlantic-ocean-documented-for-the-first-time/

(Beyond Pesticides, September 29, 2025) With the theme “Our Home Outdoors,” the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) launched National Public Lands Day this past Saturday—defining this year’s event as follows: “Our public lands are more than just places to visit—they are woven into the fabric of our everyday lives. From the trails we hike to the parks where we gather with family and friends, these spaces are our collective backyard, our shared front porch, our natural playground.” At the same time, people are asking their local governments whether they are using petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers on their parks and playing fields that are known to threaten the health of children, pets, wildlife, and the environment. Beyond Pesticides led a nationwide action to “Tell your local officials to make your parks organic.” 

For those engaging with their local elected officials and parks departments, Beyond Pesticides, through its Parks for a Sustainable Future program, offers technical support to transition parks to organic land management through analysis of soil health, development of a plan to improve soil biology to cycle nutrients for healthy plants, training of staff to implement the organic plan, and ongoing consultation for plan adjustments when necessary. Organic systems focus on building organic matter and microbial life in the soil to solubilize nutrients for plant uptake, eliminating the use of petrochemical fertilizers and pesticides and increasing plant health and resilience. 

Through this program and with supporters, including the Parks for a Sustainable Future program, Beyond Pesticides has assisted local leaders in converting the following parks and recreational areas exclusively to organic practices. Last month, as a part of a nationwide push to stop the use of petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers, the City of Excelsior, Minnesota, joined Kansas City, Missouri, and dozens of communities across the country to begin its organic transition of demonstration sites on city park land. In addition, Beyond Pesticides has worked with dozens of communities to adopt land management policies in jurisdictions of nearly every state in the country. The goal is to create models that show the viability and cost effectiveness of organic management systems that eliminate petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers that contribute to the current health crisis, biodiversity collapse, and the climate emergency.

Beyond Pesticides invites people nationwide to become a Parks Advocate. The organization advises the following actions:  

• For residents who live in a community that is one of a growing number across the country that has taken action to protect people and environment by adopting organic policies and practices in its public spaces, please take this opportunity to thank community leaders. However, be aware that the pesticide industry is seeking to take those policies away from you.  
• For communities that have not yet taken action to protect its residents and environment by adopting organic policies and practices in its public spaces, please tell them how much you want them to do so. ℹ️ In the event that your local mayor is not in the system and/or you receive an error message that reads “Please provide a valid residential address,” we invite you to copy/paste the sample message below and send an email with a personalized message!   
• Create pesticide-free yard space. Educate the community with a Beyond Pesticides “Pesticide Free Zone” Sign. Please share pictures of organic yards or local parks with Beyond Pesticides and explain why they are so important.  

Sample Letters: 

Thank you letter to community leaders (Please personalize): 

Thank you so much for implementing pesticide-free, organic policies and practices in our parks and public places! I love to spend time in our parks, knowing that I will not be exposed to toxic chemicals. It is great to know that toxic chemicals will not run off from our public spaces into streams and other water. It is wonderful to know that flowers in our parks can provide nectar to pollinators who face so many threats these days.

As I celebrate National Public Lands Day, I thank you on behalf of our local community. 

Letter to community leaders for organic policies (Please personalize): 

When I learned about how many communities protect their citizens and local environment by transitioning to organic landcare in parks and other public places (https://www.bp-dc.org/tools-for-change), I asked why we can’t do the same in our own community.  

Pesticides used in parks, playing fields, and other public places threaten our health—especially that of our children, who are closer to the ground and have greater exposure. Pesticides and chemical fertilizers run off, finding their way to streams. They also threaten pollinators, who are at risk from multiple threats. 

Communities no longer need to figure out how to do this alone. Beyond Pesticides’ Parks for a Sustainable Future (https://bp-dc.org/sustainable-parks-land-care-training) program aims to bridge the gaps resulting from staffing constraints and tight budgets, allowing communities to pilot the transition to organic land care on two public sites. As we celebrate National Public Lands Day, I urge you to email (mailto:[email protected]) or call Beyond Pesticides at 202-543-5450 to get started. 

Thank you. 

All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides. 

(Beyond Pesticides, September 26, 2025) National Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 27—first established in 1994 and held on the fourth Saturday of September—is organized by the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) in partnership with the U.S. National Park Service and participating federal agencies. Events are planned at neighborhood, state, and national parks nationwide, and entrance to National Parks will be free for the day. Coinciding with National Organic Month, this year’s theme, ”Our Home Outdoors,” is explained by NEEF as: “Our public lands are more than just places to visit—they are woven into the fabric of our everyday lives. From the trails we hike to the parks where we gather with family and friends, these spaces are our collective backyard, our shared front porch, our natural playground.”

Beyond Pesticides began its work on organic land management in national parks nearly a decade ago at National Historic Sites in Arkansas, Kansas, and Iowa. The program, now the Parks for a Sustainable Future program, partners with local communities in pursuit of a future where (1) public lands, from parks to playing fields, are managed without toxic pesticides, (2) children and pets are safe to run around on the grass, and (3) bees and other pollinators are safeguarded from toxic chemicals. The program to establish model sites nationwide, now operating in 11 states, shows that petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers are not needed to manage parks and playing fields cost-effectively. With the current existential health, biodiversity, and climate threats, communities participating in the program exemplify the important role of organic land management.

Parks for a Sustainable Future

By underwriting the development of organic transition plans and staff training on organic land management practices, the Parks for a Sustainable Future program advances practical, resilient, cost-effective techniques that confront urgent threats to the current health crisis, biodiversity collapse, and the climate emergency, which are exacerbated by petrochemical pesticide and fertilizer use. In doing so, the program establishes practical models that demonstrate the viability and cost-effectiveness of organic management systems and offers community land managers site-specific, science-based guidance for a successful program.

Last month, as a part of a nationwide push to stop the use of petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers, the City of Excelsior, Minnesota, joined Kansas City, Missouri, and dozens of communities across the country to begin its organic transition of demonstration sites on city park land. As featured by Harvest Public Media and reporter Héctor Alejandro Arzate, Jen Schroeder, a mother of two children in Kansas City, wanted her neighborhood park, where her children play, to be free of toxic chemical use. She saw a flier in her local Natural Grocers [a lifetime sponsor] about the program and reached out to her Parks and Recreation Department. The result: the City is moving ahead to transition two pilot sites to organic practices.

Since laying the groundwork for the program in the early 1980s, Beyond Pesticides has also worked with communities to adopt land management policies in jurisdictions of nearly every state in the country to ensure continuity and accountability. Click here for access to a template for a local pesticide-free model ordinance or policy!

A prime example showcasing the integration of program and policy is the City of New York, where a partnership of environmental, public health, and advocacy organizations— Eco-Friendly Parks for All (EFPA)—teamed up with Beyond Pesticides, New York City Parks and Recreation Department, and Stonyfield Organic Yogurt to celebrate the success of pilot organic land management programs at eight sites across the five boroughs. The program was initiated by the coalition after the city council adopted new legislation on Earth Day in 2021, prohibiting the use of chemical pesticides at all New York City parks.

To incorporate a scientific basis for the transition to organic for local communities, Beyond Pesticides leverages a broad range of tools and resources for the benefit of stakeholders, including the organization’s Gateway on Pesticide Hazards and Safe Pest Management database to provide decision makers, practitioners, and activists with easier access to current and historical scientific literature on pesticide hazards and safe pest management. In addition, Beyond Pesticides tracks the overall hazards associated with pesticide exposure through its Pesticide-Induced Diseases Database, which documents independent peer-reviewed studies that link pesticides to a range of chronic diseases, including cancer, reproductive harm, neurological illness, respiratory disease, autism and learning disabilities, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes. For additional tools and educational materials on the website, please see the Resources page.

Why Go Organic?

The benefits of transitioning to organic land management extend far beyond individual health! Beyond Pesticides believes in building organic communities:

• For health and safety: Organic food and parks are free from harmful pesticides, fossil-fuel-based substances, and toxic chemicals, making them safer and healthier for all ages. Visit Beyond Pesticide’s 40 Common Lawn and Landscape Chemicals page to delve into the health impacts of pesticides in communities, and the factsheet Children and Pesticides Don’t Mix, which highlights data establishing elevated rates of pesticide-induced illnesses among children.

• For environmental stewardship: Opting for organic parks and products supports practices that protect pollinators, improve soil health, increase biodiversity, and eliminate toxic runoff into water bodies. Learn more about how to protect pollinators in your community by reading BEE Protective, and see our archives in the Daily News Blog on soil health, biodiversity, and water runoff.

• For trust and transparency: The USDA Certified Organic label ensures strict standards and regulations for organic products, providing trust and transparency for consumers worldwide. We provide oversight for parks that use organic land management. Take Action via the Keeping Organic Strong page to keep USDA accountable to the principles and values in the Organic Foods Production Act.

• For just communities: Supporting organic farming practices can benefit local communities and economies, as well as promote responsible animal welfare, and protect farmworkers who are at disproportionate risk from pesticide exposure in marginalized communities. Organic parks are the ethical choice to promote environmental justice. Please see the Black Institute’s Poison Parks report, which shines a spotlight on New York City’s previous reliance on glyphosate-based herbicides and how people of color communities bear the burden of health impacts.

• For climate resilience: Organic farming typically exhibits better performance during droughts and challenging weather conditions. Watering needs are very site-specific, and the type of soil impacts drainage. Once established, a deep root system from organic land management and healthy soil with increased water retention requires less water. Additionally, organic soil management results in the drawdown of atmospheric carbon, contributing to efforts to reduce the adverse effects of carbon on climate.

How To Go Organic

As outlined in Beyond Pesticides’ previous Daily News post, autumn is an ideal season to transition to organic land management, with a focus on the cultivation of healthy soil and proper maintenance practices. High-quality lawns and landscapes can be achieved with practices that build soil health through natural fertilization and cultural practices, such as soil aeration, mowing height, and timing and volume of water.

Image by Sara Grantham, “Vine and Dandy.”

This method, which eliminates synthetic fertilizers and nurtures soil microorganisms, is a “feed-the-soil” approach. By helping to prevent problems that typically arise from chemical-intensive practices via nurturing a soil environment rich in microbial life, it is not only feasible but also economically viable to produce a healthy lawn able to withstand pressures from heavy usage, insects, weeds, drought, and heat stress.

Below are a few steps that can be taken to transition toward organic landcare! For more information, please see Beyond Pesticides’ guides on how to establish and maintain a pesticide-free lawn, as well as the Organic Land Care 101 factsheet!

• Fertilize without fossil fuels: Fertilizing in the early fall allows for plant growth and root development. Nitrogen, the most abundant nutrient in lawn fertilizers, promotes color and growth; however, too much can weaken the grass, alter the pH, and promote disease, insect, and thatch build-up. If applied too late, nutrients can leach directly into nearby surface waters. Be aware of local phosphorus or nitrogen loading concerns. Use safer fertilizers, such as grass clippings, tested compost, and compost tea. Learn more from Beyond Pesticides’ page on Fertilizers Compatible with Organic Land Management under the Tools for Change.

• Analyze the soil: It is highly recommended to test the soil to determine specific needs. In addition to nutrients and pH, ask for organic content analysis and request organic care recommendations. The ideal soil pH should fall between 6.5-7.0, with over 5% organic matter content. Soil test results will ensure that only the materials that are needed are applied. Read Maintaining a Delicate Balance: Eliminating phosphorus contamination with organic soil management for in-depth information on the problem of fertilizer contamination and how to apply fertilizer properly.

• Aerate: If a lawn is hard, compacted, and full of weeds or bare spots, aerate to help air, water, and fertilizer enter the soil. If a screwdriver cannot be easily pushed into the soil, it is too compacted. Getting an aerator on the turf will be especially helpful. Once you have an established, healthy lawn, worms and birds pecking at your soil will aerate it for free!

• Mow high and keep the blade sharp: Mowing with a dull blade makes the turf susceptible to disease, and mowing too close invites sunlight in for weeds, so be sure to sharpen your mower blades frequently. For the last and first mowing, mow down to two inches to prevent fungal problems. For the rest of the year, keep it at three/three-and-a-half inches to shade out weeds and foster deep, drought-resistant roots.

• Overseed with the right grass seed: Grass varieties differ enormously in their resistance to certain pests, tolerance to climatic conditions, growth habit, and appearance. Endophytic grass seed provides natural protection against some insects and fungal disease—major benefits for managing a lawn organically. A local nursery would know the best seed for the area. Remember to check the weed content of the grass seed and that there are no pesticide coatings.

• Develop your tolerance: Many plants that are considered weeds in a lawn have beneficial qualities. Learn to read your “weeds” for what they indicate about your soil conditions. Monocrops do not grow in nature and diversity is a good thing. See more information on our Least Toxic Control of Weeds factsheet.

How To Take Action

There is no better time than the beginning of a new season to reflect on what can be done individually and collectively to have a meaningful effect on health, the health of families and communities, and the legacy to be left behind. Let this weekend’s celebration, and National Organic Month, serve as a reminder of the need to create an equitable and sustainable world for all. This can be achieved by seeking the adoption of a transformative solution that recognizes the urgency to address disproportionate harm caused by toxic pesticide production, transportation, use, storage, and disposal with the organic alternative.

🆕  All national parks that charge an entrance fee will offer free admission this Saturday! We encourage the public to use the National Park Service’s “Find a Park” page and enjoy a trip to our nation’s public lands with friends and family!

Does your community have a pesticide-free park managed with organic practices? Do you wish it did? The time to take action to protect parks and create new ones is now!

 Beyond Pesticides is reaching out to its network and urging people and organizations to tell their mayor to implement pesticide-free, organic policies and practices in local parks and public spaces. See our Action page for additional ways to take action locally in your community!

ℹ️  For more information, please email our team at [email protected] or click here to sign up to take the first step towards becoming a Parks Advocate!

Help defend organic standards against USDA changes weakening public trust in the organic food label!

From the very beginning, with the passage of the Organic Foods Production Act in 1990, “organic” has meant “continuous improvement.” The primary mechanism for continuous improvement in organic production is the high level of public involvement that comes from twice-annual meetings of the National Organic Standards Board.

ℹ️  See this past weekend’s Action of the Week to submit written comments in preparation for the in-person and virtual meeting from November 4-6, 2025. Beyond Pesticides provides draft language via the Keeping Organic Strong webpage and urges public participation, including the opportunity to provide oral testimony virtually in late October. Register here.

  The public can sign up and access the site to leave a message for the NOSB by clicking here to go to the Action page! Please feel free to “copy and paste” Beyond Pesticides’ comments when submitting.

All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.

Sources: National Public Lands Day [NPS]; National Public Lands Day [NEEF]