Search Results
Thursday, October 6th, 2022
(Beyond Pesticides, October 6, 2022) A new study finds alarmingly high levels of PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) âforever chemicalsâ in commonly used pesticides, calling into question assurances from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that contamination is limited to storage containers. For some pesticides, PFAS levels are nearly one billion times higher than the EPAâs recently updated Health Advisory for the PFAS chemical PFOS. âIf the intent was to spread PFAS contamination across the globe there would be few more effective methods than lacing pesticides with PFAS,â said Kyla Bennett, PhD, of the nonprofit Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. âThese findings point to an appalling regulatory breakdown by EPA.â A team of researchers based in Texas, including scientists from Texas Tech and the U.S. Department of Agricultureâs (USDA) Cropping Systems Research Laboratory, participated in the study published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials Letters. Ten different formulated pesticide products were tested for 24 different PFAS substances. The pesticide products selected were determined based on unexpected PFAS contamination at USDAâs research facility. During the course of conducting a separate study on plant uptake of PFAS, detectable levels of PFAS were found in plants intended to be used as unexposed controls. […]
Posted in 3M, Agriculture, contamination, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Imidacloprid, Inerts, Malathion, neonicotinoids, PFAS, spiromesifen, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, September 14th, 2022
(Beyond Pesticides, September 14, 2022) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is confirming that PFAS (per and polyfluorinated alykyl substances) forever chemicals leach into pesticides from their storage containers, and is taking steps to remove 12 âinertâ PFAS ingredients that are currently allowed to be added to pesticide products. The agencyâs move is a step toward some measure of health protections from chemicals that may have been widely sprayed throughout many American communities, and have been linked to cancer, liver damage, birth and developmental problems, reduced fertility, and asthma. However, many advocates indicate EPAâs actions on PFAS inerts do not go far enough, and the agencyâs findings regarding leaching storage containers are accompanied by no meaningful restrictions on their use. Following reports and preliminary testing conducted in 2020 showing that PFAS chemicals are present in a widely used mosquito adulticide, EPA began investigating the source of this contamination. Testing on the product Anvil 10+10, produced by the company Clarke, resulted in detection of nine different PFAS chemicals. Early indications indicate that the high-density polyethylene (HDPE) containers used to store pesticides contained PFAS substances on their walls, and that those chemicals are leaching into the liquid pesticides stored in contaminated barrels. These […]
Posted in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Maine, PFAS, Uncategorized, Water | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, August 31st, 2022
(Beyond Pesticides, August 31, 2022) No rainwater on Earth is safe for consumption and use as per-, and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) readily contaminate the hydrological ecosystem (properties, distribution, and circulation of water), according to a study published in Environmental Science and Technology. This finding is concerning as it adds to research demonstrating chemical pollutants (e.g., pesticides, pharmaceuticals, PFAS, heavy metals, radioactive material, etc.) exceed the âplanetary boundaryâ contamination and needs addressing. The Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University study, âPlanetary Boundaries: Exploring the Safe Operating Space for Humanity,â emphasizes that there are nine âplanetary boundariesâ related to climate change, biodiversity loss, the nitrogen cycle, the phosphorous cycle, stratospheric ozone depletion, ocean acidification, global freshwater use, changes/intensification of land use, atmospheric aerosol loading, and chemical pollution. When crossing these boundaries, the risk of generating large-scale abrupt or irreversible environmental changes increases. In fact, anthropogenic (human) activities are increasing global contamination levels past safe thresholds. Studies have already found that current human operations are quantifiable in almost all nine planetary boundaries and exceed the threshold for at least four out of the nine boundaries. Most recently, a 2022 report concludes that humanity exceeds planetary boundaries related to environmental pollutants and other ânovel entities,â including plastics and pesticides. […]
Posted in contamination, PFAS, Water | No Comments »
Friday, August 12th, 2022
(Beyond Pesticides, August 12, 2022) Gestational (during pregnancy) exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) like pesticides, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), among others, may increase pediatric (child) liver injury and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) risk, according to a study published in Environmental Health. Past studies associate exposure to EDCs with increased susceptibility to adverse health effects during critical fetal and childhood developmental periods. The World Health Organization (WHO), European Union (EU), and endocrine disruptor expert (deceased) Theo Colborn, Ph.D., classify over 55 to 177 chemical compounds as endocrine disruptors, including various household products like detergents, disinfectants, plastics, and pesticides. Endocrine disruption can lead to several health problems, including hormone-related cancer development (i.e., thyroid, breast, ovarian, prostate, testicular), reproductive dysfunction, and diabetes/obesity that can span generations. Because EDCs are ubiquitous because they are found in many products, studies report that these toxic chemical compounds are detectable in infants, children, and pregnant women. Furthermore, pregnant women can readily transfer compounds to the developing fetus through the placenta. Therefore, it is essential to understand the mechanism behind how harmful chemical exposure induces endocrine disruption during critical developmental periods. Researchers note, âConsidering the lack of studies on endocrine disruption and pediatric NAFLD, research like this highlights the need to understand the underlying […]
Posted in Endocrine Disruption, Liver Damage, Liver failure, PFAS, phthalates, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Friday, August 5th, 2022
(Beyond Pesticides, August 5, 2022) A terrible saga of environmental injustice â and of grieving couples who wanted children but could not have them â is getting new attention via the BBCâs (British Broadcasting Corporationâs) recent coverage of Di-bromochloropropane (DBCP) exposures and impacts on banana plantation workers in multiple Latin American countries. A significant number of those male workers became sterile, and many charge that their exposures to DBCP in the 1970s was responsible. A 1979 ban on uses of DBCP on the U.S. mainland by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did not immediately stop manufacturers from exporting the toxic insecticide to (primarily) Central American countries, nor did it stop U.S. fruit companies operating there from using it. Beyond Pesticides wrote in 2020 about the damaging and what some call unethical practice of allowing corporate export of domestically banned pesticides â which practice continues in the U.S. This BBC investigative report comes on the heels of a piece in The Lancet, United States and United Nations pesticide policies: Environmental violence against the Yaqui indigenous nation, that catalogues the abuse of pesticide export policies on indigenous peoples. The piece finds: âThe Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) is a U.S. statute that allows âpesticides that […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, May 31st, 2022
(Beyond Pesticides, May 31, 2022) Fifty years after the banning of DDT, the notorious insecticide is still harming iconic birds of prey along the California coastline. According to research published in Environmental Science and Technology, California condors and marine mammals along Californiaâs coast are contaminated with several dozen different halogenated organic compounds (hazardous, often-chlorinated chemicals) related to DDT, chlordane, and other now-banned legacy chemicals. The findings highlight the incredible importance of addressing these original âforever chemicals,â and making certain that we do not continue to repeat the mistakes of the past with new and different, yet equally dangerous, chemistries. Between 1947 and 1971, the Montrose Chemical Corporation of California, the largest historical producer of DDT, released over 1,700 tons of DDT into the LA sewer system, which eventually made its way into the Pacific Ocean. During this time, several other companies discharged PCBs, leading to further chemical contamination of land and sediment. As recent as April 2021, scientists discovered 25,000 barrels likely containing DDT near Catalina Island along the southern California coast. These releases have resulted in serious environmental and health problems throughout the coastal food chain. Yet, as the present study shows, scientists are only beginning to understand the […]
Posted in Agriculture, California, DEET, Increased Vulnerability to Diseases from Chemical Exposure, neonicotinoids, Persistence, PFAS, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Thursday, April 21st, 2022
(Beyond Pesticides, April 21, 2022) A literature review published in Royal Society finds that âinertâ ingredientsâ in pesticide formulations adversely affect the health of bees and other wild pollinators. Inert ingredients, also known as âotherâ ingredients, and not disclosed by name on pesticide product labels, facilitate the action of active ingredients targeting a specific pest. Although both ingredients have chemical and biological activity, most studies on agricultural chemical toxicity focus on the active ingredient, assuming that inert ingredients are ânontoxic.â The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in regulating pesticides, assesses the toxicity of individual active ingredients on bees through various testing methods. However, there are no requirements for EPA to test inert ingredients to the same degree, despite evidence demonstrating these chemicals harm pollinators. Moreover, EPA does not require pesticide manufacturers to disclose the inert ingredients used in any product as the information is confidential. Both wild and commercial bees and other pollinators encounter multiple stressors, including pesticides, parasites, and poor nutrition, that act together to increase the risk of bee mortality. Therefore, reviews like these highlight the need for pesticide testing to consider the effects of all product ingredients, regardless of perceived toxicity. The researchers caution, âWe argue that âinertâ ingredients […]
Posted in Inerts, Pollinators | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 19th, 2022
(Beyond Pesticides, April 19, 2022)Â Both houses of Maineâs legislature have just approved a bill that would, by 2030, ban pesticides that contain PFAS chemicals â the so-called âforever chemicals.â The billâs next stop is the Appropriations Committee, for approval of $200,000 in annual funding to enact the bill; if successful there, it will move to the desk of Maine Governor Janet Mills for her signature. The legislation is one of a suite of lawmaker efforts in the state to address the growing PFAS problem with which localities across the U.S. are struggling. In this Daily News Blog article, Beyond Pesticides continues its coverage of the scourge of PFAS chemicals, particularly as it relates to pesticide use and the use of fertilizers made from PFAS-contaminated âbiosludgeâ from municipal treatment facilities. PFAS â âper- and poly-fluoroalkyl substancesâ â are any of a family of more than 9,000 synthetic chemicals, invented in, and widely deployed since, the 1950s in a multitude of industrial and consumer products. PFAS molecules are made up of a chain of linked carbon and fluorine atoms; the carbonâfluorine bond is one of the strongest chemical bonds that exists, which means that these compounds do not break down in the […]
Posted in Agriculture, contamination, Maine, PFAS, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 29th, 2022
(Beyond Pesticides, March 29, 2022) Plastic storage barrels contaminated with polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may be in violation of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), according to an open letter released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last month. Manufacturers, producers, processors, distributors, users, and those that dispose of fluorinated High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) containers or other similar plastics that form PFAS as a byproduct were notified in the letter of requirements under federal law. The notice comes two years after EPA was first alerted to the presence of PFAS in a mosquito pesticide used by the state of Massachusetts known as Anvil 10+10. âTodayâs action will help ensure that responsible parties are held accountable for any future PFAS contamination affecting communities,â said Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Michal Freedhoff, PhD. While the agency believes its letter represents progress, health advocates note that there has been no meaningful regulatory action from the agency on this issue. In January 2021, a year after receiving notice from Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) on the presence of PFAS on Anvil 10+10, EPA confirmed the finding. At the time the agency did nothing, while acknowledging, âthe need to […]
Posted in PFAS, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022
(Beyond Pesticides, March 2, 2022) Covid (SARS-CoV-2) is being detected in wastewater, sludge, and biosolids, providing a âsafe havenâ for the virus and creating a health risk for wastewater workers and farmers. Published in Geoscience Frontiers, an international team of researchers systematically reviewed the available literature on the prevalence of pandemic coronavirus in wastewater in order to better determine risks to workers and public health. The timely review comes as many communities and states are reevaluating their use reclaimed human effluent due to a range of toxic contaminants, including per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Researchers found 20 articles from published literature that met the criteria for their review. Each of three environmental materials âwastewater effluent, sludge, and biosolids were analyzed for the presence of Covid. Effluent is the liquid that remains after a sewage treatment process, sludge is organic matter separated from effluent, and biosolids are the fully processed product that is then often applied to farm fields. Of the three materials, sludge contained the highest prevalence of covid RNA, followed by biosolids and then effluent, according to modeling of the data employed by researchers. Covid amounts were found to be related to the number of infected individuals living within […]
Posted in Agriculture, Biosolids, COVID-19, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Uncategorized | No Comments »
Friday, February 25th, 2022
(Beyond Pesticides, February 25, 2022) Together, governments of the world over are spending at least $1.8 trillion annually â 2% of global gross domestic product â on subsidies that drive the destruction of ecosystems and species extinction, and exacerbate the climate crisis. This news comes from a study commissioned by The B Team and Business for Nature, and released in a joint brief, Financing Our Survival: Building a Nature Positive Economy through Subsidy Reform. The Business for Nature website offers a remedy to this entropy: âWith political determination and radical publicâprivate sector collaboration, we can reform these harmful subsidies and create opportunities for an equitable, nature-positive and net-zero economy.â To that end, the two organizations have issued, in their brief, calls to action to multiple sectors, including one to the governments participating in the coming UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15): âAdopt a clear and ambitious target within the Global Biodiversity Framework . . . that commits governments to redirect, repurpose, or eliminate all environmentally harmful subsidies by 2030 and increase positive incentives to enable an equitable, net-zero, nature-positive world.â A press release from The B Team reports that the fossil fuel, agriculture, and water sectors are the recipients of more than […]
Posted in Biodiversity, Climate Change, International, Uncategorized, United Nations | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 22nd, 2022
(Beyond Pesticides, February 22, 2022) Regulation of toxic chemicals must recognize the reality that, âThe cocktail of chemical pollution that pervades the planet now threatens the stability of global ecosystems upon which humanity depends,â as stated by The Guardian. When the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognizes the dangers of a toxic chemicalâespecially one persistent in the environmentâit must take immediate action to prevent further contamination. So, allowing the phase-out of chemicals with long residual life can extend the poisoning and contamination for generations. Tell EPA to immediately ban all uses of pentachlorophenol and other toxic wood preservatives. Tell Congress to ensure that EPA does its job. There is an ongoing crisis, widely reported, posed by the nearly ubiquitous presence of âforever chemicalsââpoly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and their relatives. A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that 97% of Americans have PFAS in their blood. The Safer States Network finds that more than 210 bills will be considered in at least 32 states in 2022 to try to address the problem. Even the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has confirmed that âforever chemicalsâ are contaminating containers that store pesticide products, and subsequently the products themselves. PFAS […]
Posted in Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), PFAS, Uncategorized, Wood Preservatives | No Comments »
Friday, February 18th, 2022
(Beyond Pesticides, February 18, 2022)Â A new analysis conducted by Safer States, and reported on by Environmental Health News (EHN), concludes that in 2022, at least 32 states will consider 210 potential laws to ban or restrict one category of so-called âlegacyâ chemicals â the PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) family of compounds. âLegacyâ or âforeverâ chemicals are those whose historical use, including many decades ago in some instances, has led to their toxic persistence in the environment and in organisms. In recent years, scientists, health and environment advocates, and policy makers have begun to recognize these as very serious contaminants, and to call attention to their ubiquity and impacts. Beyond Pesticides has identified multiple instances of such âlegaciesâ (including those related to the production of pesticides and particularly, the infamous DDT), and will here discuss both PFAS, and concerns about such legacy chemicals as they may impact food producers. The term âlegacyâ often connotes the ongoing influence or impact â generally salutary â of an individualâs activity, or a set of principles or activity inherited from oneâs forebears. It is an apt description, minus the âsalutaryâ part, for legacy chemicals â toxic âgifts that keep on givingâ via persistent contamination […]
Posted in Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), PFAS, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
Friday, January 21st, 2022
(Beyond Pesticides, January 21, 2022) The bottom-line conclusion of a recent study is that global chemical pollution has now exceeded a safe limit for humanity. As reported by The Guardian, âThe cocktail of chemical pollution that pervades the planet now threatens the stability of global ecosystems upon which humanity depends.â Published in Environmental Science & Technology, the research paper asserts that the creation and deployment (into the materials stream and environment) of so many ânovel entitiesâ (synthetic chemicals) is happening at a pace that eclipses human ability to assess and monitor them. The study team calls this exceedance of the âplanetary boundaryâ of such chemical pollution âthe point at which human-made changes to the Earth push it outside the stable environment of the last 10,000 years.â According to Beyond Pesticides, which covers pesticide (and other kinds of) chemical pollution, these results underscore a grim twin reality to the human-caused climate emergency, and should be a dire warning on the state of our shared environment and a time for systemic movement to eliminate fossil fuel-based pesticides and fertilizers. Hailing from Sweden, the United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark, and Switzerland, members of the research team define ânovel entitiesâ as those compounds and materials […]
Posted in Chemicals, International, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Friday, November 12th, 2021
(Beyond Pesticides, November 12, 2021) Omnivorous readers may have encountered an article, in the November 15 issue of The New Yorker magazine, titled â at best misleadingly, and certainly sensationally â âThe Great Organic-Food Fraud.â The subhead comports with the tone of the headline: âThereâs no way to confirm that a crop was grown organically. Randy Constant exploited our trust in the labels â and made a fortune.â The piece, by Ian Parker, tells a complex tale of the machinations of dishonest and greedy people who saw, in the commerce in organic grains, an opportunity to misrepresent nonorganic crops as organic and make a boatload of money in doing so. What the article fails to do is render any comprehensive picture of how National Organic Program certification and inspection work, and the underlying principles, values, and standards in federal law (the Organic Foods Production Act), nor does it review either the benefits of organic agriculture broadly or the massive harmful impacts of conventional, chemical-intensive agriculture in the U.S. Beyond Pesticides provides ballast, in this Daily News Blog article, to the failings of the New Yorker article and the damage it might do to the organic movement. It is worth noting […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 3rd, 2021
(Beyond Pesticides, November 3, 2021) With a significant and increasing share of the U.S. population reporting sensitivities to certain chemicals, a team of researchers at University of California (Irvine), University of Texas (San Antonio), and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is working to better understand how these symptoms develop. Although referred to by several names over the years, including Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) and Idiopathic Environmental Illness, medical professionals are now referring to the disease as Chemical Intolerance, or Toxicant Induced Loss of Tolerance (TILT), to better represent the disease process and range of nervous system symptoms that individuals develop to low level chemical exposures. âWe established evidence of this previously understudied disease process,â said Shahir Masri, Sc.D, at University of California, Irvine. âOur insights will help public health scientists, physicians and policymakers better understand how to minimize harmful exposures and prevent future disease.â TILT is characterized by a two-step process. First, there is an âinitiation exposure event,â whereby an individual is either repeatedly exposed to low levels of certain chemicals, or experiences a major exposure incident. In the second stage, affected individuals are âtriggeredâ even by minute exposures, not only to the chemical that affected them in the first […]
Posted in Hypersensitivity, Immunotoxicity, Nervous System Effects, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
Thursday, October 7th, 2021
(Beyond Pesticides, October 7, 2021) The Arizona State Auditor General reports a lack of groundwater monitoring for pesticides and other contaminants by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ). For over six years, the agency failed to monitor groundwater and soil for agricultural pesticide contamination. Furthermore, the agency did not implement key groundwater monitoring processes over four years, despite law requirements. This lack of waterway monitoring resulted in an increased number of impaired surface waters across the state.  Pesticide contamination in waterways is historically commonplace and widespread throughout U.S. rivers and streams, with at least five or more different pesticides present in 90 percent of water samples. Thousands of tons of pesticides enter waterways (e.g., rivers, streams, lakes, oceans) around the U.S. from agricultural and nonagricultural sources, contaminating essential drinking water sources, such as surface water and groundwater. Reports like these are essential in determining appropriate regulatory action to protect human, animal, and environmental health from chemical toxicant contamination. The report states, â[The] Department has not developed all required aquifer water quality standards, conducted key ongoing groundwater monitoring of the Stateâs aquifers, monitored for agricultural pesticides in groundwater and surrounding soil, or reduced the number of impaired surface waters in the State, limiting its […]
Posted in Arizona, Chemicals, contamination, Drinking Water, Groundwater, Water, Water Regulation | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, September 22nd, 2021
(Beyond Pesticides, September 22, 2021) Health and environmental organizations are urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state pesticide regulators to immediately stop the use and sale of dangerous and misbranded Eco-MIGHT and W.O.W. (Whack Out Weeds!) products, falsely labeled as 25(b) minimum risk. Recent laboratory testing by the state of California found the presence of hazardous pesticides, including glyphosate, bifenthrin, permethrin, cypermethrin, and carbaryl in these products. âFrom organic farmers to municipal landscapers and home gardeners, consumers employing minimum risk products are working intentionally to avoid the dangers associated with toxic pesticide exposure,â said Jay Feldman, executive director of Beyond Pesticides. âIt is critical that EPA and state regulators coordinate to ensure the integrity of the minimum risk program.â Coordination is critical yet reports indicate that EPA is falling down on the job. The issue first came to light in late July, when the California Department of Food and Agricultureâs (CDFA) State Organic Program issued a Stop Use Notice to farmers alerting them to adultered Eco-MIGHT and W.O.W products. The products make a range of claims, marketed as âorganic,â ânatural,â âglyphosate-free,â and ânon-toxic and safe.â As CDFA Secretary Karen Ross noted, âIt is imperative that we alert California […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Bifenthrin, California, Carbaryl, Connecticut, contamination, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Glyphosate, Permethrin, PFAS, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
Thursday, September 16th, 2021
(Beyond Pesticides, September 16, 2021) A study published in Chemosphere finds persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), are present in the serum and placenta of pregnant mothers, as well as multiple fetal organs. Many studies indicate prenatal and early-life exposure to environmental toxicants increases susceptibility to diseases, from learning and developmental disabilities to cancer. However, this study is one of the first to demonstrate the presence of chemical toxicants in fetal tissue that are not present in maternal serum or placental samples. Prenatal development is one of the most vulnerable periods of exposure when the fetus is most susceptible to the harmful effects of chemical contaminants. Therefore, studies like these help government and health officials better identify fetal exposure contaminants and subsequent health concerns otherwise missed by current chemical monitoring methods. The researchers note, âThese findings call for further evaluation of the current matrices used to estimate fetal exposure and establish a possible correction factor for a more accurate assessment of exposure in utero. We disclose the full data set on individual exposure concentrations to assist in building in silico models for prediction of human fetal exposure to chemicals.â Several studies associate early-life exposure to toxic chemicals […]
Posted in Birth defects, Children, contamination, organochlorines, Women's Health | No Comments »
Thursday, September 2nd, 2021
(Beyond Pesticides, September 2, 2021) A McMaster University (Canada) study demonstrates exposure to the recently banned, commonly used insecticide chlorpyrifos promotes obesity development, even at low doses. Obesity generally occurs following a caloric imbalance between food intake, absorption, and energy expenditure. Although various factors can promote obesity, researchers suggest environmental toxicants like chlorpyrifos play a role in obesity development through protein/enzyme suppression. According to the Center for Disease Control, 42 percent of the U.S. population is obese and at risk for type two diabetes, cardiovascular (heart) disease, stroke, several cancers, and other critical health issues. Therefore, research like this highlights the significance of investigating how toxic chemical exposure can impact health to prevent adverse disease outcomes. Researchers note, âThese studies suggest that the effects of environmental toxicants on the development of obesity may have been underestimated as all studies to date have been conducted in mice housed at RT [room temperature]. Future studies examining the mechanisms driving reductions in β-AR [beta adrenergic receptors] signaling and whether there are associations between BAT [brown adipose tissue] metabolic activity and CPF [chlorpyrifos] in humans will be important.â Several environmental pollutants have links to obesity development via the effects on gut health, endocrine (hormone) and metabolic system, […]
Posted in Chlorpyrifos, multi-generational effects, Obesity | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 7th, 2021
(Beyond Pesticides, July 7, 2021) Organic food consumption among children is associated with higher scores on tests measuring fluid intelligence and working memory, research published in the journal Environmental Pollution finds. The study, conducted by Spanish researchers based at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, took an exposome approach to environmental exposures, looking at a totality of all environmental hazards that children encounter, rather than investigating individual lifestyle factors one by one. As study co-author Jordi JĂşlvez, PhD, notes, “healthy diets, including organic diets, are richer than fast food diets in nutrients necessary for the brain, such as fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidants, which together may enhance cognitive function in childhood.â Researchers began their study by selecting mother-child pairs enrolled in the Human Early-Life Exposome (HELIX) Project, a pan-European study with projects in multiple European countries. Nearly 1,300 healthy children aged 6-11 were included in the study, as researchers already had pregnancy data and urine samples stored on the participants. To determine other environmental exposures, home addresses were evaluated for their level of pollution and proximity to natural spaces, and children and their mothers were given tests that included a questionnaire on lifestyle factors, including parents smoking and alcohol use, […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Children, Oregon | No Comments »
Thursday, June 10th, 2021
(Beyond Pesticides, June 10, 2021) Exposure to toxic chemicals decreases egg count and increases infertility risk among women, according to a study published in Environment International. Since 2014, U.S. fertility rates have been decreasing, with many attributing the decline to older age pregnancies. However, several findings demonstrate that exposure to environmental pollutants, like persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from the industrial and agriculture industry, contributes to a decline in fertility rates. Scientists and health officials already associate exposure to POPs, like pesticides, with adverse impacts on male fertility, including reduced sperm count, quality, and abnormal sperm development. Therefore, it is essential to understand how exposure to toxic chemicals in the environment affects reproductive success, especially among women who can transfer contaminants to the fetus via the umbilical cord. The researchers note that these findings should urge government and health officials to reexamine chemical safety concerning reproductive health, and âstrongly encourage [them] to study mechanisms behind POP-associated infertility in women in more detail.â Researchers examined ovarian egg reserve size in pregnant women directly by examining the density of follicles and immature eggs in ovarian tissue and indirectly via serum anti-MĂźllerian hormone (AMH). Using AMH serum samples, researchers assessed concentration levels of 31 POPs: nine organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), ten polychlorinated […]
Posted in DDT, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), Infertility, organochlorines, PFAS, Reproductive Health, Women's Health | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 8th, 2021
(Beyond Pesticides, June 8, 2021) Biosolid-based fertilizer products like Milorganite, often sold to consumers as âorganic,â are contaminated with dangerous PFAS chemicals, according to a study published by Sierra Club and Ecology Center. Biosolids, also known as sewage sludge, have been found in the past to contain residues of hazardous pesticides, heavy metals, antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and a range of other toxicants. While the latest news may not be surprising for careful shoppers who have long avoided biosolid fertilizers, none of these risks are relayed to consumers on fertilizer packages. With fertilizer regulations failing the American consumer, it becomes more important than ever to seek out certified organic fertilizer products. Sierra Club and Ecology Center looked at nine fertilizer products, each produced from the sewage sludge of a particular American city. For instance, Milorganite, perhaps the most well-known biosolid sludge fertilizer, is derived from the Milwaukee, Wisconsin sewage treatment system. Other products were derived from locations including Sacramento, CA (Synagro); Tacoma, WA (TAGRO); Madison, GA (Pro Care); Las Vegas, NV (Ecoscraps); Eau Claire, WI (Menards Premium Natural Fertilizer); Jacksonville, FL (Greenedge); North Andover, MA (Earthlife); and Washington, DC (Cured Bloom). As the report notes, many of […]
Posted in Asthma, Biosolids, Cancer, Developmental Disorders, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Fertilizer, PFAS, Reproductive Health, Sewage Sludge, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | No Comments »