Pesticides

Little-known toxic chemical shows up in 80 percent of Americans tested

Exposure increasing as EPA raised allowance level in 2023 The pesticide chlormequat, linked to reproductive and developmental harm in animals, is present in popular oats and oat products including Quaker Oats and Cheerios. In urine samples of 96 people collected between 2017 and 2023, 80 percent of them showed traces of the chemical. In May […]

Red nets signal “stop” to insect pests, reduce need for insecticides

Changing the color of commonly used agricultural nets lessens insect damage to Kujo, Japan leek fields Red nets are better at keeping away a common agricultural insect pest than typical black or white nets, according to a new study. Researchers experimented with the effect of red, white, black, and combination-colored nets on deterring onion thrips […]

Glyphosate exposure linked to severe depression and cognitive decline

A new study from Taiwanese scientists uncovered a strong link between exposure to the herbicide glyphosate and severe depression and cognitive decline in American adults. The percentage of participants with detectable levels of glyphosate was 80.4%. Researchers analyzed data from 1532 adults participating in the 2013-2014 U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to investigate […]

Global analysis shows how pesticides leach into the environment

A University of Sydney-led study published recently in Nature has revealed the chemical odyssey pesticides embark upon after their initial agricultural application, with environmental consequences for a range of ecosystems. About three million tons of agricultural pesticides are used across the globe each year, yet little is known about where or in which environments these […]

Bayer to lose $2.8 billion on falling sales of Roundup weedkiller

Bayer Ag recently announced that it expects to lose $2.8 billion from falling sales of its glyphosate-based herbicides, including the controversial Roundup weedkiller. In the announcement, Bayer also lowered its outlook for the year and said it will set aside more than $15 billion to settle lawsuits over Roundup’s link to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer. Plaintiffs […]