Pesticides

FAO promotes dangerous advice on Syngenta’s deadly paraquat herbicide—compromising its independent status

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has partnered with pesticide lobby group Croplife International—and is now nodding approval regarding the formula of a deadly herbicide associated with Croplife member Syngenta. The partnership has been condemned by civil society organizations with critics saying it is like the World Health Organization teaming up […]

New film exposes Roundup’s ubiquity in Napa Valley wine country

Documentary filmmaker Brian Lilla has revealed the motivation behind his new film about the herbicide Roundup in Napa, CA, vineyards—his kids. Since moving to Napa nine years ago, Lilla has noticed the omnipresence of Roundup application—even in a vineyard across from his daughters’ school. “When I learned how toxic wine country is, I needed to […]

EPA risk assessment of dicamba herbicide admits extensive, ongoing damage to plants but falls short of a ban

In August, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its required risk assessment of the widely used weedkiller dicamba. While acknowledging unprecedented drift damage to crops and non-target plants, the agency stopped short of banning the chemical. Bill Freese of the Center for Food Safety calls the recent assessment “schizophrenic.” “EPA must end all over-the-top registrations […]

University of Idaho finds correlation between cancer and agricultural chemicals in 11 states

Adults and children in Idaho and other Western states are vulnerable to cancer events due to farm chemicals, primarily fumigants, a new study reports. Researchers at University of Idaho analyzed federal and state health and agricultural data and published their results in GeoHealth. Forty-four of Idaho’s counties and 459 counties in the Western U.S. were […]

CDC finds toxic weedkiller glyphosate in 87% of children tested

About 87% of 650 children tested had detectable levels of the ubiquitous and toxic herbicide glyphosate in their urine, according to a new analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Food is the main route of exposure to glyphosate for the children, aged 18 and under, according to CDC researchers. Glyphosate is the active […]