31
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides, January 31, 2007) On January 29, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) concluded a month-long review of the Department of Agriculture’s (NJDA) petition to waive the state’s ban on aerial-spraying of broad-spectrum pesticides. The state will uphold the ban, effectively blocking widespread use of the chemical Dimilin.
The ban affects towns seeking [...]
Posted in Bt, Chemicals, Diflubenzuron, Gypsy Moth, New Jersey, Pests, State/Local | No Comments »
30
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides, January 30, 2007) Breast cancer groups across the country have a new issue to add to the repertoire of risk factors: Pesticide use. A study published online in the American Journal of Epidemiology has found a strong link between residential pesticide use and breast cancer risk in women. Responding to the study, Susan [...]
Posted in Breast Cancer, Chemicals, Chlordane, DDT, Dieldrin, Lawns/Landscapes | 4 Comments »
29
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides, January 29, 2006) A new state law, Assembly Bill 2865 (AB 2865-Torrico), went into effect in California, on January 1, 2007, requiring private child day care facilities to comply with new pesticide use record keeping and notification requirements. The bill also includes provisions to encourage less toxic pest management.
Assembyman Alberto Torrico (D-CA) introduced [...]
Posted in California, Children/Schools, State/Local | No Comments »
26
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides, January 26, 2007) With an annual introduction of 200 to 300 new anti-microbial products, scientists are saying that the most effective way to fight germs is the old fashioned way—soap and water. Amid a national trend of increasing germophobia, experts are saying soap and water are a better option than alcohol-based disinfectants and [...]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Antibacterial, Chemicals, Triclosan | No Comments »
25
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides, January 25, 2007) The commonly used herbicide atrazine has been found to have negative biological effects on phytoplankton-free-floating algae that forms the base of the food chain for aquatic animals. The study, published in the January 2007 issue of the journal Pesticide-Biochemistry and Physiology, indicates that protein levels in phytoplankton significantly decrease as [...]
Posted in Water, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | No Comments »
24
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides, January 24, 2007) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the display of promotions for causes or charities on labels of pesticides, disinfectants and other commercial poisons, according to agency documents released on Monday by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). As a result, these products may now feature tie-ins with charitable [...]
Posted in Pesticide Regulation | No Comments »
23
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides, January 23, 2007) Citing an extensive body of literature illustrating the concern over related human and environmental health effects, recent commentary in Environmental Health Perspectives continues the call for improvements in pesticide regulation and “inert” ingredient disclosure.
The authors, Caroline Cox, Ph.D., research director at the Center for Environmental Health, and Michael Surgan, Ph.D., [...]
Posted in Pesticide Regulation | No Comments »
22
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides, January 22, 2007) When the staff at The Cornucopia Institute, an organic watchdog group, surveyed Wal-Mart stores around the country last September, analyzing the giant retailer’s announcement that they would begin selling a wide variety of organic food at just a 10% mark-up over similar conventional products, they were surprised to discover widespread [...]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Corporations, Wal-Mart | 4 Comments »
19
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides, January 19, 2007) A recent study conducted in Manitoba, Canada, has found that residents in communities in which agricultural pesticides have been applied heavily are at a higher risk for eye disorders and for giving birth to children with abnormalities or birth defects. Significantly, these results are not confined to those who work [...]
Posted in Disease/Health Effects | No Comments »
18
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides, January 18, 2007) A new study conducted in Costa Rica’s mountain forests indicates that surprisingly high concentrations of pesticides are accumulating far above the low altitudes at which they are used. Previously thought to be safe from pesticides applied to distant agricultural areas, some remote mountain forests of Costa Rica were found to [...]
Posted in Chemicals, Chlorothalonil, Endosulfan, International, Water, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | No Comments »
17
Jan
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) will be able to step up pesticide regulation this year due to a significant increase in its 2007 budget, resulting in the largest availability of funding in fifteen years and more resources to direct to enforcement and education of pesticide laws.
DPR’s 2007 budget grew by $3 million, [...]
Posted in California, Pesticide Regulation, State/Local | No Comments »
16
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides, January 16, 2007) A proposal is underway within New Jersey’s Department of Agriculture (DOA) to lift a 20-year ban on the use of Dimilin (diflubenzuron) for gypsy moth suppression. The State’s DOA is proposing to amend its regulations (N.J.A.C. 2:23) to permit the synthetic chemical pesticide to be aerially sprayed over forested residential [...]
Posted in Bt, Chemicals, Diflubenzuron, Gypsy Moth, New Jersey, Pests, State/Local | No Comments »