Search Results
Tuesday, July 1st, 2025
(Beyond Pesticides, July 1, 2025) Published in Water Research, a study highlights the various routes for pesticide contamination, with the results identifying the presence of over 80 substances in streams without adjacent agricultural land use. âOur findings underscore the necessity of further investigating the non-agricultural entry pathways of pesticides and biocides to effectively mitigate their impacts on streams in non-agricultural catchments,â the authors state. They continue, âThese streams often serve as critical refuge habitats and sources of recolonization, making their protection essential for biodiversity conservation.â In analyzing nonagricultural streams, the researchers find pesticide contamination that, while lower than levels found in streams directly next to agricultural land, can occur through various routes and threatens biodiversity in essential ecosystems. As the authors describe: âAlthough pesticide concentrations were lower than in agricultural streams, the potential toxicity of pesticides was associated with a significant reduction in sensitive insect populations, as indicated by the SPEARpesticides index. Notably, 40% of the studied streams did not achieve a good status according to the pesticide specific SPEARpesticides indicator.â The SPEARpesticides indicator is used âto identify pesticide effects on the aquatic invertebrate community. It measures the abundance of pesticide-sensitive species (âspecies at riskâ) in relation to the abundance […]
Posted in Agriculture, Aquatic Organisms, Beneficials, Biodiversity, Drift, Fipronil, Germany, Methidathion, Mevinphos, neonicotinoids, Pesticide Drift, Water | No Comments »
Thursday, June 26th, 2025
(Beyond Pesticides, June 26, 2025) A review article in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment highlights how the pesticides used in global crop production pose risks to ecosystems and human health through multiple pathways. As the authors note, âOnce applied to crops, pesticides are transported through surface and groundwater flows, atmospheric dispersion and wildlife migration.â Residues in food products, such as fruits and vegetables, as well as bioaccumulation within animals that are consumed as food, also threaten consumers around the world, particularly those relying on international trade. The researchers note: âIn this Review, we summarize the pathways through which synthetic pesticides transcend boundaries, focusing on the impacts of their use in food production… First, we explain how environmental flows contribute to transporting pesticides to regions far from their original source. Next, we examine the role of international food trade in causing transboundary exposure and impact of pesticide use.â As a result, the study calls for prioritizing biodiversity and human health through sustainable methods while maintaining yield to support the growing population. The use of pesticides in chemical-intensive agriculture has exponentially increased since their first synthesis in the late 1930s. âGlobally, pesticides were applied on agricultural land at an average rate of […]
Posted in Agriculture, air pollution, Aquatic Organisms, Biodiversity, Biomonitoring, contamination, Drift, Groundwater, International, Metabolites, Pesticide Drift, Pesticide Residues, Pollinators, soil health, Water, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 25th, 2025
(Beyond Pesticides, June 25, 2025) A United Kingdom (UK) study, published in May by the Womenâs Environmental Network (Wen) and Pesticide Action Network (PAN) UK, is reporting levels of the herbicide glyphosateâa probable human carcinogen that is also linked to Parkinsonâs diseaseâin tampons at concentrations 40 times higher than the legal drinking water limit. This finding highlights the serious public health threats that result from under-regulated period products, given that 1.8 billion people worldwide menstruate monthly, according to UNICEF.  The report raises fundamental concerns about the harm to womenâs health associated with toxic chemical exposure. For tampon users, the vaginal route of exposure bypasses detoxification with a significantly higher absorption rate than skin. In addition, health concerns extend to ongoing chronic toxic chemical exposures to women worldwide working in cotton production and living in nearby communities. Methodology To investigate whether menstrual products contain harmful pesticide residues and whether current safety standards adequately control the risk of vaginal exposure, study researchers tested 15 boxes of tampons directly bought from UK supermarkets. These boxes were sent to an external laboratory for testing that looks for the presence of glyphosate and its breakdown product amionomethylphosphoric acid (AMPA) in the cotton material used to […]
Posted in aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), endometriosis, Glyphosate, Herbicides, Reproductive Health, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Monday, June 23rd, 2025
(Beyond Pesticides, June 23, 2025) At the close of National Pollinator week, Beyond Pesticides says in an action that all speciesâand their ecosystemâare threatened by the failure of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to perform its statutory duties under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Under FIFRA, EPA is required to register pesticides only when they pose no âunreasonable risk to man [sic] or the environment, taking into account the economic, social, and environmental costs and benefits.â Under ESA, EPA must, like all federal agencies, âseek to conserve endangered species and threatened species and shall utilize their authorities in furtherance of the purposesâ of the ESAâwhich are âto provide a means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend may be conserved, to provide a program for the conservation of such endangered species and threatened species, and to take such steps as may be appropriate to achieve the purposes of the treaties and conventionsâ through which âthe United States has pledged itself as a sovereign state in the international community to conserve to the extent practicable the various species of fish or wildlife and plants facing extinction.â In this context, Beyond Pesticides […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Biodiversity, Birds, Children, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Pesticide Regulation, Pollinators, Take Action, Uncategorized, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | No Comments »
Friday, June 20th, 2025
Image: Art Page submission from Sara Grantham, âPollen Song.â (Beyond Pesticides, June 20, 2025) A study in Conservation Genetics, entitled âOrganic farming fosters arthropod diversity of specific insect guilds â evidence from metabarcoding,â 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% and 75%, respectively. âWe report a higher diversity on organic meadows in comparison with conventional ones, all over the diversity of flying insects and not only based solely on a few species-poor groups as in previous studies,â the authors state. They continue: âWe found significant richness differences between management types and increased functionality on organic meadows. Our results imply the superiority of organic farming in comparison to conventional farming in the conservation of insect diversity.â The topic of insect biodiversity and the decline of insect populations over the last few decades, also referred to as the insect apocalypse, has been extensively covered by Beyond Pesticides. As previously reported in the Daily News, âContinued Decline in Insect Species Biodiversity with Agricultural Pesticide Use Documented,â insects provide many important services, such as […]
Posted in Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, Beneficials, Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services, Germany, Pollinators, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 10th, 2025
(Beyond Pesticides, June 10, 2025) An industry-led campaign to quash lawsuits against chemical manufacturers because of their âfailure to warnâ about the hazards of their pesticide products has failed to move forward in nine state legislatures with significant GOP majorities (Iowa,âŻMissouri,âŻIdaho,âŻFlorida,âŻTennessee, Mississippi,âŻWyoming,âŻMontana, andâŻOklahoma). As the Making America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission released its first report to assess the root causes of childhood diseases and adverse health conditions, there continues to be an ongoing fight among forces within the Trump Administration on whether pesticides should even be mentioned. (See here for The New York Times coverage.) As federal funding cuts make their way through the Budget Reconciliation process, communities around the country are calling on their elected officials to protect their right to sue pesticide manufacturers with failure-to-warn claims; in an era of deregulation and ongoing failure of our regulatory agencies to assess potential associated harms, advocates demand the preservation of this legal right. Status Report on State-Level Legislation The only state that has active legislation, as of todayâs writing, is North Carolina. The failure-to-warn language was inserted into the annual state Farm Bill package (SB 639) in Section 19, leading to public outcry in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on […]
Posted in Bayer, Corporations, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Failure to Warn, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Label Claims, Litigation, Mississippi, Missouri, Monsanto, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Preemption, Tennessee, Uncategorized, Wyoming | No Comments »
Thursday, June 5th, 2025
(Beyond Pesticides, June 5, 2025) A study conducted in Pennsylvania and published in Environmental Entomology highlights threats to nontarget organisms from neonicotinoid insecticide exposure. Using species of ground beetles as an example, the study documents sublethal behavioral effects as well as decreased week-long survival. This research fills a notable gap in current research, with the authors explaining, âPredatory soil arthropods are under-represented in insecticide toxicity studies, severely limiting our understanding of how insecticides affect soil-invertebrate communities in agroecosystems.â Â The researchers continue, âAs a step toward addressing this issue, we conducted novel acute oral, topical, and soil-based toxicity assays on 9 ground beetle species (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in response to the neonicotinoid insecticides clothianidin, thiamethoxam, and imidacloprid.â The nine carabid beetle species, all common to agroecosystems in central Pennsylvania, were exposed to clothianidin, while additional assays with thiamethoxam and imidacloprid were conducted on the two most abundant species. A wide body of science exists that connects neonicotinoid exposure to health effects in a variety of nontarget organisms. Neonicotinoids, a class of neurotoxic insecticides, act as agonists of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, âpersist under field conditions, and are water soluble, enabling them to translocate into plants and provide systemic protection of seedlings,â the […]
Posted in Beneficials, Biodiversity, Clothianidin, Ecosystem Services, Imidacloprid, neonicotinoids, Pennsylvania, Pollinators, soil health, Thiamethoxam, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 3rd, 2025
(Beyond Pesticides, June 3, 2025) Chemical contaminants in wastewater have long been of concern, especially given the significant costs of upgrading wastewater treatment facilities to remove existing and emerging chemicals. In advancing chemical safety, one of the many regulatory determinations that Beyond Pesticides advocates for, prior to the allowance of any toxic chemical use, is the establishment of a realistic cleanup or disposal strategy. Yet, a plethora of petrochemical pesticides flood the market and contaminate the air, soil, water, and crops before poisoning humans and wildlife. A study in the Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering uses the detectable levels of metabolites (breakdown products) of pesticides in wastewater to gauge exposure to populations living near flower bulb fields throughout the Netherlands. Wastewater samples were collected from five wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) located in different parts of the Netherlands, with two of the locations (Tollebeek and Lisse) located near flower bulb fields and the other three representing control areas. The study finds that higher levels of chemicals correlate with proximity to agricultural fields and present a heightened health risk. The authors describe wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) as a complementary approach to human biomonitoring that they use âto assess the spatial differences in human […]
Posted in Agriculture, Biomonitoring, Clean Water Act, Linuron, Metolachlor, tebuconazole, Water | No Comments »
Monday, June 2nd, 2025
(Beyond Pesticides, June 2, 2025) One focus of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission report* is children’s exposure to environmental chemicals and its link to health risks, particularly cumulative risk and chronic disease. With the evidence showing that the current approach to regulating pesticides and other chemicals fails to protect children’s health, it remains to be seen whether next steps will seek an overhaul and reorientation on the United States’ current reliance in chemical-intensive agriculture on hazardous pesticides that have been proven unnecessary by productive and profitable organic food production and land management systems, according to advocates. Beyond Pesticides and advocates are calling on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to promote organic practices and protect children’s health from pesticides through the setting of pesticide tolerances on food, or allowable levels of pesticide residuesâtaking back an authority given to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under a memorandum of understanding. The Food and Drug Administration, under HHS, is authorized to set tolerances under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), and EPA is authorized to register pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). The predictable response from […]
Posted in Children, Department of Health and Human Services, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Pesticide Regulation, Pesticide Residues, Take Action, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Friday, May 30th, 2025
(Beyond Pesticides, May 30, 2025) The Making America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission report, Make Our Children Healthy Again: Assessment, published on May 23, drew criticism from the pesticide industry and agribusiness allies for pointing to independent science that identifies a range of pesticide-induced health hazards.* The Commission, chaired by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is composed of the heads of numerous agencies of the federal government and the White House, from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), to the Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller. The MAHA Commission was established by Executive Order 14212 on February 13, 2025. Despite extensive citations to the science on pesticide hazards, the report includes a section on âCrop Protection Tools,â in which there is a repetition of chemical industry talking points that pesticide residues in food comply with existing tolerances, thus implying that pesticides in food are safe. (See USDA Pesticide Data Program Continues to Mislead the Public on Pesticide Residue Exposure.) However, overall the reportâs introduction sets a tone that seeks to catalogue […]
Posted in Atrazine, Chemical Mixtures, Chemicals, Children, Children/Schools, Chlorpyrifos, Corporations, Corteva, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Farm Bill, Farmworkers, Federal Agencies, Glyphosate, Label Claims, Pesticide Mixtures, Preemption, Uncategorized, United Nations | No Comments »
Monday, May 26th, 2025
(Beyond Pesticides, May 23-26, 2025) This Memorial Day, while honoring and mourning the U.S. military personnel who have died serving in the United States Armed Forces, Beyond Pesticides recognizes those who are still fighting the long-term impacts of exposure to toxic chemicals as a result of their use in warfare. A recent review in the Open Journal of Soil Science acts as a reminder of the effects that span multiple generations to both the environment and human health following the use of pesticides. The review analyzes the history and impacts of herbicide use during the Vietnam War, as well as emphasizes the importance and relevance for current and future generations. As the authors state, âThe United States (U.S.) and other countries, including Russia and Ukraine, need to learn the historical lessons from the U.S. use of herbicides, containing dioxin TCDD and/or arsenic (As), as chemical weapons during the Vietnam War.â As previously reported by Beyond Pesticides, public attention generally focuses on the ârainbow herbicides,â particularly Agent Orange, used during the Vietnam War; meanwhile, it is the dioxin TCDD (2,3,7,8 tetrachlorodibenzodioxin), a byproduct of Agent Orangeâs manufacturing process, that has caused the most lasting damage within the country. While the breakdown […]
Posted in 2,4-D, Agent Orange, air pollution, arsenic, Cancer, dioxin, DNA Damage, Drinking Water, Gulf War Syndrome, Holidays, multi-generational effects, Occupational Health, Pesticide Mixtures, Reproductive Health, TCDD | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 21st, 2025
(Beyond Pesticides, May 21, 2025) An assessment of the fire hazards of four herbicide products in Science of The Total Environment finds high fire and toxic gas emission risk, particularly in 2,4-D-based weed killer products. The authors note that âInert [nondisclosed] ingredients significantly influence flammability and toxic gas generation in fires,â and the combustion of these products âreleases hazardous gases and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.â These results highlight the fire hazards associated with herbicides, as well as the emission of hazardous substances into the atmosphere, which can threaten environmental and public health.  The authors summarize: â[T]he aim of this work is to raise awareness of the fire hazards posed by the storage of pesticides and what effect the âinertâ substances in them have. In the past, large fires have occurred around the world, e.g., in Basel (1986), Arkansas (1998), and in Eastern Virginia at the Bayer CropScience plant (2008). It is important to note that in addition to large factories and warehouses, fires can affect small crop protection product stores and local wholesalers.â (See related coverage on the 2023 train derailment, fire, and subsequent release of chemicals here.) The U.S. Fire Administration estimates 344,600 residential building fires nationally, based on […]
Posted in 2,4-D, Glyphosate, Groundwater, Occupational Health, Pesticide Mixtures, Volatile Organic Compounds | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, May 20th, 2025
(Beyond Pesticides, May 20, 2025) In the same week, Republicans on the House Agriculture Committee in a straight party-line vote moved forward a proposal to gut U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) supplemental food program for low-income people, and USDA reversed course after the filing of a federal lawsuit spearheaded by farmers and environmentalists argued that the agency had illegally deleted climate data from its website in violation of several federal statutes. (See New York Times reporting here.) The Republican budget proposal (see full text here) for the next fiscal year, which will strip $300 billion in USDA funding, is proposed in President Trumpâs âskinny budgetâ proposal. Throughout the past few months of uncertainty, a robust coalition of farmers, farmworkers, businesses, lawyers, public health professionals, and environmentalists has continued to fight for holistic food systems reform and protection of organic standards. Budget Reconciliation and Preemption Review The House GOP met for markups on May 12-13 to approve the agricultural portion of the proposed Reconciliation package before a full vote on May 16. The legislative language, passed along party-lines [29-25] in the agriculture committee, is considered âthe largest overhaul in decades to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps more than […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Congress, Farm Bill, Litigation, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | No Comments »
Thursday, May 15th, 2025
(Beyond Pesticides, May 15, 2025) The United Nationsâ Conference of Parties (COP) for the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), originally adopted by 128 countries in 2001, voted to move the highly neurotoxic organophosphate insecticide chlorpyrifos, linked to brain damage in children, to Annex A (Elimination) with exemptions on a range of crops, control for ticks for cattle, and wood preservation, according to the POPs Review Committee. The exemptions drew criticism from groups seeking to eliminate chlorpyrifos without exemptions, as had been originally proposed. In the world of pesticide restrictions, this POPs classification marks a step forward in the international regulation of chlorpyrifos, as the U.S. sits on the sidelines. The long effort to ban this one hazardous pesticide, as important as the action is, serves as a reminder of the limitations of a whack-a-mole approach to chemical regulation of the thousands of toxic products poisoning people and the planet, filled with compromises to public health and the environmentâwhile alternative practices and materials are available to meet productivity, profitability, and quality of life goals. According to Down to Earth, the 18 specific crop and use exemptions include the following: Barley (termites), Cabbage (diamondback moth), Cacao (cacao-mosquitoes and cacao pod […]
Posted in Chlorpyrifos, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), International, Uncategorized, United Nations | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 14th, 2025
(Beyond Pesticides, May 14, 2025) Research by the Rodale Institute, Ohio State University, and Tennessee State University, published in Soil Science of America Journal, documents that organic grain cropping systems contain higher concentrations of total nitrogen and soil organic carbon, exceeding those found in conventional, chemical-intensive systems. This study is an extension of the Rodale Instituteâs Farming System Trial (FST), a 40-year-long field study with the overarching goal of â[a]ddress[ing] the barriers to the adoption of organic farming by farmers across the country.â As communities across the country express concerns over the economic uncertainty surrounding tariffs on imported goods, organic advocates continue to call for investment in organic agriculture as a form of economic development. Previous economic analysis by Pennsylvania State University, published in the research report Economic impact of organic agriculture hotspots in the United States, finds that the domestic development of organic certified processing facilities, wholesalers, brokers, producers, and other aspects of the supply chain together could create highly sought after economic development in disinvested areas across the nation; areas that may have been historically battered by free trade agreements like the US-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA) and may be interested in promoting local revitalization efforts. Background Information and […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, biofertilizers, Regenerative, soil health, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 13th, 2025
(Beyond Pesticides, May 13, 2025) A study in Environmental Pollution examines ecological and health risks in farmland soil with pesticide contamination. âAlthough agricultural soil pesticide residues have long threatened the environment, a relatively complete system for evaluating their health and ecological risks has not yet been developed,â the authors state. In addressing this research gap, the study finds that âmore than ten pesticides were detected in 98.62% of the soil samples, which changed the soil environmentâ and threatens the health of the soil microbiome. The authors continue, âThis study investigated the correlation between pesticide residue risks and soil ecological security and human health, revealed the response characteristics of soil microbial communities under pesticide stress, and identified microbes strongly related to pesticide ecological risks.â Pesticides, as the authors emphasize, âinevitably pollute agricultural soil, affect the ecological environment, and pose a threat to human health.â (See studies here, here, and here.) With this in mind, they assess 50 selected pesticides in 145 soil samples from agricultural land in Zhejiang Province, China and calculate the associated risks to ecosystems and public health. In describing the importance of this research, the authors explain: âPesticides are prone to leakage and drift in environmental media, turning […]
Posted in Agriculture, Bifenthrin, Biodiversity, Cancer, Chlorpyrifos, Ecosystem Services, Imidacloprid, indoxacarb, Microbiome, Pesticide Mixtures, soil health | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 30th, 2025
(Beyond Pesticides, April 30, 2025) A literature review published in Ecosystem Services by researchers at SantâAnna School of Advanced Studies and Rodale Institute European Regenerative Organic Center identifies the ecological and soil health benefits of regenerative organic agriculture (ROAg). In comparison to chemical-intensive farming, ROAg increases soil organic content by 22 percent, soil total nitrogen by 28 percent, and soil microbial biomass carbon by 133 percent, according to the research. While further long-term comparative research is needed to compare regenerative organic with conventional, chemical-intensive systems, as well as more precisely quantifiable benefits of regenerative organic farming on soil health, researchers were able to determine that regenerative organic agriculture âhas significant positive impacts on soil health and ecosystem service delivery.â As U.S. farmers contend with the future of unpredictable supply chains, there is an increasing interest in the organic agricultural sector to minimize superficial costs while maximizing the utility of existing resources. The density and diversity of microbial life in the soil is one such resource that requires regenerative organic principles, including the commonly held belief that soil microbial life must be fed to break down organic matter for plant nutrition, rather than bypassing the soil with synthetic petrochemical nutrients.  […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Climate, Climate Change, Regenerative, soil health, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 29th, 2025
(Beyond Pesticides, April 29, 2025) A study in Environment International finds pesticide-induced alterations in the gut microbiota of a farmland raptor species. In collecting blood and cloacal samples from Montaguâs harrier (Circus pygargus) nestlings, the authors âshed light on an overlooked collateral effect of pesticides, i.e., a general modification of gut bacterial assemblages,â which can lead to an imbalance of microorganisms (dysbiosis) and the promotion of potential pathogens, as well as negatively impact the health of birds of prey. âAdditionally, our findings support the ‘One Health‘ framework, stressing the interconnectedness of wildlife, ecosystem, and human health, particularly in pesticide-affected agricultural areas,â the researchers share. âThe gut microbiota is crucial for host health and can be impacted by various environmental disruptions, yet the effects of multiple pesticide exposures on farmland organismsâ microbiomes remain largely unexplored,â the authors state. In the study, they âassessed microbiota changes in a wild apex predator exposed to multiple pesticides in agricultural landscapes,â which âprovides evidence of pesticide impacts on wildlife gut microbiota, highlighting links between pesticide exposure and changes in microbiota composition,â the researchers note. The Montaguâs harrier, as an apex predator, serves as a âbio-sentinelâ or bioindicator species for assessing ecosystem health. âAs top-level predators […]
Posted in Acetochlor, Alternatives/Organics, Biodiversity, Birds, Chlorpyrifos, Gut Dysbiosis, Microbiome, Pesticide Mixtures, Quinoxyfen, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | No Comments »
Monday, April 28th, 2025
(Beyond Pesticides, April 28, 2025) Despite the rising number of households without adequate access to food (18 million or 13.5% of households, or over 45 million people in 2023, including children, according to the U.S. Department of Agricultureâs Economic Research Service), government programs to support local food systems are being dismantled by the Trump Administration. For several years, farmers, schools, and food distributors have been working together to provide fresh, local food in schools and food pantries across the nation, thanks to two programs at USDAâthe Local Food for Schools (LFS) Cooperative Agreement Program and the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) Cooperative Agreement Program. >> Tell your U.S. Representative and Senators to make the Local Food for Schools (LFS) Cooperative Agreement Program and the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) Cooperative Agreement Program permanent through the Farm Bill. USDA has canceled the two programs that gave states, tribal governments, schools, and food banks money to buy local food from farmers. The LFS program awards money to states to buy local foods for schools and childcare institutions, and the LFPA program provides funding for state, tribal, and territorial governments to buy food produced within the state or within 400 miles of delivery destinations. Hunger is […]
Posted in Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, Children/Schools, National Politics, Take Action, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | No Comments »
Friday, April 25th, 2025
(Beyond Pesticides, April 25, 2025) A novel study in Chemosphere finds impacts on male fertility in a bee species (Osmia bicornis) with exposure to sulfoxaflor, a systemic sulfoximine insecticide with similar mechanisms to neonicotinoids. âFor the first time, we demonstrate that short-term chronic, field-realistic exposure to a common pesticide reduced pre-copulatory display (36%) and sounds (27%) [courtship behaviors], increased the number of copulations (+110%) and the mating duration (+166%), while finally reducing sperm quantity (25%) and mating success (43%),â the researchers report. They continue, âOur research raises considerable concern on the impact of field-realistic, low sublethal pesticide levels on the fertility and reproductive success of pollinators.â Mating behaviors and the ability to successfully reproduce determines the survival of species. As the authors state: âMating disorders may therefore contribute to the recent decline in insect and pollinators’ health worldwide. While the impact of pesticides on pollinators is widely considered as a driving factor for reducing pollinators’ health, their effect on mating behaviour and male fertility remains widely overlooked.â The red mason bee (O. bicornis) can âprovide essential pollination service for both crops and wild plants sustaining food production and biodiversity while serving as a bioindicator of environmental health.â The abundance and […]
Posted in Beneficials, Biodiversity, Clothianidin, fenbuconazole, men's health, Oxidative Stress, Pesticide Mixtures, Pollinators, Reproductive Health, Sulfoxaflor, Thiamethoxam | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025
(Beyond Pesticides, April 22, 2025) While it has been widely found that farmworkers bear the brunt of agricultural pesticide exposures in fields and outbuildings, the outdoor use of chemicals contaminating living spaces is documented in an increasing number of studies. Two recent studies add to earlier findings that raise exposure and health concerns. A large European study of house dust contaminants, published in Science of the Total Environment, finds more than 1,200 anthropogenic compounds, including numerous organophosphates, the phthalate DEHP, PCBs, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products. And, a recent Argentine study, âPesticide contamination in indoor home dust: A pilot study of non-occupational exposure in Argentina,â examines contaminant levels in household dust in villages and towns distributed throughout the Pampas region, where soybeans, corn, sunflowers, and livestock, especially cattle, are raised. The study participants were not agricultural workers, but teachers, government workers, librarians, retirees, college students, doctors, lawyers, artists, and business people. The Argentine study reinforces what has been previously reported, which emphasizes findings that there is no doubt that pesticide residues accumulate in homes adjacent to agricultural fields and pastures. For example, in 2023, Beyond Pesticides reported on a study of 598 California homes near agricultural areas sampled for carpet […]
Posted in Indoor Air Quality, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Friday, April 18th, 2025
(Beyond Pesticides, April 18, 2025) A recent study published in Foods assesses the ability of the fungicide azoxystrobin (AZX) and naturally occurring toxins produced by certain fungi, known as mycotoxins, to display effects of cytotoxicity (cell damage). These effects were evaluated using three common mycotoxins found in food, including ochratoxin A (OTA), deoxynivalenol (DON), and T-2 toxin as mixtures with AZX within human hepatocarcinoma (HepG2) cell cultures. In analyzing combinations of these compounds at sublethal concentrations, the authors find modified toxicological behavior and synergistic effects that highlight the complexities of chemical mixtures, and potential threats to liver health through dietary exposure to both toxicants and toxins, that are not adequately regulated for their interactions. While fungicides, like azoxystrobin, are intended to prevent or control fungal diseases, resistance to these pesticides can increase the presence of fungi, and subsequent mycotoxins, on crops. This scenario allows for co-exposure of fungicides and mycotoxins within food products that present a risk to consumers. These chemicals can threaten human health individually, as the researchers confirm in their study, but present a greater threat in combination. The mixture of AZX with all three mycotoxins exhibits the highest toxicity, with synergistic effects at all tested concentration levels. […]
Posted in Agriculture, Azoxystrobin, Chemical Mixtures, European Union, Fungicides, Liver Damage, National Organic Standards Board/National Organic Program, NOSB National Organic Standards Board, Oxidative Stress, Pesticide Residues, synergistic effects | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 15th, 2025
(Beyond Pesticides, April 15, 2025) A study in Communications Earth & Environment, through field, greenhouse, and laboratory experiments involving three plant bug species, finds both species-specific and sex-specific sensitivity responses to neonicotinoid insecticide exposureâhighlighting the threats to grassland insect communities that are disregarded in risk assessments. By assessing the effects of MospilanÂŽSG, with the active ingredient acetamiprid, the researchers determine that nontarget plant bug species are highly sensitive to neonicotinoids and face community-level harm with exposure. As systemic insecticides, neonicotinoids move through the vascular system of plants, expressing the poison through pollen, nectar, and guttation droplets. As persistent pesticides, these chemicals indiscriminately poison insects and organisms in the soil. âAlthough pesticides have been proposed as one of the main causes of insect decline, there are still few studies assessing their effects on non-target species under field conditions,â the authors state. They continue: âIn this study, we address the existing research gap on insecticide exposure of non-target herbivorous insects, focusing on two main aspects: (1) realistic exposure scenarios, (2) community-level effects, i.e., differential sensitivity between closely related species and between sexes of the same species. We chose plant bugs (Heteroptera: Miridae) as a model group because they are one of the […]
Posted in acetamiprid, Agriculture, Beneficials, Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services, European Union, neonicotinoids | 1 Comment »