Field schools that train farmers in alternative methods of pest control have succeeded in nearly eliminating the use of toxic pesticides by a community of cotton growers in Mali, according to a new Food and Agriculture Organization for the United Nations (FAO) study published yesterday by the London-based Royal Society. The study was conducted in two […]
Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Farm Bill, which fails to make meaningful reforms to correct this imbalance in our food policy: 1. “Direct Payments” Bait and Switch The Farm Bill eliminates the “Direct Payments” program—long the poster child for wasteful agricultural subsidies, known for handing out checks to rich landowners who don’t […]
By Robin Lally Scientists have known for more than 40 years that the synthetic pesticide DDT is harmful to bird habitats and a threat to the environment. Now researchers at Rutgers University say exposure to DDT—banned in the U.S. since 1972 but still used as a pesticide in other countries—may also increase the risk and […]
The chemical company Chemtura sued the state of California yesterday seeking to block new fire safety regulations that would permit furniture production without toxic flame retardants. Concerned over potential profit loss, since California holds enormous purchasing power—almost 10 percent of the U.S. population—Chemtura sued the state. The new rules, which Gov. Brown (D-CA) put into […]
The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today proposed a federal rule that, if finalized, would remove the potentially hazardous chemical triclosan from antibacterial body washes and hand soaps. Under the proposed rule, the FDA will require manufacturers to prove their antibacterial soaps and body washes are safe and more effective than plain soap and […]
Infants and toddlers are likely becoming exposed to potentially harmful substances called parabens at a higher level than adult women in the U.S. through lotions, shampoos and other personal care products, new research says. Potential daily skin exposure to parabens by infants and toddlers could be as much as two to three times higher than […]
Pregnant women in Washington, D.C. experienced an unusually high number of late-term miscarriages during the same time period that lead levels were dangerously high in the city’s drinking water and the public was unaware of the problem, a study has found. Authors of the study, scheduled to be published in the journal Environmental Science and […]
Many of us who get the flu this winter will demand antibiotics from our doctors. And hopefully, your doctor will turn you down. Antibiotics, which kill bacteria, don’t cure the flu. That’s because the flu is caused by a virus, not bacteria. So your doctor would be prescribing an unnecessary drug. Photo credit: Shutterstock But […]
By Brian Bienkowski Traces of 18 unregulated chemicals were found in drinking water from more than one-third of U.S. water utilities in a nationwide sampling, according to new, unpublished research by federal scientists. Included are 11 perfluorinated compounds, an herbicide, two solvents, caffeine, an antibacterial compound, a metal and an antidepressant, reports Environmental Health News. […]
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