pesticides

New PFAS Definition by EPA Omits Pharmaceutical, Pesticide Chemicals

New PFAS Definition by EPA Omits Pharmaceutical, Pesticide Chemicals

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created a new “working definition” of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS. The updated definition is narrower, leaving out many chemicals in pharmaceuticals, pesticides and even some refrigerants.  Scientists are concerned that the agency’s redefining of PFAS makes these chemicals seem less toxic, and critics have […]

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    Green Groups Sue EPA to Protect Pollinators From Deadly Pesticides

    Green Groups Sue EPA to Protect Pollinators From Deadly Pesticides

    Two environmental groups are suing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to protect bees and other pollinators from deadly pesticides. The Center for Food Safety (CFS) and Pesticide Action Network (PAN) of North America filed the lawsuit Tuesday demanding that the EPA close a loophole that allows seeds coated with neonicotinoids to escape labelling and registration […]

    Big Ag Furious as EPA Says Popular Herbicides Are Driving Species to Extinction

    Big Ag Furious as EPA Says Popular Herbicides Are Driving Species to Extinction

    By Brett Wilkins As Big Ag fumed Monday over a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determination that herbicides including the endocrine-disrupting atrazine and carcinogenic glyphosate are likely to harm more than 1,600 protected plant and animal species, environmentalists pointed to the agency’s findings as proof of the need for stricter limits on the use of […]

    Could Your Next Cup of Coffee Be Grown in a Lab?

    Could Your Next Cup of Coffee Be Grown in a Lab?

    Millions of people drink coffee each morning, but the impact this drink has on the planet is often not top of mind. While there are certifications for coffee growers working to lessen their carbon footprints, much of the coffee the world consumes depends on deforestation, fertilizers, pesticides, and a lot of energy to make it […]

    California Vineyards Use Owls Instead of Pesticides

    California Vineyards Use Owls Instead of Pesticides

    Winemakers must pay close attention to their soil, the rain, the heat, and the sunlight. But rodents like gophers and mice can wreak havoc on a vineyard. Rather than turning to rodenticides to deter pests, graduate students at Humboldt State University in California are testing a more natural approach by using owls. The experiment is […]

    Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Saving the Bees

    Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Saving the Bees

    “Save the bees!” You’ve heard this call to action before, but what’s the buzz really about? Turns out, bees are incredibly important in nature and in human food production. According to an EarthDay.Org report, there are more than 20,000 distinct bee species worldwide. In the U.S., there are native bees (more than 4,000 species) and […]

    Could Chlorpyrifos Be Contributing to the Obesity Epidemic?

    Could Chlorpyrifos Be Contributing to the Obesity Epidemic?

    It is widely known that the controversial pesticide chlorpyrifos harms children’s brains, yet despite this, it was not banned on food in the U.S. until August of this year. A little more than a week later, new science published in Nature Communications revealed the controversial pesticide could be contributing to another public health crisis. “[I]ts […]