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Michigan Warns of Illegal Pesticide Sold Online That Recently Poisoned People
State officials issued a warning to avoid purchasing an unregistered, dangerous pesticide after people were poisoned last year. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said this week people should not buy pesticides containing dichlorvos, DDVP, which are sold on online marketplaces like Amazon, eBay or Poshmark.
The brands Sniper and Nopest, marketed as insecticides that kill roaches, ants, flies and spiders, are not registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, which makes them illegal and unsafe to use at home. These chemicals are responsible for recent poisonings in Michigan, according to state officials.
Nebraska Farmers Curb Pesticide Use Through Regenerative Agriculture
Environmentally-conscious farmers around the country are implementing regenerative agriculture practices to reduce the use of glyphosate and other herbicides on Nebraska corn and soybean crops. Regenerative agriculture focuses on long-term soil health rather than using herbicides to kill weeds.
Will Harris — owner of White Oak Pastures, a regenerative farm in Bluffton, Georgia – said the practice can reduce the use of glyphosate, which is used in the herbicide Roundup. But he said the transition away from the current model will be challenging.
“If we see a shift in how we produce food in this country,” said Harris, “if we do and I hope we do, it’s going to come more from new farmers choosing to farm this way than existing industrial farmers choosing to transition over. That’s a hard switch.”
Harris said focusing on soil health and zero-waste ag practices could almost entirely reduce the need for glyphosate and other herbicides on Arizona’s cotton, produce and dairy farms – which routinely run off into ground and surface water.
Bill to Shield Georgia Carpet Companies From PFAS Lawsuits Advances
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported:
A state legislative proposal that could shield northwest Georgia carpet companies from a barrage of lawsuits claiming they contaminated the environment passed a committee on Monday, bringing the bill a step closer to a full house vote.
House Bill 211 sputtered to a halt last year after legislators heard from a steady stream of lawyers and residents who said the law would let industry off the hook for the region’s broad contamination from PFAS chemicals used to make carpets stain-resistant. Such a turnout was absent this time as the legislation sailed through with little notice and fanfare.
Firefighters Wore Gear Containing ‘Forever Chemicals.’ The Forest Service Knew and Stayed Silent for Years.
Officials at the U.S. Forest Service knew gear worn by wildland firefighters contained potentially dangerous “forever chemicals” years before the agency publicly acknowledged the issue, according to internal correspondence obtained by ProPublica.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, have been linked to negative health impacts, including certain cancers and delayed development in children. For years, PFAS chemicals were commonly used to treat the heavy gear worn by municipal firefighters to help it repel water and oil.
Federal agencies have said little about whether the compounds were also found in the lighter heat-resistant clothing worn by wildland firefighters. In February 2024, when ProPublica was reporting on the dangers of wildland firefighting — including the risk of cancer — the news organization asked both the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior if federal wildland firefighting gear contained PFAS. Both agencies gave nearly identical answers, writing that they did not have “specific measured concentration data showing that PFAS is contained in protective clothing and gear.”
Colorado Farmers Would Need ‘Prescription’ to Use Common Pesticide if Legislature Passes Environmental Bill
A big fight is brewing in the legislature over one of the most common pesticide uses and a complex new regime proposed for farmers who want to keep planting seeds coated with neonicotinoids — brewing, that is, unless the powerful and adamantly opposed farm and chemical lobbies snuff it early.
The dominant form of pesticide use on big farms involves major chemical manufacturers and seed companies coating seeds, from corn to soy beans to wheat, with the pesticides, often called “neonics.” The coating is an infusion that grows with the plant, so that destructive insects that bite into the material are warded off from seed to harvest. Farm, seed and chemical interests argue these targeted pesticides are less risky for humans and critters than the old system of fence-to-fence broadcast spraying.
Environmental and conservation groups have been stepping up opposition to the neonicotinoid family of coatings, saying the chemicals don’t just kill unwanted pests. They also are deadly, or at least disruptive, to dwindling pollinators, butterflies and other important insects. The groups also worry about aquatic life from farm runoff containing neonics, and still are not satisfied with cited studies showing no impact to humans eating neonic-protected foods.
