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Pesticides

Pesticides are chemicals or biological agents meant to control pests, including weeds, fungi, and insects. According to a Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and Environment study, gestational pesticide exposure been linked to neurological disorders in children. Organochlorine pesticides such as DDT were among those pesticides studied to be potential endocrine disrupting compounds, in a systematic review of neurotoxicants that disproportionately affect males. Despite being barred from use in the U.S. in 1972, traces of DDT still show up in vegetables, meat, fish, and dairy products. DDT can build up in rivers, lakes, and coastal areas, which then accumulates in fish. A few products are still registered for use, including lindane, a organochlorine pesticide ingredient in a lice and scabies shampoo.

February 13, 2020

New Study Shows That When it Comes to Pesticides and Kids, the EPA Has Looked the Other Way

For the majority of pesticides reviewed in this study, the EPA did not apply an additional FQPA safety factor, missing an opportunity to fully use the FQPA authority for protecting children’s health.

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August 05, 2019

Statement on the available outcomes of the human health assessment in the context of the pesticides peer review of the active substance chlorpyrifos

In July 2019, the European Commission asked EFSA to provide a statement on the available outcomes of the human health assessment in the context of the pesticides peer review for the renewal of approval of the active substance chlorpyrifos conducted in accordance with Commission Implementing Regulation (EC) No 844/2012. The current statement contains a summary of the main findings of the assessment related to human health following the pesticides peer review expert discussions in mammalian toxicology held between 1 and 5 April 2019, as well as EFSA’s additional considerations, including whether the active substance can be expected to meet the approval criteria applicable to human health as laid down in Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009. The identified concerns are presented as follows.

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July 31, 2019

U.S. Births at Record-Low Levels — Why Aren’t We Asking Why?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released its annual statistical overview of births in America. The agency reported that total U.S. births plummeted to a 32-year “record low” in 2018—particularly for teenagers and women in their twenties. But though 2018 may have set a new record, other recent years relay much the same story: total births and the general fertility rate (births per 1,000 reproductive-age women) have been falling steadily for well over a decade.

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July 25, 2019

Chlorpyrifos: Playing Pesticide Politics With Children’s Health

Chlorpyrifos—described by some as “the most dangerous pesticide you’ve never heard of”—is an insect-killing organophosphate. Organophosphates trace their roots back to Nazi-era IG Farben nerve gases; contemporary scientists still describe the compounds as “junior-strength nerve agents” that have a mechanism of action comparable to sarin.

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July 09, 2019

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Children’s Health Defense Bring Legal Action Against Beech-Nut Nutrition Company Concerning Misrepresentation That Their Naturals Baby Foods are 100% Natural

Washington, DC—Robert F. Kennedy Jr., chairman and chief litigation counsel for Children’s Health Defense (CHD) announced a lawsuit today against Beech-Nut Nutrition Company. The complaint, filed in Washington, DC, asserts that Beech-Nut’s material misrepresentations and omissions violate the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Procedures Act.

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May 06, 2019

Tracking the Agrichemical Industry Propaganda Network

by Stacy Malkan, U.S. Right to Know   propaganda: information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view. Just four corporations now control three quarters of the global supply of seeds and pesticides. Public oversight of their activities is crucial for a safe […]

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