Despite USDA claims that bio-engineered wheat is safe, consumers have reservations (“Monsanto’s Genetically Engineered Wheat Scandal Is No Surprise, by Paul Klein, Forbes magazine”). While genetically modified corn and soybeans are primarily grown as animal feed or for use in processed foods, wheat is a crop grown to be consumed directly. That makes it a harder sell (“Explainer: Biotech corn and soy widely used, consumers still wary of GM wheat,” Reuters, March 3, 2023, Julie Ingwersen). Read more.
Get Informed on Issues Related to Chemicals
EPA Acts on PFAS
Thanks to your advocacy, the agency is proposing drinking water limits on six PFAS chemicals. But there’s a lot more work to do. Action Alert! For the first time, the EPA has proposed enforceable limits on six PFAS chemicals in Americans’ drinking water. Read more.
New Study Reveals Connection between Glyphosate and Adolescent Health Issues
Chronic health conditions such as diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and metabolic syndrome are increasing dramatically. Children are getting sick more often and what we often think of as lifestyle diseases are showing up earlier and earlier. While the types and amounts of food eaten are important factors, chemicals sprayed onto their food can also play a significant role. Read more.
How Chemicals Help the World Put on Weight
With the world on pace to have more than half its population overweight or obese by 2035, it’s time to look beyond the traditional causes – overeating and under exercising – to understand why. Action Alert! Poor diet and a lack of activity are important factors in causing us to gain weight, as are our genetics, but scientists are also learning that chemicals we encounter every day change how our bodies process food. Certain endocrine-disrupting chemicals can promote fat cell growth, slow metabolism, and make it easier to put lost weight back on. Read more.
FDA hasn’t Reviewed some Food Additives in Decades
There are more than 10,000 chemicals and additives allowed in food in the United States, often in small amounts. But many haven’t been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration in decades. The majority are safe, but some chemicals allowed in the U.S. have been banned overseas after research has linked them to cancer and developmental or behavioral issues. Read more.
Exposing Industry Secrets: Are Your “Organic” Strawberries Really Organic?
The term ‘organic’ can be a tough one to decipher. It can be shocking when you hear that supposedly certified organic strawberries aren’t so organic after all. Although organic strawberries sell for 50% to 100% more than conventional berries, organic strawberries are fumigated with toxic chemicals, including methyl bromide, at the beginning stages of their life-cycle. Read more.
REI Responds to Pressure to Remove PFAS from Clothing and Cookware
This week, REI Co-op made an announcement that the company would be phasing out toxic PFAS “Forever Chemicals” from cookware and textile products as outlined in their Product Impact Standards Version 3.0, February 2023. The new policy will have a far reaching impact, affecting REI’s 1,000+ brand partners and suppliers. Read more.
Bolthouse Farms Sued After Smoothie With ‘100% Fruit Juice’ Tests Positive for PFAS
A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Bolthouse Farms, alleging the California-based beverage company misled customers by claiming that its Green Goodness smoothie consists of “100% Fruit Juice.” Testing found the beverage contains toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” at levels well above the federal advisory limits for drinking water. Read more.
Phosphorus Saved Our Way of Life—and Now Threatens to End It
When human beings invented agriculture, some ten thousand years ago, they were, almost immediately, confronted with a conundrum. Crops need nutrients to grow, but harvesting them removes the nutrients, leaving the soil unfit for future harvests. Early farmers got around this bind by letting some fields lie fallow; spreading animal waste, including their own, on the land; and planting legumes, which possess restorative properties. Read more.
With EPA delay tactics stopped, a federal judge moves ahead with trial that may end water fluoridation in America
At a hearing on January 12th, 2023, delays in a federal water fluoridation trial have come to a halt, as Judge Edward Chen denied the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s motion for another six-month delay that its attorney had sought. EPA is being sued by the educational non-profit Fluoride Action Network (FAN) and other health advocates for ignoring scientific evidence that water fluoridation is harmful to children’s brains. Read more.
