Posted March 6, 2021
Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador quietly rocked the agribusiness world with his New Year’s Eve decree to phase out use of the herbicide glyphosate and the cultivation of genetically modified corn. His administration sent an even stronger aftershock two weeks later, clarifying that the government would also phase out GM corn imports in three years and the ban would include not just corn for human consumption but yellow corn destined primarily for livestock. Read more.
Get Informed on Issues Related to Chemicals
EPA Approves Chemical ‘Air Treatment’ Against COVID, Despite Known Health Hazards
Posted March 4, 2021
In mid-January, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved requests from two southern states (Georgia and Tennessee) asking for an emergency exemption that would allow them to aerosolize selected indoor spaces with an antiviral “air treatment” called Grignard Pure. Grignard Pure is a nanoparticle-based product. Its active ingredient is a substance called triethylene glycol (TEG). Read more.
Chemical Madness: EPA Shirking Duties on Pesticides
Posted February 11, 2021
The US lags behind other advanced countries in regulating dangerous chemicals, making us more susceptible to COVID and a host of other diseases. Action Alert! Thousands of pesticides, food additives, and cosmetic ingredients that are legal in the US are banned in the European Union, Brazil, and China—which may help explain in some part why Americans have lower life expectancy and higher COVID fatality rate than other comparable nations. The federal government’s deference to the chemical industry is completely unacceptable. Read more.
Cleaning Frenzy, Health Catastrophe?
Posted February 5, 2021
How the drive to clean and disinfect during COVID could be damaging our health. Action Alert! The incessant cleaning and disinfecting that has become the norm in many homes and businesses during the pandemic may not only be unnecessary, but dangerous. Chemicals found in cleaning products can adversely affect human health, including acute damage and chronic effects. We must demand that these chemicals be pulled from the market so they can be studied properly for safety. Read more.
Landmark Agent Orange Court Case Against Agrochemical Giants gets Underway
Posted February 5, 2021
A new litigation front has opened up for beleaguered Bayer – Agent Orange lawsuits. On January 25 Tran To Nga, a former Franco-Vietnamese journalist and resistance fighter in the Vietnam war, took fourteen American companies involved in the production and sale of Agent Orange to court for causing grievous harm to her and others. The companies include Bayer (formerly Monsanto) and Dow Chemical, the principal manufacturers for the US military of this toxic herbicide. Read more.
Vilsack’s Dicamba Disaster – Reason #2 Senators Should Vote NO on Biden’s Pick for USDA Pick
Posted January 22, 2021
Last post, we listed the dozens of new genetically modified crops Vilsack pushed through the U.S.D.A. and cloned animals that he allowed to enter the market without review. Today, we focus on Vilsack’s 2015 approval of dicamba-resistant cotton and soy. He knew these GMOs would unleash a raft of hellish herbicide drift incidents plaguing organic and conventional farmers alike. Read more.
The Arctic Ocean Has a Plastics Problem. Your Clothes Might Be Partly to Blame.
Posted January 22, 2021
The Arctic has long proven to be a barometer of the health of our planet. This remote part of the world faces unprecedented environmental assaults, as climate change and industrial chemicals threaten a way of life for Inuit and other Indigenous and northern communities that rely heavily on seafood and marine mammals for food. Read more.
Hungry For a Big Mac? You Won’t Be After You Read These 8 Dirty Facts
Posted January 8, 2021
Feeling hungry? You may want to read the rest of this article before you head to your favorite fast food restaurant and order your usual chemical and prescription drug-ridden meal. Did you know you’re likely eating crushed beetles and or duck feathers with your fast food burger? Here are some of the most disgusting additives you’re eating when you hit the drive-thru: Read more.
Investigation on Weed Killer, Dicamba, adds to Pattern of Corporate Deception on Pesticide Hazards
Posted January 8, 2021
The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting published a story in early December on yet another example of the corporate malfeasance that exalts profit far above concerns for safety, health, and ecosystems. The Midwest Center’s investigation finds that Monsanto and BASF, makers of the extremely problematic herbicide dicamba, engaged in a variety of deceitful, unethical, and possibly fraudulent practices to enable its use. The bottom line is that the companies knew, before they released dicamba, about the massive damage it would cause — and then put it on the market. Read more.
Big Ag, Big Chem Team Up
Posted December 11, 2020
The largest agribusinesses and chemical giants are building support in the new administration, and beyond. Action Alert! President-elect Joe Biden is reportedly considering former US senator and Big Ag ally Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) as the next Secretary of Agriculture. Separately, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations recently announced a pending partnership with CropLife, the trade association for the pesticide and biotech industry. We must oppose this blatant cronyism. Read more.
