• Maryland Continues Pesticide Study Despite Warnings from Environmental Groups

    Updated: 2012-05-31 05:01:56
    (Beyond Pesticides, May 31, 2012) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene have enrolled Maryland households in a study that involves spraying the controversial pesticide bifenthrinon their property to determine the efficacy of this approach in controlling Lyme disease. Now in the beginning of its [...]

  • Atrazine Manufacturer To Pay $105 Million to Community Water Systems

    Updated: 2012-05-30 05:01:18
    (Beyond Pesticides, May 30, 2012) A settlement between plaintiffs and the manufacturer of the endocrine disrupting herbicide atrazine, Syngenta, will pay $105 million to settle a nearly 8-year-old lawsuit and could help reimburse community water systems (CWS) in 45 states that have had to filter the toxic chemical from its drinking water, according to news [...]

  • Physical Education May Lead to Better Grades

    Updated: 2012-05-29 08:28:46
    Most school districts include physical education as part of the academic curriculum. P.E. has caused some controversy in the past as some parents feel that school is a place to learn and not to sweat. However, a new study finds […]

  • Environmental Groups Cite White House for Delay in Nanotechnology Regulations

    Updated: 2012-05-29 05:01:23
    (Beyond Pesticides, May 29, 2012) An industry newsletter has quoted representatives from two Washington, DC-based environmental organizations working on nanotechnology policy who blame the Obama Administration for impeding oversight of the largely unregulated technology. On May 23, Chemical Regulation Reporter quoted Richard Denison, PhD, a senior scientist with the Environmental Defense Fund, and Jaydee Hanson, [...]

  • The Case for the Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food

    Updated: 2012-05-28 17:10:57
    Whenever you bite into a granola bar, scarf down a bowl of cereal or pour dressing into your salad, you are likely consuming food that has been altered from its original state. It’s rare these days that you can find […]

  • “National Stroller Brigade” Descends on Capitol for Safer Chemicals

    Updated: 2012-05-24 06:56:22
    (Beyond Pesticides, May 24, 2012) On Tuesday, several hundred mothers and fathers joined nurses and cancer survivors at the U.S. Capitol to demand action on toxic chemicals. The group, deemed the “National Stroller Brigade” rallied in support of U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg’s (D-NJ) Safe Chemicals Act, a bill to overhaul antiquated laws governing toxic chemicals. [...]

  • Bees and Pesticides (again)

    Updated: 2012-05-23 22:46:41
    (Latest in my series of bee posts for Scientopia) The same day that I published my piece about bees and pesticides, the Pesticide Action Network released a report titled Honey Bees and Pesticides: State of the Science. It’s basically an annotated bibliography of some of the major papers over the last 9 years. Their introduction was… well: [...]

  • Research Finds Common Fungicide Damages Ecosystem

    Updated: 2012-05-23 05:32:19
    (Beyond Pesticides, May 23, 2012) University of South Florida (USF) researchers find that the commonly used fungicide chlorothalonil is lethal to a variety of freshwater organisms, including amphibians, snails, zooplankton, algae and aquatic plants below estimated environmental concentrations deemed safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The research builds on a study published last [...]

  • Toxic Pesticide-Encapsulated Paint Introduced to Combat Malaria

    Updated: 2012-05-22 06:23:57
    (Beyond Pesticides, May 22, 2012) The Spanish-based Inesfly company announced recently its plans to release commercially pesticide encapsulated paint, Inesfly 5A IGR, containing two neurotoxic organophosphates (OPs), chlorpyrifos and diazinon, and the insect growth regulator (IGR), pyriproxyfen, which it hopes will combat malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. The company’s owner Pilar Mateo, PhD, calls her product [...]

  • Sugar Can Make You Dumb

    Updated: 2012-05-21 15:50:03
    It’s no secret that sugar can wreck all sorts of havoc on your body. If you frequently reach for the cookie jar or guzzle down a can of pop, then you greatly increase your risk for weight gain, diabetes and […]

  • Raising HDL Levels may not Help Combat Cholesterol

    Updated: 2012-05-21 08:51:03
    Cholesterol is often mentioned in the same sentence as high blood pressure and heart disease. It’s one of those things you need to consistently monitor, especially as you get older and if bad cholesterol runs in the family. The conventional […]

  • Farmers, Scientists, and Advocates Concerned About Lack of Pesticide-Free Seeds

    Updated: 2012-05-21 05:04:16
    (Beyond Pesticides, May 21, 2012) American farmers are growing increasingly more frustrated with the lack of commercially available seeds that have not been pretreated with pesticides. Farmers across the Midwest have called on federal officials this week to provide greater access to seeds without pesticide treatments. The request comes as scientists and beekeepers highlight the [...]

  • Corn Ethanol Production Contributing to Dangerous Over-use of Antibiotics

    Updated: 2012-05-18 05:40:45
    (Beyond Pesticides, May 18, 2012) A groundbreaking report documents the potential for antibiotics used in the production of corn-based ethanol to contribute to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The potential for the misuse of antibiotics in industrial agriculture to spawn antibiotic-resistant bacteria has long been recognized, but the new report sheds light on a dimension [...]

  • World Health Organization Combats Mosquito Resistance to Insecticides with More Pesticides

    Updated: 2012-05-17 05:01:16
    (Beyond Pesticides, May 17, 2012) Rather than investing in safe, long-term solutions to prevent malaria mortality, the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a strategic plan that calls for multiple toxic pesticides to combat mosquito resistance to insecticides that is showing up in sub-Saharan Africa. Insecticide resistance, according to the WHO report, is already rampant [...]

  • New Consumer Fear over the Use of “Meat Glue”

    Updated: 2012-05-16 13:55:20
    The U.S. Meat industry has been under heavy attack in the last few months after videos surfaced of the “pink slime.” The industry is now under scrutiny again amid criticisms that meat processing plants are using what is being termed […]

  • The Confusing State of Weed in the USA

    Updated: 2012-05-16 13:09:58
    Christof Putzel is a “Vanguard” correspondent who is writing about the USA’s strange approach to dealing with an increasingly popular treatment for almost any ailment a patient can identify, watch “The War on Weed.” Share/Bookmark

  • Eating too quickly can Increase Risk of Diabetes

    Updated: 2012-05-13 18:52:58
    In a day and age when most people are strapped for time, they tend to do everything with a sense of hurry. More people are beginning to eat while on the go. This means eating quickly without taking the time […]

  • Jogging May be the Key to Longevity

    Updated: 2012-05-11 18:51:54
    Aerobic activity is good for the heart, though most people avoid it like the plague. The feeling of being out of breath and feeling like your heart is about to burst out of your chest can be a torturous sensation. […]

  • Children at a Greater Risk than Ever for Heart Disease

    Updated: 2012-05-08 17:28:26
    There are multiple factors that constitute good health, and all of these need to be followed for maintaining a strong and functioning heart. This includes getting daily physical activity, eating the right foods and getting enough sleep. A healthy lifestyle […]

  • Supermoon Weekend is On

    Updated: 2012-05-06 07:52:42
    Skywatcher Tim McCord of Entiat, Washington caught this amazing view of the March 19, 2011 full moon – called a supermoon because the moon was at perigee, the closest point to Earth in its orbit – using a camera-equipped telescope. […]

Current Feed Items | Previous Months Items

Apr 2012 | Mar 2012 | Feb 2012 | Jan 2012 | Dec 2011 | Nov 2011