Two recent studies add to mounting evidence that the insecticide chlorpyrifos may be harming the brains of humans and wildlife. Despite coming close to a national ban years ago, the chemical is still sprayed on nearly a dozen US crops.
Chronic exposure to small amounts of a pesticide greenlighted for almost a dozen US crops speeds up aging in fish and cuts their lives short, adding to concerns about the chemical’s human health risks, according to a new study.
People from California farm communities that had long-term exposure to the insecticide chlorpyrifos were more than twice as likely to later develop Parkinson’s disease compared to residents without exposure, according to a new study.
By Brian Bienkowski
Children highly exposed to an insecticide prior to birth showed signs of impaired brain development and motor function, according to a new study of chlorpyrifos — a pesticide still used on US crops despite decades of warnings about its impact on children’s health.
By Douglas Main
A federal judge ruled late Wednesday that the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) must finish assessing the impact of five pesticides on endangered and threatened species, and that the agency had violated federal law with its “unreasonable” delay in completing the required analyses.
By Carey Gillam
The long and winding regulatory road for a pesticide known to be harmful to developing babies took another turn on Monday as the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it was planning to only partially ban the insecticide chlorpyrifos in farming.
By Shannon Kelleher
People who don’t farm, but live in US agricultural communities where pesticides are used on farms, face an increased cancer risk as significant as if they were smokers, according to a new study.
By Shannon Kelleher
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) scored both wins and losses in its enforcement of environmental laws for 2023, stepping up fines for polluters and on-site inspections but cleaning up fewer pollutants than it has in a decade, according to the agency’s annual enforcement and compliance report.
By Johnathan Hettinger
A new US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plan aimed at protecting the public from exposure to pesticides that harm reproductive health is sparking hope for advocates who have called for action for more than two decades, but skepticism remains high.
By Pam Strayer and Carey Gillam
Amid mounting evidence of the risks some synthetic pesticides pose to human and environmental health, California regulators this week were pushing ahead with a recently announced “roadmap” aimed at transitioning the state to more sustainable options for managing weeds and insects.