Syngenta closer to settling thousands of US paraquat lawsuits
Syngenta is another step closer to potentially putting an end to thousands of lawsuits brought by people blaming the company’s paraquat weed killer for causing Parkinson’s disease.
health
Outrage in Iowa – Residents demand action to clean up dangerously polluted water
DES MOINES, Iowa – Several hundred Iowa residents gathered in the state capital this week, calling on public officials – and each other – to take swift action against dangerously polluted water supplies that are closely linked to the state’s powerful agricultural industry.
“Clear evidence” of greenhouse gas dangers cited amid Trump move to undo regulations
By Shannon Kelleher
Scientists and public health advocates are warning of dire consequences amid a worsening climate crisis following the Trump administration’s announcement this week that regulators plan to rescind the “endangerment finding” that forms the basis for limits on greenhouse gas emissions.
EPA’s move to greenlight controversial dicamba herbicide sparks outrage
By Carey Gillam
In the latest reversal of American environmental protections, US regulators said this week that they plan to approve a trio of new herbicide products made with dicamba, a controversial chemical that has wreaked havoc across farm country and sparked years of litigation, and twice drawn court-ordered bans.
After contentious US committee vote, Bayer and allies a step closer to new federal protections for pesticides
By Carey Gillam
A group of US lawmakers failed on Tuesday to beat back a provision in a congressional appropriations bill that would help protect pesticide makers from being sued and could hinder state efforts to warn about risks of pesticide products.
WATCH: Controversial water contamination report targets Iowa agriculture
A controversial Iowa water safety report has confirmed what many people in the state have long feared to be true: Dangerously high levels of farm chemicals, including nitrates and pesticides are polluting waterways with potentially dire health consequences for hundreds of thousands of residents.
Q&A: A feared return to the “dark ages of science” seen in EPA’s dismantling of research unit
By Meg Wilcox
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) confirmed on Friday a plan to eliminate its science research arm in a move critics say will significantly undermine protections for human and environmental health.
Gutting chemical safety board endangers millions of Americans, groups warn Congress
By Carey Gillam
A coalition of environmental, labor and public safety groups are calling on US lawmakers to reject the Trump administration’s move to eliminate a federal unit that investigates chemical accidents, citing risks to more than 170 million people who lives in zones at risk for such events.
Proposed federal law would turn tables on Big Ag, establishing a right to sue for pesticide injuries
By Carey Gillam
Taking specific aim at the global agrochemical companies Bayer and Syngenta, US Sen. Cory Booker on Thursday introduced legislation that would create a federal “right of action” allowing people to sue those pesticide makers and others for allegedly causing health harms such as cancer and Parkinson’s disease.
With trial approaching, Syngenta settles paraquat lawsuit brought by Parkinson’s patient
By Carey Gillam
Less than a month ahead of what would have been the first US trial over allegations that a popular weedkiller made by agrochemical giant Syngenta causes Parkinson’s disease, the parties have agreed to settle the case. With a looming Aug. 4 Philadelphia trial date, the case of Douglas Nemeth v. Syngenta, which previously was delayed multiple times, was being closely watched as the two sides battled over evidence to be presented and expert witnesses.